The notion of expressing gratitude is not a new one, yet when I first began the practice, I found myself at a loss about exactly how to go about it. Did showing my appreciation mean that I had to go out and buy fancy gifts for everyone who had ever done anything nice for me? What about those people who guided me along the way when I was a child? Some of them were no longer living. How could I possibly express appreciation to them? I needed some help.

A friend told me about an e-book called “I Am Gr8ful For Life,” written by Kim Serafini, an expert on the use of Positive Psychology and gratitude. I ordered it from the author’s web site at: http://www.iamgr8ful.com , and was delighted to find that it answered all my questions about how to live in the now and be grateful for what I have today. It gave me inspiring advice about ways in which I could express my gratitude for all the things I had to be thankful for. I tell everyone I know how happy I am to have found this book. It really has changed my life. I am grateful for it.

A short time later, the same friend mentioned a new kind of relaxation and healing treatment called “Lithos Therapy”. She said that going into a deep state of relaxation would quiet my mind and help me reach a place spiritually and emotionally in which I could better understand the process of expressing gratitude. She was right!

Lithos Therapy is a type of body therapy in which both heated & chilled ‘rock instruments’ that are like marble sculptures (not river stones) are placed on the recipient’s back to rebalance and harmonize that person’s energy flow. When I started to read about the powers inherent in regularly expressing gratitude, I read that this therapy would put me in a vibrational resonance that would help me to attract positive energy, so that when I expressed gratitude for something, I would reap its benefits in abundance. I couldn’t believe how transforming the very first treatment was. You can read more about it here: http://www.lithos.com.au/WhatIs.php.

I eventually realized that expressions of gratitude do not necessarily have anything to do with material things. Gratitude begins in the heart and can be distributed very simply. A squeeze of a hand, a smile, a little note; these are all ways in which it can be expressed.

Gratitude is an entire way of life for the person who has, and fully understands it. Showing gratitude should be done in modest ways that will not overwhelm its recipient. It should be given openly and freely without obligatory strings of expectations attached.  In other words, when you give thanks, do not expect anything in return. Just be thankful. That is all it takes, and don’t worry, it will come back to you naturally.

My final bit of advice about how to express gratitude is to enjoy it. Yes, that’s right. Enjoy all the reasons that you feel grateful. Feel the warm sun on your face. Embrace your best friend. Let your heart soar as you realize you are truly blessed, and you will soon find yourself letting go of all the negativity that held you back and kept you from doing what you wanted to do with your life.

♥Just saying “Thank You” seems the easiest thing in the world. Meaning it, though, is an entirely different matter. Some people go through life with a sense of entitlement. That is letting everyone know that they deserve whatever is given to them. Humility is a wonderful ingredient to show an appreciative thank you to someone. A person should be grateful that they have been given the greatest gift of all, help from your fellow man.

Our lives on this earth are very short indeed. The more thank yous you garner and give shows how deeply you have cared and been cared for during this life that you are given. The largest to the very smallest of acts deserve thank yous from the heart.

An evolutionary gift of humans is the capability of knowing when a gift is given to them. It is an achievement of our society, and our humanness, that we have been given the truly substantial ability of giving and receiving gratitude, of being able to give and receive gifts.

The gift book iamgr8ful for life by Kim Serafini, who is a firm believer and an expert practitioner of positive psychology, is a wonderful way of showing your appreciation as well. When a Thank You just won’t quite do for you, giving this book is a great way of expressing the words that you may not be capable of saying. I have found that it is also a great way of empowering those that you are saying thank you to. To enrich their lives even further. I definitely advise getting this book, located at www.iamgr8ful.com, as a gift that will keep on giving and you just may receive a “Thank You” yourself.

Also, the Art of Receiving can be very difficult to comprehend for many people. Many, myself included, have a hard time with responding to a thank you. “No problem” has become a staple in today’s society. We, as a people, need to concentrate more on the gift of just being able to say “Thank You” for the many gifts that are received.

Sometimes, though, it is difficult to even see that a gift has been given or that you have given a gift to someone. Don’t be discouraged, though, when an appropriate “Thank You” is not given for a deed that you have performed. The act of kindness will permeate throughout the receiver’s subconscious and will at least be manifested with the return gift of a smile. Just one little smile given back to you is one of the best ways of saying “Thank You,” I believe, if a thank you cannot be given or expressed in a meaningful way.

On another vein, it is totally acceptable to not just give a thank you but to give a gift as well. One of the best that I know is the Technique of Lithos Therapy. This therapy has been designed as a holistic endeavor to relax body, mind and spirit. For an extra large “Thank You,” give both the book iamgr8ful for life and the holistic massage treatment called Lithos Therapy, located at www.lithos.com.au.

Be grateful for your life, you only have one to give. Thank God for the gift that he has given you.♥