Gratitude is more than the custom of saying “thank you.” Gratitude is a state of being which is born of an awareness and deep appreciation for the many miracles of life. Gratitude strengthens your faith because you have to believe that there are amazing things out there and choose to be thankful for them, sometimes even before you have evidence. Practice being grateful and watch how positive energy begins to flow in and out of you. At the end of each day, make it a habit to either write out or verbally acknowledge all that you are grateful for. 

When we get hurt physically, we take the necessary steps to heal. But for emotional wounds, we often neglect the obvious remedy. What is worse, we insist on reopening our wounds by playing the stories of our hurt on an endless loop in our heads. Our ego is the culprit here. Our ego is all about making us feel insecure and defensive. Because of this, we feel the need to continually prove we are right. The feeling of being right is the highest reward the ego can offer us. Forgiveness provides a far greater reward: emotional freedom and personal happiness. If forgiveness is hard for you, start by imagining the person that wronged you as if they were a little child. Have compassion for them. You must refuse to live in the shadow of the pain they inflicted upon you. Letting go frees you. There are many ways to forgive, but the point is you need to wipe the slate clean, focus on raising your own frequency, and move on. Forgiveness is within your control. It’s a matter choosing the greater reward of being happy over being right.