Financial Freedom: Gratitude is the Secret Ingredient in the Recipe for Success! Part 2 of 5 Series

Feb26

Gratitude is the #1 – and most readily available – ingredient in the recipe for Success! It is the biggest investment we can make in hoping to reap the dividends of life!

If you can think, speak or write – you can be grateful! Gratitude is like the baking powder in most baking recipes. It is the easiest and best way to make any form of bread, pastry or dessert rise and EXPAND and become bigger than its original size. Hence, gratitude in its purest form – being truly thankful for the things that already exist in our lives – even if it’s the last dollar we have – is the most effective ingredient in the recipe for expansion of our success!

For example:

If we have a job; appreciate it even more for all those right now looking for work.

If we have our health; rejoice in it for all those who do not.

If we have food on the table each day; give thanks before we eat it and remember all those who are hungry.

If we have a friend, tell them regularly how grateful we are that they are in our lives – for all of the people who are alone in this world.

My father used to say to me, “when you feel down, never look up – look down. There is surely someone who has less than you and would be glad to be in your shoes.”

There are many activities we can do today to help us to feel more grateful about our lives; and you know the wonderful thing about being grateful? It helps us to feel so much better about our lives and often can lift us out of our blue mood – and this expansion of feeling and vibrational energy – not action – is what attracts more and more wonderful things. Like attracts like. When we send out gratitude vibrations, there is an energy that vibrates at a level that automatically brings more things for which to be grateful.

What are some Gratitude Attitude Activities?

I saw this on the Facebook page “Feel Good” and thought it was a wonderful idea:

# 1.

#2. Gratitude Journal: Each day in your journal or you can purchase “Simple Abundance Gratitude Journal” by Sara Ban Breathnach which actually has each day already prepared for you to write the top 5 things for which you are grateful. If not, then grab a piece of paper and begin writing today either when you wake up or when you go to bed about the 5 things you are grateful for that day. Sara’s website: http://www.simpleabundance.com/gratitude_journal.html

3. Gratitude Affirmations: These are from my Blog # 3 “Gratitude Brings Changes in Attitude” for more reflection and information about gratitude.

Some simple gratitude affirmations are:

I am thankful for being me.

I am thankful for my loving pets.

I am thankful for the abundance I already have in my life.

I am thankful for the meal I had tonight.a

I am grateful for the job I have.

One thing that is very important if we are attempting to manifest new or better things in our lives, in terms of love, friendships, places to live, a car, or just about anything we desire, we must never grumble or be negative about what we already have.

A sure way to make sure that the Universe never provides us with a new car is to grumble about the one we have or complain about the home we have now, if we are searching for a new place to live. We must find the beauty in what we possess now and begin to sit calmly in that attitude of gratitude.

Gratitude is the one ingredient, if you decide to include it in your recipe for life and success, that requires you to really not do much else in terms of action in your life to bring about change. If you begin to express gratitude and an opportunity comes your way, by all means, take action. However, one does not need to strive, force or plow one’s way to success. Gratitude, just like baking powder, will cause the expansion of what we already have to rise and become something bigger and grander!

4. Looking for Beauty: Today, either while you drive to work, at work or in your home or community, make it your mission to look around and see the beauty in something and take a minute to be thankful for it. It may be the beauty in the sunrise, a picture, a poster, a person, yourself in the mirror, a mother holding the hand of a child, or a flock of birds overhead. Then make it a daily habit to see as much beauty in the world as possible. Elizabeth Taylor‘s mother, while she was pregnant with Elizabeth made a habit of looking at beautiful things each and every day and often would gaze at lavender Violas and always claimed that was why Elizabeth was born with eyes the colour of lavender (bluish purple).

5. Watch Gratitude Videos: There are many gratitude videos on the internet – while some include affirmations of being grateful and then include manifesting statements, I chose one that simply had reminders of why it is important to be grateful in our lives – even in the times of setbacks. It is easy to be grateful when things are good and when we are manifesting what we desire – true growth in life, however, requires us to feel this way even when nothing seems to be happening. Maintaining gratitude will help us to sustain our faith in these times.

6. Reflection: At the end of each day, while you lay in bed, reflect on and choose ONE thing that you are most thankful for during the day and say “thank you, thank you, thank you” before you close your eyes for that ONE thing. You will most likely awaken to a new day with many more things for which to be thankful. How? Because the Universe hears your gratitude and responds by expanding it while you sleep!

Next Post: Financial Freedom: The next ingredient is breathing!

Disappointment: A Missed Appointment – Be Grateful When Things Don’t Work Out – Part 4 of Top 5 Series

Jan13

What sucks about disappointment:

“Age does not diminish the extreme disappointment of having a scoop of ice cream fall from the cone.” Jim Fiebig

What’s good about disappointment?

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully
upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” Alexander Graham Bell

What’s great about disappointment?

“Disappointment is to a noble soul what cold water is to burning metal; it strengthens, tempers, intensifies, but never destroys it.” Eliza Tabor

Many philosophers and sages have said that disappointment does not exist – it is a perception about something that we had hoped for or expected and it did not come to fruition. Okay, tell this to a child who was promised to go to Disneyland and then is told he isn’t going after all.

This philosophical premise is wise and true on some level – but why then can we feel so strongly the pang of disappointment when it happens?

Usually because we do have an expectation or a hope regarding a certain outcome, feeling or experience that we are looking forward to and when that does not happen there is a feeling of emptiness (like in the photo of the empty box above). To expect is to be human. However, most philosophers would say that’s why we should “expect nothing” (try to be more spiritual) then we will never be disappointed. However to retrain and un-train our human psyches to not expect things, is not easy.

