A River of Gratitude

Let your gratitude flow like a river - as it moves away from you it gets picked up by the rushing currents and soon flows far away. If your river made it to an ocean, where it mixed with the other river currents of gratitude from other individuals, what a wonderful world this would be.

96.5 percent of the world surface is ocean water. Can you imagine how powerful all those rivers of gratitude could be!?! Some lands may have water droughts, but there should never be a gratitude drought. If the only thing you are grateful for today is a glass of water, it's a good start to your personal river.

Do You Suffer From Mental Laziness

We are creatures of habit. Changing our mindset can be a difficult task. If you've been thinking negative thoughts, believing in back luck, unhappiness and dis-ease, it can be overwhelming to learn about the Law of Attraction and all the 'work' you need to do to create a more blissful life.

But it's really not that hard. The most powerful and easiest change you can make is to be more grateful. Say 'THANK YOU' more often and MEAN IT! Thank the sun that shines on you, the scent of flowers in the air, the car that swung wide away from you so as to not splash a puddle on you, your ability to afford to buy that cup of coffee in the morning, that friend who always posts something funny on Facebook to put a smile on your face. Thank your employer for providing you with a job that sustains you until you're able to live the life of your dreams, the monthly cell phone bill that allows you to communicate with all your loved ones, no matter where you are.

Sometimes it seems easier said than done to find things to be grateful for when we are having a bad day - but if you look around - you will be surprised at how many things you can be grateful for.

Everyone suggests a gratitude journal - something to write in before bed to acknowledge gratitude for the things that happened in your day. This is a great idea - and no matter what your day was like, try to write up to 10 items a day. But no matter what- try to offer gratitude for at least one positive aspect of your day. It will become easier in time and your mindset will shift to a default state of bliss.

Thank you!

Gratefulness - Dalai Lama

When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect toward others. ~  Dalai Lama

OFFER GRATITUDE FOR YOU!

When was the last time you appreciated yourself? Have you ever been grateful for whom you are? Have you ever looked in the mirror and said ‘Thank you’ to the person staring back at you; for your health, beauty, wisdom, or imagination? Have you ever appreciated anything about yourself?

It’s a sad reality in which it is perfectly acceptable to put yourself down CONSTANTLY. I am too fat, I am stupid, I deserve no happiness, I am ugly, I am never going to be successful, I will never be good enough, etc. etc. etc. These are the truths that people constantly tell themselves. And I say truths because what you say or feel about yourself is your own person truth. Others can look at you when you call yourself fat, ugly and unsuccessful and see a complete lie – they might see you as a person at a healthy weight, who is beautiful and extremely successful, but they are not YOU. Most likely they are not going to feel gratitude for your skinny body, your beauty or your success. Hopefully they are appreciating their own uniqueness as you should be appreciating yours.

Until you love and accept yourself, you can not expect others to love and accept you. Thinking thoughts such as “If I lose 5 pounds, maybe he will love me more” or “if I work really hard and become successful, maybe my father will love me” or “If I have this cosmetic surgery done, buy these expensive clothes, spend a lot of money on my hair and make-up, then I will look good and people will find me attractive”are all scenarios about pleasing other people, looking for acceptance/appreciation from others. And don’t we all do this – blame ourselves for not being thin enough, successful enough or pretty enough to make someone else love us. We tell ourselves we will love ourselves when someone else does! That is BACKWARDS! No one worthy of YOU can actually love YOU until YOU love yourself! (read that again!) No one will appreciate you until you appreciate yourself!

We all know that saying/feeling bad things about ourselves is only going to bring more of the same into our lives. If you believe you are fat, you will be fat. If you need to lose weight, you will always have weight you need to lose. If you feel you are ugly, you will never look in a mirror and see that you are beautiful. You will never be happy if you always feel you deserve to be unhappy. You will never be satisfied with your success if you always believe you are unsuccessful. You will never love yourself if you feel someone else has to first.

