Not advertising the VR app. but still found this blog article of value.
https://www.tripp.com/blog/gracious-and-centered/?lid=h7ip6bju90y0
Gracious and Centered: A Practice In Favor of Gratitude
Terra Celeste
I like to ambulate on the earth at a human pace; I like walking and hiking and going for strolls. Getting out and taking a good walk in the desert, the woods, on mountain trails, or through a familiar city is an activity I really enjoy. While walking or hiking, I can dive into a ‘listing gratitude’ practice. Grateful that I can walk or hike without too much stress or strain. I’m grateful that I have access to wherever I am walking or hiking. I’m grateful that I have the footwear, jackets, the comfort of sunglasses and fresh water.
This list, in a way, details what has gone in my favor, and for those favorable conditions, I feel a sincere sense of gratitude.
For this practice, favor and gratitude are connected. Favor refers to moments and acts of kindness or support that align with your well-being, including favorable conditions or outcomes for you or your community. Gratitude is the recognition and appreciation of these moments.
Practicing gratitude involves intentionally noticing these instances, even amidst challenges, and expressing sincere thanks. Acceptance is a core part of this practice, as it requires letting go of expectations for specific outcomes or responses, focusing with intention on the present moment with grace.
Rather than suggest you ‘make a list’ of what you are grateful for, this gratitude practice starts with the suggestion that you find where you are least grateful or more resistant.
One of the more challenging aspects of any gratitude practice is working through resistance, finding acceptance, noticing the moments when you are able to be free of or let go of expectations.
So, let’s begin by acknowledging the resistance, that it can be hard or almost seem impossible to feel grateful sometimes, and build a practice from that point.
When the Door is Closed – Resistance to Gratitude
Begin by acknowledging any barriers to gratitude. By acknowledging what feels hard or resistant, you create space to notice even the smallest opportunities for gratitude that might otherwise be overlooked.
Start by noticing what you are definitely not grateful for. Where is there resistance, or even defiance? Any experience or mood you can recall where you are all attitude and no gratitude, go there if just for a moment. What challenges, disappointments, or frustrations close the door for you? Sit with this for a moment and reflect.
Finding or receiving gratitude can be a challenge when it is not already present in your day. Making space in your life to notice how the days are going for yourself and others, when there is resistance and when there is an openness may take some effort.
Notice the Keyhole – Recognizing Opportunities for Gratitude
Shift your focus to the possibility of gratitude, even in resistance.
As you examine this closed door, notice the keyhole—a small but significant opening. This is the moment where you start to see opportunities for gratitude, however faint. Maybe it’s a fleeting moment of kindness, a lesson hidden in difficulty, or simply the presence of someone who cares. The keyhole invites you to notice the small opportunities for gratitude.
Imagine you’re sitting with someone you enjoy spending time with sharing a meal, and they say, “Thank you for suggesting this place; it’s exactly what I needed,” or “Thanks for the text you shared earlier—I really needed that laugh,” or “I’m so glad we made time for this.” Acknowledgments of presence and effort build the practice of gratitude into your day. While no one expects constant gratitude for being a friend, you can find appreciation and mutual care through these moments where your friendships are honored with gratitude.
Find the opening where there’s some favorable condition, a kindness, or a little effort made to give you support and appreciation; acknowledge this sincerely with an expression of gratitude.
Forge the Key – Sincere Gratitude
Sincerity is the key in this practice. Knowing when and for what you feel grateful is key in being able to graciously and kindly express gratitude, even when there’s resistance.
The key is to be sincere – know what it is you feel grateful for by identifying the moment, act or instance when you felt gratitude. Then let any amount of gratitude be carried into the world as “thanks.” Make gratitude an active part of your life, don’t just passively let it be felt – actively acknowledge or express that you are grateful.
Do what works for you. This active part of the practice can be a note to self, or some form of expression to others. Know and keep discovering what gratitude and “feeling grateful” is in your life. Some practices suggest making a list – things you are grateful for, list moments of gratitude from your day, week, or the past year. The only recommendation I’m making here is to know what gratitude is for you, and actively notice or acknowledge when you are #feelinggrateful.
Imagine you’re at work, just doing your job, and a colleague or manager says, “I know it’s been a busy time, thanks for all you are contributing,” or “Thanks for taking the lead on that difficult conversation.” This is an example of sharing moments of gratitude. Of course, we’re all expected to do our jobs, typically there are no notes of gratitude for the fact that you showed up to work today. This is why it matters that the appreciation is not just for showing up, but for what was actionably done, why there is an expression of gratitude. Thanking a coworker for their support or silently reflecting with gratitude on the effort someone has made (yourself included) reinforces the practice.
Turning the Key – Acceptance and Releasing Expectations
The turn of the key is to be accepting and let go of expectations. Not everyone expects or is ready to be thanked, or receive gratitude. Like any interaction, the outcome will be affected by where you each are situated. The other person or people might not react the way you expect. Gratitude is not about controlling outcomes or ensuring a specific response. Meet the moment as it is, with kindness and grace.
Turning the key can be thought of as turning your attention to meet the moment as it is, with grace, kindness, and the understanding that gratitude is not about controlling others but about cultivating your own state of being.
Open the Door – A Gratitude Practice
When the key turns, the door opens to a gratitude practice.
The word “gratitude” shares its roots with “grace” and “gratuity,” all stemming from the Latin gratia, meaning favor or kindness. At its core, gratitude is the practice of recognizing moments of favor and grace. Practicing gratitude is not about forcing yourself to feel thankful all the time, or achieving a constant state of gratitude. Simply notice and acknowledge the opportunities for gratitude when they happen and respond with sincerity.
Find moments of gratitude big or small, maybe along with or despite some resistance. By noticing moments which are in your favor, expressing sincere appreciation, and accepting outcomes, you build your gratitude practice.
As you pay attention to your own needs, you can also become present to what the people around you are thinking and feeling, using that as context for understanding, and then offering grace. This supports the growth of a gratitude practice through your community.
Turn your focus to notice the favorable moments of kindness, support, or connection that align with your well-being, even amidst difficulty. Recognition of these moments in favor and expressing sincere appreciation openly or to yourself, transforms gratitude into a dynamic, ongoing practice. From there you can find techniques that work best for you such as a gratitude list, writing letters, expressing gratitude directly to others, or simply noticing gratitude, the key is to act with sincerity.
Do more with gratitude with TRIPP. There are many gratitude practices included in the TRIPP catalog. I’ve suggested a few with this blog.
Thank you for taking the time to connect with this practice today!
Go deeper with the TRIPP 7-Day Gratitude Challenge in VR, and Gratitude Ascend teaching on TRIPP Mobile.
