I've been thinking a lot about Gratitude. This seems like such a basic topic/emotion doesn't it?
Simply take into account everything around you and show appreciation. But for some reason, this has been one of the most difficult things for me to embody. Most likely it's because I've had SO MANY BIG desires in life that I kept waiting for those to show up first, so that I could finally shout THANK YOU to the Universe! When our desires are really grand, it can sometimes make what you currently have, seem disappointing and mediocre.
But as I now understand, and I'm pretty sure you do as well, until we give thanks....and I mean HUGE APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE for what we already have, nothing more expansive can show up. Because gratitude is a magnet. It attracts more of itself in. When we feel truly grateful (and I am not speaking of simply repeating some affirmations but actually finding a way to FEEL IT in our emotions) then, and only then, can more good come in.
Gratitude is a magnet.
Once we get better at feeling this appreciation, we can also begin to give thanks for those things that AREN'T working in our life. "Thank you for this pain" "thank you for my breakup" "thank you so much for showing me what I don't want in my life!" When we can find true gratitude for what isn't going our way, WOW...we have discovered the key. When we can see underneath it all, we begin to understand that sometimes what isn't working, is actually leading us to a better and happier life. Often, the traffic jam is there to slow us down to prevent an upcoming accident.
What if ALL OF LIFE was working FOR us and NOT against us?
What if we learned to see the blessings in the so-called bad as well as the good?
Magnetic Gratitude is simply focusing on our heart center, tuning in to the emotion of gratitude, and allowing that to spill over into our day to day life.
There are always people with a richer life than ours, but there are also many, many people with much less. Let's stop comparing and begin taking in all that we have to be grateful for today:
Thank you for my comfortable bed
Thank you for the birds in my backyard
Thank you for my sense of smell, taste and touch
Thank you for my loving friends and family
Thank you for my breath....and the list goes on
For some of us, it may feel forced and robotic at first. But the more we make it our focus, the better we feel. The better we feel, the more our life opens up for us and gives us evidence of things to feel grateful for! Eventually, like all habits, Gratitude WILL become second nature.
Have a great weekend and Thank You for being here!
Love, Jay