Gratitude is, at its simplest, a celebration of joy in being alive.

Celebration is not something we have to put off for another day, or for a special occasion, it’s there at our fingertips, to be practiced equally when we think no one is looking or when we know the world is watching.

It’s a state of joyful abandon during which the love we feel in our hearts is sent out in huge blasts to the things and beings that surround us. In these acts of celebration, the Universe feels our gratitude, even if we don’t consciously know we are offering it.

Sometimes there’s a ‘weightiness’ attached to gratitude, as if it must be a serious endeavour, like prayer is sometimes taught to be.

There’s nothing wrong with the conscious act of gratitude of course, it’s wonderful, and it can help to bring you even more of the things you’re grateful for. But must it be so serious?

Instead of worrying about whether or not you’ve been thankful enough for where you are right now, why not frolic and kick your legs in the air, showing with every move just how much you are enjoying the act of living?

In that enjoyment lives a deep gratitude, a true celebration of joy that does not need words to express itself.

In these acts of wild abandon, as we celebrate without thought of consequence, expectation or how others will react, we express the part of ourselves we so often keep hidden, wrapped up in propriety and the norms of behaviour.

Unwrapping these gems allows the truth in our hearts to shine out brightly across the stretches of time and space, and invites more and more opportunities for celebration in. It’s also contagious, and the more people that catch the celebration bug, the more gratitude floods the Earth with its incredible healing energy.

This is especially difficult when we don’t feel much like celebrating. When we’re going through one of those inevitable times during which it feels like life has dealt us a raw deal, or we’ve been abandoned, desperate and alone.

Everyone on the planet has felt bad at some point, and it’s what we do with that energy that makes the difference. We can wallow in it and accept the role of victim, or we can examine what gifts it brings and turn the situation around into a learning experience.

There is always a gift, and the sooner we find it, the easier it is to move through the difficult times into the lighter, freer energy that lies beyond.

How can we be grateful for the stuff we don’t want? Here’s a short video clip to demonstrate the potential for growth that lies in even the worst of the worst situations:  using one disease to fight another.

Sometimes the things we imagine to be the most awful thing to ever happen can send positive ripples to someone we don’t even know.

By embracing gratitude in those moments, celebrating the smallest thing, we enable the energy to be circulated in a whole new way, opening up the possibility for all kinds of wonderful to step in and take root.

About Jenny Griffin

Also known as 'The Catharsis Coach,' Jenny loves exploring life's twists and turns through the lens of transformation. Her own journey through catharsis, a deep, deep letting go of ingrained patterns and beliefs, resulted in a feeling of connectedness, with the world around her and with that wise and wonderful voice within. Jenny has learned to engage with her life and experiences in a way that allows her to use the knowledge gained through them to serve others. When she's not writing, she's coming up with new ways to help people move through change with grace and ease.

You can find her at: The Power of Change
on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and
on Twitter