Hence, I am instead going to offer some suggestions first to deal with the pang of disappointment. Perhaps, once we have some tools and techniques to deal with disappointment when it happens – or we perceive it happening to us – then we can begin to move into a mental space where we begin to not expect or have an attachment to a certain outcome.

The reason I am writing about disappointment today is that I experienced one myself. I was supposed to go for brunch with a friend this morning – and it wasn’t just any brunch – it was a Cuban brunch at Lula Lounge in Toronto. I visited there a few weeks ago with my girlfriend and it was a combination of brunch, live Spanish music, dance lessons and dancing from 11am – 2pm in the afternoon. What a way to spend a few hours, right?

Hence, I had an expectation of a certain experience – a feeling of satisfaction from the food; an enjoyment of the music; an excitement (and maybe some fear) of taking a dance lesson; and joy of dancing. So when my friend text and said she wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t be able to make it, I instantly felt disappointed. No matter how much teaching and training I have had about how disappointment doesn’t exist – I still felt something – and it felt very real. It is almost an instant physiological reaction and these are not easy to dismiss or prevent.

What can we do when we feel this pang of disappointment?

The first thing that we must do no matter what we experience in life – is to be true to ourselves and honour our feelings. Why? Because no matter how spiritual or enlightened we want to be – we are human and we feel. To try to dismiss it – especially if it has gone from a mental response (Oh darn, my friend can’t make it) to a physiological response (I feel a dread in my stomach or sadness in my chest) what good can it do to say to ourselves, “well, it doesn’t matter! I shouldn’t have had an expectation at all?”

We are human – and we do expect and hope for things. However, we also have a wonderful ability to feel – to express that disappointing feeling whether it be sadness or anger and express those emotions – cry, get angry or say a few angry words. After that, we also have a wonderful ability to see the “good” or the alternative to the disappointment. Which is symbolized in the second picture of the cat in the box. So, we didn’t get sold the Nike’s we wanted and yes, we are angry at the street vendor and ourselves for not checking the box before making the purchase; but we also got a cat out of the deal. Maybe we needed the love of the cat more than the Nike’s. Who knows?

The most important thing to remember is this:

A Disappointment is really a “Dis – Appointment” which means an appointment that didn’t happen. A missing of the appointment for which we had hoped.

After honouring my feelings – a feeling of sadness that I wouldn’t be able to eat, listen, learn and dance – and I wouldn’t get a chance to visit with my friend – I thought of an alternative plan. I called a couple of other friends to see if they might want to join me – I did have reservations after all. They too couldn’t make it. Damn! Now what am I suppose to do? I can’t even Re-Appoint myself. I thought I could go by myself – and I have done this before – although it takes a lot of courage to do so but sometimes it has turned out to be the most fun because I end up meeting new friends. However, this time I thought, ‘Wow…this is a great opportunity to blog about disappointment and how I have learned to deal with it – and how I am still trying to deal with it graciously and not ruminate about it all day.” So, here I am!

The third photo above is probably the most significant message regarding dis-appointment and that is: sometimes, whatever (or whomever) it is that we are hoping for is not always the best thing for us. If we do have the Appointment – we may very well end up hitting our heads and getting hurt because of it. Sometimes we do not see this wisdom right away – sometimes we push through, force that Appointment to happen and end up with really sore heads because of it. It is usually only after the fact that we realize, “wow, I should have listened to the Universe when it tried to help me miss that Appointment – because while the initial feeling of disappointment may have been uncomfortable – getting myself involved with this person or this situation has led to a whole lot more disappointment and negative feelings/ outcomes!”

It turns out that although I would have really liked to have had a great breakfast and danced the afternoon away; I am also very content to write on this wonderful, foggy Sunday morning. And guess what? I can always go to Cuban Brunch next Sunday! And in the words of Samuel Jackson: “Disappointment, when it involves neither shame nor loss, is as good as success; for it supplies as many images to the mind, and as many topics to the tongue.”

Next Blog: Well, I’m not going to include it so if I don’t write about it; you won’t be disappointed! : )

Enjoy your day!

http://www.verybestquotes.com/best-quotes-about-disappointment/

Gratitude – Top 5 Feel Good Ideas – Part 3 of Top 5 Series

Jan11

I cannot express how important Gratitude is in life. It brings children an appreciation of what they have; it brings adults a reminder of how blessed they are – even amidst difficult times. This past month I have lost a good friend to murder, a cousin to a tragic car accident and another good friend to cancer. I have also lost a number of close friends that I went to school with; two of whom committed suicide.

Every time I begin to feel sorry for myself about any circumstances in my own life; here is what I begin to do. I remember Dave and how he used to love to run; so I run even harder. I remember Tim and how he used to love to laugh and dance – so I make sure I get out and dance regularly and remember to laugh. I remember Kip and how he used to love to have parties – so I throw dinner parties often. I remember my dad and how he used to read funny comics and laugh and how kind he was – and so I watch funny YouTube videos and try to be as kind as possible to people. I remember Vern and how he lived his dreams on his Catamaran – and I remember to keep working towards my dreams. I remember Justin – who was only 24 when he died this past Christmas day who was so young – and I am thankful that I have had so many years to live – and I remember not to waste them. And I remember Rosa – who was so excited about writing a screenplay for the first time in her life – and so I write and I write and I write!

This is what we are to do with tragedy – we feel our grief and we work through it and then we go out and live for those people who are not with us anymore. And most importantly, we give thanks: