“Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.”
William Faulkner 1897-1962, Writer and Nobel Prize Laureate
I wish to remind you of this amazing concept called gratitude – I know you will be familiar with it, so this is merely a nudge in the right direction so that you use its positive and purposeful power! For me this is a highly spiritual concept and using it pro-actively will truly transform your life, as I know it does mine.
In my Second book “DITCH YOUR GLITCH”, Due out on the 1st September 2015, I talk about the power of gratitude
Here is a short extract ….
I suggest you aim for 12 small things to be grateful for every day; they can be anything you choose. Do not simply repeat the same list every day, but rather wander back through the last 24 hours and find the things that you are truly grateful for. AIM for 12, as it forces you to dig deep. Why am I asking you to do this?
One of the principles that you can start working with is that like attracts like. I am not planning to get too airy-fairy on you but this is one of the principles offered up by the universe. If you are spending all day bemoaning and bitching about how bad stuff is, well then, hey presto, there you have it. Have you ever noticed the people who speak badly about their lives are the ones who have a “badly designed” life? And the ones who speak highly of their life, with mindfulness and consciousness, have better, happier and more fulfilled lives?
How would you currently identify yourself? Do you live with gratitude or show up with a bad-itude?
Gratitude Bad-itude
More conscious Unconscious robot
Trusting Disbelieving
Accepting Resisting
Flowing Constricted
Energized Stagnant
Calm Stressed
Pro-active Reactive
Engaged Disinterested
Creative Blocked
Willing Closed off
Victor Victim
I find that when I am feeling down in the dumps or mad at the world, the quickest way to shift stuff externally, and correspondingly shift myself internally, is to focus on different things, no matter how hard it might be. I might also simply want to kick and scream, and sometimes I will give my inner-brat permission to do just that, but with a cut-off period. Then I come back to gratitude.
When you are feeling as if your fire is out and you have no energy, that your glitches are running or ruining your life, it can seem impossible to find any magic, have fun, be creative and do anything other than simply dragging your heels through your day. But what happens is that your entire being, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and even physically, starts resonating to that specific feeling: the feeling of being down. It’s like you
… have no life
… are in crisis mode
… always have to rush
… are out of control
… can’t make anything work
… are always stressed
… and on and on it goes.
It creates a downward spiral, with you at the bottom of that horrid hole. If there is something that you want more of in your life, the place to start is by acknowledging what is already working in an awesome and positive way, no matter how miniscule it is to begin with.
I know that it might seem easy to say, “Yes Kate, but when things get better I will feel better and then I will start writing positive things.” I am here to share with you that it is of benefit to start paying attention to the good right now, even amidst the chaos. This is what will help you see your glitches and ignite your fire. It is fine if you don’t believe me right now, but I am challenging you to do it anyway, and the proof will be in the experience.
Because like attracts like, I promise that very soon you will start noticing more of what is right, and less of what is wrong. Perception is everything. When you are in crisis, ruled by your glitches and your inner fire feels non-existent, that is all you are allowing yourself to see. When you start acknowledging the presence of something else, it is like the matches have been found, and the flame can be re-lit. So write 12 things that you are grateful for in your life every day.
Tip: I am part of a group that we call the DDs – Daily Dozen. I used to do gratitude journaling on my own, but have found this more powerful because someone else gets to witness my musings and I also get to witness other people being grateful in their lives, which nudges me to do the same. The power of group energy is tenfold, so use it to your benefit whenever you can. Nowadays, I do a combination of writing my DDs for myself, mailing my group, along with saying aloud what I am grateful for when I’m driving.
“What you think about, talk about and get off your ass and do something about, comes about.” Larry Winget
With Lightness,
Kate
