Below is an excerpt from the book I am writing. The sun is shining and it is a beautiful day to be reminded of gratitude and appreciation.
Gratitude is the feeling of appreciation for what you already have. And the best gratitude does not come from things; it comes from just being. You could be given everything in the world but without the feeling of gratitude, those things are just stuff. Gratitude helps you appreciate everything in your life. Even when life throws you a curve ball, say “I am grateful for ” because I know there is a reason, like a lesson to learn or an experience to grow. Not that I am happy about the curve ball because sometimes it really sucks. But some of our greatest learning experiences come through difficult times. I believe we would not grow without the ups and downs of life. The downs can make us stronger and hopefully smarter if we learn from them. The challenging times helps us truly appreciate the good times.
Merriam-Webster.com/dictionary states gratitude is “a feeling of appreciation or thanks”. True gratitude is a feeling and not just the words you speak. I am working on feeling more grateful. I no longer want to say “I am grateful or thank you” without feeling the emotion. I wish to feel it deep down inside of me. To accomplish this I need to stop what I am doing, be still, and be in the present moment to fully feel gratitude. When I am in this moment nothing else matters but feeling grateful. This gratitude comes from love which creates an inner place to connect, center, and ground yourself to the real you. When you live in gratefulness, you feel a relationship with all things. This feeling generates happiness and joyfulness to just be. To experience this wonderful opportunity is to totally live life in its entire splendor. What you are saying to the world is “I am grateful for you, for me, and for everything”.
Begin to welcome every moment as a moment of gratitude and you will start receiving more. It is the universe at work. A feeling of appreciation for what you already have will bring more into your life. It is necessary for you to feel you deserve this abundance or you will block it from your life because the universe “hears” more of how you feel than how you think. Believe you are worthy to receive these gifts because you are. You can send out positive thoughts but if you don’t feel worthy to receive them, the universe gets conflicting messages and the energy of feeling is stronger than the energy of thought.
When you feel worthy and grateful, more gifts and blessings will come your way. This is the Law of Attraction at work and it always works. What you focus your attention on, you will attract. Do you want to attract gratitude (positive) or ungratefulness (negative) into your life? It is your choice. Why not send positive feelings and thoughts of gratitude out to the world so you will attract it back to you?
“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” – Paulo Coelho
Watch the beautiful Gratitude video under Song of the Week. The video features Louie Schwartzberg amazing time-lapse photography set to a composition on gratitude. It is a moving mediation that puts you into a state of peace!
