From Good to Amazing.

So often we spend out time wanting for ourselves. Wanting people to do something for us, wanting things, wanting attention, wanting love, wanting something. On occasion, when we do get those things it feels good. But just as often we find ourselves feeling disappointed, sad, even angry when we don't get those things and maybe even when we do get those things. But, that good feeling doesn't compare to the amazing feeling you get when you do something for someone else. When you have a part in helping someone else feel good, feel loved, feel special and important. 

Then there is a day when you do something completely for the good of someone else and you understand what it meant to that person. That is a feeling so far beyond the good feeling that comes with getting what you want. That is an addicting feeling. That is simply knowing how good you made someone else feel. And that is what propels us to continue.

The more we do that the more it will come back to us.

A Temporary Life.

I've been thinking a lot about life lately. We put so much pressure on our lives, so much seriousness, so much weight on our lives. It seems that life comes with a menu of fears, anxieties and what ifs. But, what if it doesn't have to be that way. What if we can live a life without so much pressure, without all of the fear and the guilt, without the weight? In reality we are all simply human, wanting the same things - friends, family, love, acceptance, understanding and forgiveness. Isn't that what really makes a full life? It's not the job, the money, the house, the car - the STUFF. The stuff doesn't remember us when we're gone. The stuff doesn't talk about our quirky smile or the funny way we used to fold a napkin. The stuff doesn't remember how much love we gave or how generous we were. The people in our lives do that.

When we realize that every person here on this earth is temporary, us included, we start to see what's really important. Our temporary stay is what has really got me thinking. Once we start to see this temporary status in everyone we start to see beyond the stuff. We start to see that we are all the same, with feelings, pain, troubles, fears, questions and needs. We see that everyone makes mistakes just like us and everyone deserves forgiveness for those mistakes. After all, aren't we all just trying to figure out this temporary life? Just trying to find our way through the forests, over the mountains and across the valleys?

Life is temporary for all of us. We need to spend our time in the right places. In the loving, accepting, caring and forgiving places. There should be no room for anything other than that. And with that we spend our short time here in joy. Without the pressure, without the weight, without so much fear, anxiety and pain. That's what I want. I want to float and I want to have fun and I want to share that.

Remembering that we are all temporary is helping me to get there. To this temporary life, I say thank you.

Teachers.

You’re working on living in gratitude. Then one of THOSE days happens. You know, those days when it seems absolutely impossible to get even close to a positive place. There is certainly nothing good about that day. Maybe there is nothing good about that month, that year, this life even. What in the world is there to be thankful for today? Everything quite simply SUCKS! Really, what’s the point? We’ve all had these kinds of days more than once to be sure.

           

I’ve crossed paths with multiple sources that tell us there are wonderful blessings and things to be thankful for even in those really sucky days.

So, let’s see. Instead of ignoring and stuffing the negative, angry, hurt and lonely feelings I’ll sit with these feelings. Listen to these feelings. What is the truth about these feelings? Where are they coming from? What are they telling me? This is not easy. In order to do this you actually have to feel the feelings. Something I think many of us are not very comfortable with. As much as I thought I was comfortable with it, I’m really not.

Then, quietly, there it is. A revelation. A flicker of clarity. A morsel of understanding from where it’s all coming. Even a glimpse of how to move forward and out of those feelings. All easily missed if you’re not listening.

So THAT is what I am thankful for today. The realizations, the understandings, the clarity in the midst of the chaos of feelings. The feelings that become the teachers if you let them.

Thank you teachers.

So, what is this all about?

Put simply, this is about true, heart-felt, absolute GRATITUDE.

If you know about the Law of Attraction you know that the act of gratitude does not always come naturally. For many of us it takes daily practice. This blog will be my daily practice and record of how it is changing my life. I am excited to share with you the joys, the miracles and the wonderful changes that I expect will happen. To be sure, there will be ups and downs along this path that I will also share – it’s reality.

My life requires change. I have struggled with illness in varying degrees since 2008. Along my healing path I have explored many healing modalities including western medicine, energy therapy (in many different forms), homeopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, diet modification, herbal therapy, spiritual therapy and self-exploration. All of which have proved to be very valuable and helpful, western medicine NOT included. I found western medicine to be anything but helpful, providing no answers and prescribing therapies that just didn’t work. In fact, I believe that western medicine’s drug therapies have actually contributed to my illness.

Through self-exploration I also found that my state of mind has been a large contributor to my physical illness. The Law of Attraction is a long ago theory and practice. The book The Secret introduced the Law of Attraction to me and teaches us that “our thoughts create things” and “what we think about we bring about”. For a large part of my life my thoughts were consumed with fear, anxiety, self-doubt, even self-dislike. I was not even aware of these thoughts sometimes. Then with the development of illness another level of depression and negativity set in. So, after years of marinating in negativity my ground was fertile for illness.

There is still hope, however. The Law of Attraction also teaches us that we can completely turn around all of the ramifications of negativity and create complete health, wealth and joy. This is the change that I need. I am finally realizing that my thoughts are and have been plagued with negativity. It’s a subtle little voice that continues to burrow deep into every part of me. It’s time to change this frequency.

As I focus on anything and everything for which I am thankful I hope to see those dark, deep burrows filled with light and love. And in doing this I hope to see joy and health return to my life and the lives of those around me.

And so it is …