Gratitude and Appreciation

The habit of Gratitude is an Interesting habit; it’s a new way of life and many haven’t learned to practice it. What does it do for you?

Take a moment… Notice where you are…. what can you see? Look around you? Are you holding your phone in your hand or looking at your computer or maybe your iPad? What is to the right or left? What are your hands doing? Where are your feet? You can see so much at this moment, hundreds of things are going on around you, what can you hear?

So much we take for granted and yet if it was all gone, we would miss it. Gratitude is the practice of being aware of what is here and now, focusing on appreciation rather than ALL the things we view as wrong.

What does being in gratitude do for you and how can it contribute to your success, happiness, and prosperity?

Gratitude is an awareness of what is present.

It’s about waking up, in this moment, and being here – really being here – and noticing what’s around us. Most people are so busy thinking about the next thing, or about their terrible past, who did them wrong or what is wrong with person, place or thing rather than choosing to see what is right.

Gratitude is about honoring YOUR precious life.

Do you ever compare your life with someone else’s? Do you ever wish your life were better and more like your friend, your neighbor or a successful person you know? Sometimes we can lose ourselves in wondering how we “measure up” to some standard that is set by our families or by the media. Comparison shuts our mind down. Gratitude wakes us up.

Gratitude requires that you validate your own life. It forces us to say YES to the gift of who you are. The choices we made and the changes you’ve gone through— they have brought you here. Even if “here” is a place that needs a little adjustment, that’s okay. Being here, in this moment, is a gift and one to appreciate.

Being in gratitude brings more to be grateful for

It’s difficult to attract abundance and joy if you are constantly saying “no” or complaining to what IS. You say “no” each time you focus on the past, or when you criticize something that is in your present moment.

Attraction is about saying Yes. When you say Yes, you shift in a positive direction.

Gratitude says, “Yes, I love this!” Yes, I want this! Yes, I appreciate this!

Gratitude is a choice

How you translate any situation is the situation. What you choose to see is the truth (for you).

I’m not saying to live in denial or phoniness. You get to choose your attitude about anything and everything.

You always have a choice when it comes to how you look at things. Choose to choose gratitude.

Gratitude is about wisdom.

We can choose to criticize, complain, and focus on the problems of the world. We can look at what is wrong with everything. Ask yourself…Is that who I want to be? Does that make me happy?

Or we can make a conscious decision to look at what is positive, right or good and appreciate it.

Gratitude is about recognition.

Use your power of focus to become aware of what is beautiful and what makes your heart sing. Recognize what is around you waiting to be noticed.

It is powerful to write in a Gratitude Journal every day, to take that moment to bring the things forward you appreciate. Like the stack of bills, you have to wait to be paid, someone trusted you already for services or things. (See my “Personal Freedom Challenge,” which is a guided journal that will give you an opportunity to embrace the habit of gratitude.)

It is a creative act to notice and pay attention to the moments of your life. Some days it’s an enormous act of creativity to find things to be thankful for however it can be done with practice.

What we focus on we create and when we are grateful it brings us more to be grateful for, So you can’t go wrong with gratitude. It is your power to create, recognize and appreciate yourself, the goodness in your life. You are amazing, unique and worthy just because you are here…. embrace that.

Sometimes when I feel down or struggle, I start to write about what is good in my life and soon I’m feeling much better.

Exercise your power of Gratitude and expect to see Amazing New things in your life.

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