A Life Lived in Gratitude

All too often we find ourselves in a spiral of complaint. If your feeling sad, angry or jealous you’re mind is full of “reasons” for these emotions. Unfortunately, these states of negativity can be very real to our bodies, causing anxiety, depression, listlessness and even illness. Pulling ourselves out of negative emotional states is challenging at best, and sometimes impossible without assistance, if we remain in them too long. One of the great secrets of the universe is using gratitude to pull yourself back to a positive state of mind, and to remain there with little effort.

I’ve been there. So low, that I was stuck in an abusive marriage for eleven years.
I’ve been there. Unable to get out of bed for days after a miscarriage.
I’ve been there. Walking around like a zombie, barely feeling anything when my grandfather died.

No two happenings are experienced the same way by two different people. No two lives are alike. You are a unique individual soul, with ups and downs and joys and challenges that I can’t possibly know. However, there is something universal that can lift you up when you are down, that can give you hope when all seems lost, and that can turn your world around when you need it most.

That one thing is gratitude.

Filling your mind and body with positive emotions can bring about joy, a better marriage, the drive that it takes to succeed and even bodily healing. Unfortunately we aren’t automatically given these tools at birth, we have to learn them from loving guides brought into our lives through synchronicity, luck or a guiding divine hand. Some tools to positively influence your mood are laughter, dance, bodily contact with another human being (a hug, sex, holding hands), Viewing beautiful images, sitting in direct sunlight, and chocolate! My favorite tool by far, however, is gratitude. It’s incredibly easy to simply think of things that I’m thankful for. I’m amazed at how my mood changes during this exercise, and how I feel lifted up afterward.

Exercise: Upon waking, think of five things that you are thankful for before getting out of bed.

Cultivating relationships through gratitude

Marriage is hard work, as is maintaining any relationship. With some people, we just “click” and our every interaction is peaceful and reciprocal in every way. With others, we have to concentrate to maintain a respectful, loving conversation or to desire continued contact. By reminding yourself continually why you are grateful for that person, you train your mind to think of those beautiful things when you see, hear or think of that person! It only takes a minute to think of a few reasons to be thankful for someone. I’m so thankful that my mother is alive and healthy! I could easily focus on the fact that she smokes, and I would really like it if she quit, but focusing on that irritation only creates a barrier between us. Yes, I would very much like my mother to quite smoking, and I gently remind her of such when I find it appropriate, but I don’t focus on her smoking when I see her, or when I think about her. I focus on our similarities, how much she adores her grandchildren (and they her) and how special she is to me.

Exercise: Think of 5 reasons you are thankful for your spouse, partner, child, or another person in your life. Bonus – do it just before having a conversation or a visit!

Occasionally we may have a particular person or circumstance that causes strife in our lives. A traffic stop, a teen filled with angst, a toddler that refuses to toilet train, a broken tooth, the death of a loved one, a car wreck, etc. are all examples of these kinds of circumstances. Trust me when I say, you can always find something to be thankful for, even in these situations. Again,

YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR.

I’m thankful for my ex-husband because without him, my two oldest children wouldn’t be here, and they bring so much joy in my life. He was an abuser. I’m thankful for my tween daughter who is such a good big sister to my little ones. She’s at “that age” and argues with me continually! I’m thankful for my beautiful two year old, the way she smells and all her hugs. Even though she is using me as a jungle gym as I write this article!!! If we dwell on the negative, negativity fills us. You’ve heard the phrase, I’m sure…”Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Well, what if we change it up a bit?

Power Effects You
Negative power (thoughts) corrupts you
Positive power (thoughts) uplifts you

Exercise: Think of 5 reasons to be thankful for a challenging circumstance or person in your life. Write them down on 3×5 cards and read them as often as you need to change your outlook on the situation.

We have a purpose on this Earth. Your purpose is your own, but it has love, light and joy in its destination. En route, you may find obstacles, challenges and even some people that block your path. They are there to gently guide you into a better character, a stronger drive and a more focused determination. Expressing gratitude for these obstacles give you power and control over them!

Ways to use gratitude to heal your soul and uplift your spirit

1. Make a list of 100 things you are thankful for right now.
2. Keep 3×5 cards of gratitude for the challenges in your life with you at all times, and read them often.
3. Go to bed in gratitude of another day, more opportunities and wonderful mysteries awaiting you when you wake.
4. Be thankful for those in your life, and tell them so.
5. Keep a gratitude journal, listing everything you are thankful for on a daily basis.
6. Create a “Gratitude Box”: decorate a shoebox any way you find pleasing and cut a slot in the top. take a scrap of paper every day and write something you’re thankful for upon it and deposit it inside the box. Open the box once a month or once a year and read what you’ve written!
7. Maintain an “Attitude of Gratitude”.
   

There is a surge of thankfulness hitting the world right now. Can you feel it? It’s a beautiful wave of light and love that passes through you with a loving embrace. Take a moment now to feel it, and remind yourself of what you are grateful for today.

To fill your life with EVEN MORE gratitude, follow my friend LaSara FireFox on Twitter, post your thankfulness daily on Twitter using the #gratitude brand, and follow other’s who post using that brand too. LaSara also has an group amazing products called Gratitude Games that can fill your life with gratitude in a fun way that you can involve your whole family in! Visit her website www.LaSaraFireFox.com today!