For some reason, how you feel about yourself is the hardest belief to transform. Learning to look in a mirror and find good things to say and feel about yourself is the hardest things to do, yet loving and appreciating yourself should be the most natural thing to do. Until you love, accept and are grateful for who you are, nothing else matters or will change in your life. YOU are so important. You are MOST important!

Take a small journal with you EVERYWHERE you go during the day. Start each day by writing down 5 things you are grateful for, ABOUT YOURSELF, first thing in the morning. You should do this before your feet hit the ground, but at least within a few minutes of rising. You could be grateful for your ability to sleep soundly, for your legs that carry you to the morning coffee pot, for your eyes to see where you left your reading glasses, for your willpower in not eating the last cookie along with your morning joe. Possibilities are endless about what you can find about yourself to be grateful for, but when you first start to appreciate yourself, this is actually a hard task to do! I know – I’ve been there, but I assure you, it does get easier.

Keep your journal close by all day. As you go about your day, continue to write down all the great things about yourself that you can come up with or that happen to you that make you feel good. Appreciate yourself for making the wise choice to eat an apple today. Feel gratitude for your ability to put your hand on a door knob and have the ability to open that door. Appreciate that your hair looks good today – even if you just stepped out of the barber shop. If someone compliments your outfit, be grateful you had the mindset to put that awesome outfit together. If your boss gives you yet another task to complete, feel grateful that he sees the competent employee that you are. If your child gives you a handmade ‘I Love You’ card, acknowledge that you must be a great parent. As the day unfolds, and opportunities present themselves to offer gratitude for your own individuality, write them down!

If you find yourself having a negative thought about yourself, immediately find something good about yourself in that situation and write it down. If you spill coffee on your blouse and call yourself a stupid idiot (haven’t we all?) – immediately replace that with “Thank you Self for not getting coffee on your report that you need to give your boss in 5 minutes!” and write down; I am grateful I spilled coffee on myself this morning instead of on my report.

You get the idea. Write down as many positive things about yourself that you can and offer gratitude for yourself. At the end of the day, just before bed, write 5 more things you appreciate about yourself. Then go back thru your journal postings and read how many wonderful moments happened that you were expressing gratitude for who you are! Count them up if you want and try to come up with even more appreciative moments the next day. The goal is to constantly think of YOU as a wonderful person – someone who is beautiful, healthy, intelligent, successful and loveable.

 Think about the ideal YOU – who you really want to be – write these traits down as a header on your journal and seek specific moments of appreciation thru out your day that target your desired traits. For example – if you want to feel confident, make sure you write about the moments throughout your day that make you feel confident.

Once you start to see more of the good qualities in yourself and offer gratitude for yourself, you will find more and more to be grateful for. You will learn to love yourself and appreciate who you are now. You will find that those ideal traits you desired are already present in who you are. And once you love yourself for who you are (you’ll have the written proof), then you can show the world that you are truly beautiful, successful, healthy and YOU.

The Magic Works

Recently my husband and I bought a new home in a new town. Having lived most of my life on the same road, I am very use to people driving past and waving or neighbors walking by and having a conversation. We bought the new house back in March but because our young girls are in school, we are holding off on moving til the school year ends.

However, we are over at the new house quite often and out in the front yard cutting trees, brush and the lawn. Being on a dead end road with approximently 20 houses beyond us, the traffic isn't as heavy as my previous home but the vehicles are becoming very familiar. I wish I could say the same for the drivers. I've commented numerous times to my husband that people over there are not very friendly. Even the mailman doesn't wave! As for the people directly across the street, a wave occassionally but hardly what I would term friendly. (OK, so maybe it is because on a first visit our big dog took off across the road when Mr. Neighbor was getting his mail, but we have her trained now!)

