Gratitude is the heart’s memory

Gratitude is not only an attitude towards life, it is also knowing how to recognize ourselves and others with humility and gratitude.

Being grateful is more than a rule of courtesy. Gratitude is a way of crossing borders to reach a more emotional levelpersonal and even spiritual.

Why not thank life for being part of it? Why not recognize others for who they are, and for those facets for which we love them? And even more… Why not thank ourselves for our fortitude, courage and improvement?

We know, Sometimes it is not easy to delve into the so-called “knowledge of the heart.”, the one that Lao Tzu himself let us intuit with the phrase that gives the title to this article. People live almost every day anchored to this brain that guides us along the most objective and rational path, where some resentments, some frustrations live…

“Gratitude is the heart’s memory.”

-Lao Tse-

The 4 pillars of gratitude

The simple act of being grateful is already a way of personal liberation.. It is recognizing, it is acting with humility and without artifice, learning to value what is truly important in life. Let’s talk about it today, let’s delve into the value and power of gratitude.

1. Emotional openness

Why are there so many people who find it difficult to say thank you? When we do anything for someone we do not “obligatory” expect that thank you. which marks courtesy and good education.

What we are really looking for is to be recognized, We seek to understand that we have been concernedthat we have invested not only time, but also part of our emotions.

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People who do not practice gratitude usually have the following characteristics:

Emotional denial: They avoid opening up to others and often act in a defiant or self-sufficient manner when in reality, they lack good self-esteem and are quite fragile inside. They act with a certain selfishness, they practice ingratitude and sometimes, even arrogance. Not recognizing others also means not recognizing themselves, therefore They are people who lack emotional skills.

To practice gratitude, we must be able to open ourselves emotionally. Only in this way can we obtain knowledge of ourselves and others, through an active, strong and sincere heart.

2. Gratitude and recognition are the best gifts of human beings

Few values are as powerful as recognizing our fellow human beings through gratitude.. It is a universal form of knowledge and union, of joining ties. “I recognize you for what you are, for your virtues, for your way of being, and I thank you for being part of my life, enriching it with your presence.”

3. Being grateful is not being in debt

There are those who think that the simple fact of receiving something and having to say thank you immediately means being indebted to that person who has done a certain thing for us. If that feeling remains inside you, that of that obligation to return a favor, we will not be practicing free gratitude, sincere and spontaneous.

Gratitude is an attitude that does not require obligations, it is a way of being that transcends all our actions.

If you do something for your brother, or for your friend, you don’t mark an “x” on your agenda, hoping that favor will be returned one day or another. You do it because you want to and “because you recognize” that person as part of you, you have done it freely and without expecting anything in return.

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Now, we will not wait for the return of that detail, but What we do want is to be recognized. We establish a bond where each other forms the same entity. It is almost like what the word “Namasté” conveys to us (I greet you and thank you, I recognize you as divinity, which, at the same time, is part of me).

4. The importance of personal gratitude

We spend half our lives thanking others for things: the dedication of our family, the altruism of our friends, the affection of our partner or the recognition of those people who enter and leave our lives, enriching it with their small acts.

However, Have you ever stopped to thank yourself for something? Do you think it is a selfish and somewhat out of tune attitude? Absolutely. It doesn’t matter if you are religious, skeptical or spiritual, self-recognition does not compromise any norm, but is a basic pillar with which to reinforce your self-esteem.

What if from now on we act in a more humble way and value the simplest things in our lives? Thank that cool breeze that soothes you in summer, that good decision you made recently, give thanks for having your family, that pet that dedicates eternal love to you.

Give thanks simply for existing, for being wellfor understanding that we are nothing more than shooting stars that come and go, and that only seek to live life to the fullest. Why not?