Many of us are searching for an abundant and purpose-filled life and over the next few months, I hope to introduce you to many of the tenets that can help you to achieve that happiness and a purpose in being. Today, I want to focus on something that is important to our well-being as human beings – maintaining an “attitude of gratitude”.
Why is gratitude so important to us? Motivational speaker, Lisa Nichols tells us; “gratitude is the rich soil in which our future grows.” Just a cliché, you may say. I say, why reject any cliché out of hand? There is a reason why clichés gain ascendancy in our consciousness and that is because at their core, they hold a vital kernel of truth. What I think Lisa is trying to say to us is; the way we think, speak and act, today, directly impacts on where we will be tomorrow. If living in the present is the key to a successful and happy life (and it is) then gratitude is a highly desirable component of that process.
Most of us, if you’re like me, probably think we are grateful most of the time, but if you sit down and carefully analyse your thoughts and behaviours, you will quickly realize just how easy it is to slip into feeling ungrateful. Most of us spend way more time complaining, whining, doubting and criticizing, than we ever do feeling grateful, satisfied or even accepting of our situation. Thirteenth Century German Philosopher, Meister Eckhart gave us a little gem that sums up the importance of gratitude, perfectly. “If the only prayer you ever utter in your entire life; is ‘Thank you’, then that will suffice.”
I know that some of you will throw your hands up in the air and exclaim; “what have I got to be thankful for? My life sucks!” My answer would be; perhaps that’s because of the negative thoughts, words, and attitudes that you have embraced in the past, but remember you don’t live there anymore. Okay, granted it is not initially easy to override the negative – its human, and proven that over 90% of our thoughts are negative, so expect some serious weeding will be required to plant and nurture the seeds that will blossom into flowers. Leave the old Habit-House. Move onwards and upwards.
Check out the effects of Human Thoughts, Words and Music on Water, on Youtube, bearing in mind that our bodies are comprised of around 70% water. Dr Masaru Emoto, conducted experiments on the cellular structure of water. It was claimed that negative scolding of pure water in petri dishes produced ugly ice crystals after freezing, whereas the praised and blessed water from the same source produced beautiful crystals. His claims have been de-bunked as “water woo,’’ psudo-science and so on. But given that very few universities are open to researching psychic phenomena [yet] and there seems to be a deep and persistent hostility against anything outside the boundaries of current convention, and the assumption that everything in the Universe operates in a mechanical way, I’m very much keeping an open mind on the Water-Woo: let’s face it people can get upset when their deeply held beliefs are put in a state of conflict as this threatens the edifice on which their lives are underpinned.
“The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.”
Arthur C. Clark
Instead I’m pondering on pilgrimages and people travelling to Lourdes, also the experiments of Dr William A. Tiller, who while at the top of his field chose to explore whether consciousness could affect matter, Gary Schwartz and The Intention Experiments, Dean Radin, Chief Scientist at Institute of Noetic Science and the Double Slit Experiment so far his results aren’t widely published as they appear to contradict the dogma-of-our days in so far as the mind over matter tests has been successfully repeated several times. Then there is the Global Coherence Project using random number generators, where the patterns change when major global highly eventful and emotional events occur, such as 9/11, or the death of Princess Diana.
Our beloved dog Faro had to be put to sleep the week before Christmas as he had cancer of the spleen, lungs and an enlarged heart. It was heart wrenching and I miss him every day but I am so grateful to have been able to end his pain and suffering, for him to have a quiet and peaceful transition, that it didn’t happen whilst he was at the boarding kennels over the festive holiday period and that above all, the three adult children were in town and able to spend precious time with him and say their goodbyes.
Change the way you think today and that includes being grateful for where you are and what you have – right now. Then think about a bright future filled with love and compassion. No matter how bad your life’s circumstances may seem, there is ALWAYS something you can be grateful for; for the new day, the opportunity to walk, to talk, to breathe, indeed, just the opportunity to exist. We take for granted so many of the wonderful experiences and things that we as human beings are blessed to enjoy and be grateful for, every single day – open your senses, enjoy the world around you and be grateful for the opportunity to do so. When the bad stuff hits, and that’s a part of life after all, feel the feelings, grieve the loss but don’t get stuck there, instead, as soon as you can, look for something to be grateful for. There is always something, even if it is as simple as the sun shining, or the sweet scent of a flower – actively seek out things to be grateful for. You’ll be glad you did.
Some practical steps in adopting an “attitude of gratitude”:
- Say “thank you”, every time the opportunity arises and mean it.
- Start saying “thank you”, every time you sit down to eat or drink.
- Start every day with an attitude of thankfulness – give thanks to the Universe for the new day and for all the blessings in your life.
- Make a “gratitude list” – writing things down, has real power, so jot down the things you feel grateful for.
- Stop complaining – don’t vocalise your annoyance or frustration.
- Don’t gossip – gossiping only hurts one person – the gossiper.
- Ingrain the attitude of gratitude into your subconscious. How do you do this? Make it a habit. And, how do we create habits – by repetition. Regularly and meaningfully practice the art of gratitude and in a short time it will become as normal to you, as walking, getting dressed in the morning, or driving. You won’t even have to think about it, anymore, it will just come naturally.
The Six Pillars of Life:
- Life is SUPPOSED to be wonderful!
- Attitude is EVERYTHING!
- LOVE is the ultimate power in the Universe!
- Live in the PRESENT!
- Happiness is a CHOICE!
- Maintain an attitude of GRATITUDE!
I will be expanding on all of these other five pillars, in articles in the future, but in the meantime, please feel free to take a peek at my exciting new book, Spirit of Prophecy, which has many of these ideas running through it, as well as being a fun and exciting “whodunit” along with a touch of spiritualism, a pinch of witchcraft, a tad of new-age thought, some lovely horses and there’s even an alien or two making a timely appearance. It’s an absolute corker and you can find it here: http://bit.ly/2LeRJ84
You may also wish to visit some of our previous blogs – listed below:
Three-Day-Eventing: A Horse’s Pentathlon? What’s That All About, Then?
Money and Your Wallet – A Love Story More Tragic Then Twilight
Money Mentor/Best Selling Author – Jill Hughes
Top Indie & Self Publishing Tips Part 2
