Expressing Gratitude

At the beginning of the challenge, I was very systematic about expressing my gratitude to the universe. I kept a gratitude journal, and every evening, right before going to bed, I would write down a list of things I'm grateful for (usually around 15 or 20). But... I'm not a very systematic person. So this only lasted for the first half of the challenge or so.

What I do now seems much more natural to me. I've incorporated gratitude in my daily life. Every day, whenever I start thinking about something good in my life, I remind myself how grateful I am for it, and then I start thinking of other things that I'm grateful for, in whichever order and at whichever time they occur. I hold on to the warm, cozy feeling of gratitude for as long as I can, revel in it, and then move on with whatever I was doing when the thought first  came to my mind. This happens multiple times a day. I don't write it down anymore, and I don't keep a gratitude journal either - to be honest, reading gratitude lists is not the most exciting thing ever, so why write it down... The important thing is feeling it.

But there's another important thing I've learned, which is expressing gratitude to the outside world and everyone involved in your manifestations. I'm not talking about saying things like "thank you for passing me the ketchup", but technically it is the same thing.

Yesterday I went to yoga, and at the end of the class I went to my teacher and thanked her. About three weeks ago, she had us do a meditation that was very focused on fulfilling a wish. My wish was to find a qualified and fulfilling job in the UK, and it has happened, so I decided to thank her and to tell her that my wish came true. I felt a bit ridiculous and was getting second thoughts about this - "why would she care about your wishes" and "this is so silly" - but when I saw her face light up after I told her the news, I knew it was worth it.

It feels awesome to know that you've contributed to somebody's happiness, even if it was in a small way. So if somebody does that for you, don't forget to tell them. Their smile will be priceless.