I'm not sure why it matters to me, but it does. I want a 'friendly' relationship with my neighbors! And apparently this has been gnawing at me. Recently I have been reading The Magic by Rhonda Byrne - author of The Secret and The Power etc. It's a book of daily assignments to help transform my life and attract good things into my life. Day 21 was the Magnificent Outcomes day where I had to choose 3 situations that were important to me that I could use gratitude to attract into my life. As one of my 3 choices, I decided one item should be totally random so I could see if it worked. I decided that since it was a day we would be spending at the new house, I would choose to show gratitude for the neighbors that would stop by for a chat. I had to write: Thank you for the magnificent outcome to a neighbor stopping by for a chat. Throughout the day I  showed gratitude for the neighbor stopping by, I used my thoughts and feelings to try attracting this situation into my day.

All morning we were in the front yard- I was weeding a garden by the road. No one stopped by. A car did stop to ask directions but I didn't consider that as being a Magnificent Outcome. In the afternoon, we picked up the girls from school and returned to the new place where we had dinner. It was getting late and I had kind of given up on the friendly neighbor visit.

I was sitting in the house with our two dogs as my husband was out mowing around our field and the girls were out front playing when a Mother and her daughter - NEIGHBORS - went past on horseback. They stopped and talked to my girls!!!  Because my dogs were going crazy, I didn't venture outside but I didn't care - I was just so excited that a neighbor stopped to chat! (even if it turned out not to be with me)(Later I found out they also chatted with my husband, who apparently got the lawn mower stuck and the women said they would help him get it unstuck but the horses were too spirited - so apparently everyone in my family  talked to these neighbors EXCEPT ME!) I was in awe - I had shown gratitude all day for a Magnificent Outcome to a neighbor stopping by to chat, and it happened!

As for the other two situations I tried to attract that day - one did happen but the other was too vague to know for sure. 

So, moral of the story, The Law of Attraction works. Not all new neighbors are unfriendly! And next time I try to attract a Magnificent Outcome, I will be more specific that I want to outcome to happen to ME!

New Years Resolutions

The new year is approaching. It is always tempting to make the annual resolutions that go unfulfilled each year...lose weight, get out of debt, find Mr. Right etc etc. How many of us make variations of the same resolutions each year?



And herein lies the problem. Whatever you desire to change in the new year - don't make it a resolution. If you are making a resolution to, say, lose weight - than guess what - you are always going to have excess weight to lose. If you want to get out of debt than you are always going to be IN DEBT so you can keep getting out of it. If you plan to find Mr or Mrs Right this year, than you will always be searching for Mr. or Mrs. Right. You get the picture.


Turn your resolutions into feelings of it already having happened! Tell the universe you are at your perfect weight and believe in it. Visualize yourself at your perfect weight. Imagine yourself with money in the bank, large savings accounts and  prosperity. Visualize yourself writing out checks to pay off those debts in one final payment. Savor how you would feel if you were really able to pay off those debts  - and believe that it is true.

Feel the emotions you would expect to feel when your desire comes to fruition. How happy would you feel if you bought your dream house? Feel those feelings now. Write out your new address like it has already happened. Buy return address labels.

Buy an awesome new outfit in your new dress size. Spend money on frivolous things because you have plenty of money! Don't hope that your new love interest cares about you - believe that they do. Imagine your happy life together- visualize your wedding, write out your names as Mr and Mrs, make your home suitable for your new love interest (whether you've met someone yet or not!)

The only resolution you need to make this year is to never make another resolution again! Spend 15 minutes or so daily offering gratitude for all the things that you have. Offer thanks for the things you desire like you already have them. Don't hope for a happy and healthy new year. KNOW you'll have a happy and healthy new year! When you believe and expect great things, they happen. And that is better than just hoping that THIS YEARS resolutions come true!

Changing Your Negative Thoughts to Positive Thoughts

I was reading the 5/17/10 issue of Woman's World magazine the other day and it reported on a study that states the average woman has 36 negative thoughts about herself every day - one every 26 minutes!

