Blog #165 The Surprises!?
We can all think of many things to be grateful for on so many levels, it is easy to be grateful and thankful; and to share it with our family and friends and the world around us. We each have so many little surprises and miracles that show up in our lives just to bring a smile to our face, if we choose to see them.
To imagine everything sucks or is not good and not working creates that in our lives. What we focus on expands or what we think about all the time is what manifests in our life. Choosing to imagine a happy, healthy, joyful life with deep appreciation and gratitude for everything and everyone, we manifest even more of that in our lives.
Dr. Christine Northrup MD: On Gratitude
Practicing gratitude for as little as 15–20 seconds can lower stress hormones, increase the flow of oxygen to every cell of your body, and harmonize your heart’s rhythms with your body’s other systems. If all of this happens when you focus for just a few seconds on something that brings you pleasure, joy, or a feeling of gratitude, imagine what would happen to your health—and our world—if you were able to cultivate and express gratitude and appreciation on a regular basis. That’s pretty powerful stuff.
Here are a Few Easy Ways to Practice Gratitude Every Day:
Say “thank you.” With the stress and intensity of today’s world, it’s easy to forget to say “thank you” but remember we are all connected. Make a list and count your blessings and feel grateful. Start by making a list of all the people in your life for whom you are grateful, including family, friends, work colleagues, wait staff at your favorite restaurant, and close advisors. Let your list expand organically. As you begin to picture all of the people in your life, such as the person on the end of the customer support hotline or the stranger who smiled at you while you were at your favorite coffee shop, you may be amazed by how much help and support you have in your life. You can do the same exercise for the things you are grateful for that are easy to take for granted such as heat, electricity, and clean water… The more you notice the people and things you are grateful for, the more you’ll attract them.
Start a gratitude journal. Make it a habit to write down whatever you feel grateful for each day, such as people in your life, a beautiful tree or just about anything. Remember, being grateful for the little things helps you cultivate a spirit of gratitude in your daily life.
Appreciate yourself!!! Take a moment right now to look back and acknowledge everything you are and everything you do. Notice how far you’ve come since last year, last month, or even last week. Journaling is a great way to keep track of this kind of information. The point is to update your “self-appreciation circuits” regularly and genuinely.
Create gratitude touchstones. Write your favorite memories or experiences and keep them close at hand as gratitude touchstones. Your gratitude touchstones can be your spouse, your sleeping child, a beautiful place in nature, a favorite pet, an exciting trip, or even a special moment with a friend.
Try a gratitude challenge. Several years ago, I participated in a challenge where every day for an entire year I acknowledged and shared something I am grateful for. You can do this on social media, tell a friend, or simply write down what you are grateful for in your journal. Or, if you want another type of gratitude challenge, try to abstain from complaining for 24 hours!
Have regular “rampages of appreciation.” Ester Hicks, who shares the teachings of “Abraham,” suggests having regular rampages of appreciation to elicit joy. I second that suggestion! Appreciation and gratitude are the best ways to turn around a bad mood in about 2 minutes.
Pray. Prayer helps to cultivate gratitude. To make it even more powerful, you can use a gratitude prayer, or pray for the ability to feel grateful.
Meditate. Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present moment without judgment. When you meditate, try focusing on something you are grateful for now. This can be something that you are grateful for every day such as enough food to eat, your home, family and friends, or a big event, such as a promotion.
Let’s start to add just a few more ways in our life how we can show and have appreciation and gratitude for the little things and for our self and for others. Breathe in love & peace & appreciation, & breathe out stress & worry!
Notice all the little surprises every day, it is such a gift!
Photo of a beautiful sweet surprise I received of a heart shape strawberry that was in my basket from the farm, so grateful, what a gift!