Not everything is beautiful. In what ways does seeing the darkness of the world bring you hope?
Seeing the Darkness and Finding Hope
As I mourn yet another mass shooting I am reflecting on being grateful but not ONLY being grateful. I would hate for a gratitude practice to be blinders to seeing the tragedies and injustices that exist in the world. And even the darkness that exists in each of us.
We can make sure we are not only seeing the darkness or only seeing the light by continuing to pay attention fully. We can use our gratitude to bring us hope and we can use the darkness to show us that action needs to be taken. Don’t be afraid to see the darkness. There is a lot of possibility there too. You might even find gratitude hidden in those shadows.
If I didn’t look beyond my gratitude into my own shadow places I would have never stopped drinking which was a beautiful and positive life changing move. It took me having the guts to look closer at a situation that I wasn’t grateful for. This was scary after years of practicing gratitude. But it was exactly what I needed to do to spark change. I saw what wasn’t working and I figured out what I needed to do to act on it. Then after taking that action a whole new world of gratitude emerged.
The same thing can happen in all of the dark places. That hurt. That uncomfortable feeling that shows us that something isn’t aligned with our values. It is a goldmine of possibilities. But first we have to be brave enough to see it. To examine it. To take action. To not be blinded by our gratitude.
If you have no shadows then you’re not standing in the light.
~Lady Gaga
What shadows do you see in yourself or in the world? In what ways are you grateful to witness these shadows?
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[su_note note_color=”#e7e7e7″ text_color=”#686767″ radius=”0″] My gratitude journey started in May 2011 and continues to this day. Thank you for being a part of it! A daily gratitude practice is simple. Write down three things you are grateful for each day. Download your free GratitudeGuide. My clients focus on gratitude and learn from their successes to make the positive changes they want in their lives. You can too. Call me to set up our first meeting 505.333.9336. [/su_note]