On my personal quest to practice Gratitude and The Law of Attraction, I struggle DAILY with keeping positive thoughts in my head. Sometimes I catch myself having a negative thought and can 'reset' my mindset on my own - but I wonder how many times a day I have a negative thought without being aware of what I am thinking. The main goal is for all of us to be aware of what we are thinking. Monitoring our thoughts sounds like a daunting task.

The article suggests wearing a rubber band on your wrist and gently snapping it when you catch yourself having a negative thought - they refer to it as a 'reset button'. I've heard of this wrist band trick before but I admit I have never tried it.

The article claims that over a few weeks you will begin to have fewer and fewer negative thoughts. I don't know if this method of 'resetting' works, but it is worth a try.

Do you have a favorite way of 'resetting' your thoughts?

Happy Song

Remember that song from childhood, 'If you're happy and you know it clap your hands'? I have a confession.........I sing that song to myself all the time! (and I clap!!) For whatever reason, whenever I'm NOT feeling happy, if I sing this song and clap my hands, it always puts a smile on my face.

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands...........(clap clap)
If you're happy and you know it clap your hands...........(clap clap)
If you're happy and you know then your face will surely show it,
If you're happy and you know it clap your hands...........(clap clap)


But my singing doesn't end there. I use variations of this song ALL THE TIME in other ways, by simply replacing a few words.

For instance happy with healthy and face with body..

If you're healthy and you know it clap your hands...........(clap clap)
If you're healthy and you know it clap your hands...........(clap clap)
If you're healthy and you know then your body will surely show it,
If you're healthy and you know it clap your hands...........(clap clap).

I also swap out happy for wealthy and face for portfolio and numberous other combos. Secretly, I have a blast coming up with some none lyrical versions of this song. I'll never be mistaken for a songwriter!

In my personal quest to keep positive and focused on what I want, this works for me when my mind is wandering or I'm not feeling positive. Perhaps this will work for someone else.

If you would love to share what works for you, please do. I'd love to hear from readers on how they stay focused and positive.

Gratitude First Thing In The Morning

I hear over and over how poeple don't even get out of bed until they have thanked the universe for their health, wealth and happiness. First thing in the morning, all I can think about is staying in bed where it is nice and warm, but being pulled from the covers by the need to relieve my bladder and get some coffee. Giving gratitude is very hard for me to focus on before coffee. What is your method for gratitude first thing in the morning? Do you have an affirmation that you repeat each morning?

Black and White and Powerful All Over

I love inspirational stories. The following story absolutely amazed me but is a testiment to the power surrounding us.

Many years ago, two men, one white and one black, served in WWII. The white mans plane was shot down and without consideration for his own life, the black man rescued the white guy from a burning plane. The white man never had an opportunity to thank the black man because there was still segregation at the time and they ended up in different parts of the military hospital. But the white guy never forgot the black man and always wished for an opportunity to thank him.

Fast forward FIFTY YEARS! The white man goes to his local hospital in CA to visit an ill friend. While there- a black man is wheeled in having a heart attack. Instantly the white man recognized the face of the man who had saved his life so many years ago. The black man survived his heart attack and the two reunited. Unfortunately, the black mans health continued to fail and on his deathbed, he asked the white man to look after his homeless daughter and her three boys.

In an act of complete unselfishness and gratitude to this man for having saved his life all those years ago, the white man, a recent widower living in a large 3 bedroom home, offered his spare rooms to the homeless daughter and her three sons. Years later, the 5 of them still live together. The boys grew up to call the white man Grandpa. The white mans life was completely blessed by having this 'new family' enriching his life. He repaid a 'debt' to the man who saved his life, but in many ways, the black man saved his life once again. Having a new meaning to his life kept him 'young'.

What are the chances that these two men would encounter one another so many years later? The United States is a huge place  - for both men to be at the same hospital in CA at the same time is remarkable. I love this story for showing that gratitude is a powerful thing. Miracle? perhaps but definately The Law of Attraction! This man had spent 50 years wishing he could thank the black man for saving his life. He finally was given a chance. That is POWERFUL!