How many times are we quick to complain about what we do not have? How many of us look at a situation and automatically see the bad instead of the good? How often do we wish for our circumstances to change but are unwilling to put the work in that is required? Our natural response to any given experience says a lot about who we are and where we are going in life. To complain or to be grateful - that is the question.
The past couple of years have not gone exactly as I would have planned and at times I will admit that I have complained and allowed that negative energy to grow inside. However, every time my complaints begin to stir, I am reminded of all the good things that are a part of my life and that joy begins to rise. I am grateful for my health and for each day that I wake up. I am grateful for my family that knows me and loves me unconditionally and for the connection that we share. I am grateful for friends that are supportive and genuine. I am grateful for knowing that God's love for me will never change, His plan is always for the good, and that He is the true reason for this life. I am grateful for a house that I really like in a neighborhood that I love. I am grateful for a job that I enjoy and that helps to provide. I am grateful for life's experiences that continually teach me. I am grateful for those moments that I have been able to give to others and make a difference in their lives. I am grateful every time I hear of something good happening in someone else's life. I am grateful for the passions, dreams, and desires that have been given to me and for the assurance that life will only get better from here.
The power of gratitude is such a powerful force. As I said yesterday, we cannot control everything that comes our way in life - but one thing I know for sure is that if we will meet those circumstances with a sense of gratitude and thankfulness, it will get better. Just as negative feelings grow and effect those around us, positive feelings also grow and compound and not only enrich our own lives but those around us. Seeing great things happen to others makes us happy (at least it should!). That energy is contagious and causes us to see the possibilities in our own lives.
Where does gratitude come from? It comes from a relationship to the Source. I know that comes in a variety of ways for many people - and for me the gratitude comes from knowing what God has done for me and that my life would be completely empty without Him. It also comes out of a conscious decision to look for the good in every circumstance and to trust in the fact that no matter what is going on, it will get better. The practical answer is this - when has complaining ever made the situation better? When has pessimism ever changed the world? Start small and just focus on those things in your life that are good - I promise that choosing gratitude will bring more joy into your life. I challenge you to write it down. Start the day with it or end the day with it - just do it! Choose gratitude.
I want to end with a quote that I heard last year and have kept at my desk and look at it often:
When you surrender, and stop resisting, and stop trying to change that which you cannot change... But be in the moment, be fully open to the blessings that you have already received, and those that are yet to come to you... And stand in that space of gratitude and honor, and claim that for yourself... And look at where you are, and how far you have come... And what you've gotten, and what you've accomplished, and who you are... When you can claim that, and see that... The literal vibration of your life will change. The vibration of your life will change. It is all about your relationship to the Source.
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