21 days to a life full of gratitude

“As human beings we don’t lack for things. We lack an appreciation of things.  For instance, how often do we notice, much less appreciate, the natural beauty that is there to be seen in our life – a bird singing high atop a telephone pole, a flower growing through the crack in a concrete sidewalk, or the leaves of a tree glistening in the sunlight as we sit in the gridlock of an overcrowded freeway.

“In every moment of every day the Good, True and Beautiful is Present, but we are looking elsewhere – we are looking for something we don’t have rather than appreciating What Is. Rather than taking Life in, we take It for granted and save gratitude for those occasions when we finally get something we wanted.” Stephanie Sorenen;  The Sacred Continuum

It has been said that gratitude is the most direct route to a conscious connection with God, Higher Power, Universe, That Which Is. Gratitude is the fastest way out of judgment. Gratitude is the simplest way to go from feeling insignificant to a sense of intense well being and purpose.

The process of having an overwhelming feeling of gratitude is actually quite simple. It is simply a matter of choosing to be grateful for what is rather than resentful for what is not.

In all we do we can choose to say, “Thank you. I appreciate  this.” In all we do. Not just those moments that outwardly appear to be good. There is so much good around us if we choose to only look and acknowledge.

Recently, a good friend of mine shared with me what her spiritual mentor invited her to do for a period of 21 days. The recommendation was made because my friend was not fully appreciating that which she is surrounded with on a daily basis.

As my friend explained the process, she said each morning and each evening write down seven things to be grateful for. Each item listed must be an original statement rather than repeating something over and over. Additionally, the expression of gratitude must be specific.

The more specific we can make our list the more gratitude we are likely to feel beyond the words we write.

Knowing how powerful the expression of gratitude can be, I decided to incorporate this practice into my daily routine for the next 21 days. On the morning of day one my list consisted of the following:

1.       I am grateful to have a roof over my head.

2.       I am grateful for the ability to hear the wind chimes outside my front door.

3.       I am grateful to know I have heat in my home.

4.       I am grateful to feel my feet.

5.       I am grateful for the money that allows me to live a very comfortable life.

6.       I am grateful for healthy eating habits.

7.       I am grateful for my health.

  

Although some of what I expressed is general, with each passing day it is bound to get more and more specific. Once we get through the generalization of life, we move into a space of specifics. It is in the specifics and in the little things that we can’t help but have a shift in perception. It is in the shift of perception miracles abound.

I am looking forward to the process of 21 days of taking my expression of gratitude to a new level. I invite you to consider taking the next 21 day period to write down morning and evening that which you have to be grateful for. Remember, to gain the greatest benefit from this process you must repeat nothing. All must be unique.

As I write this I am reminded of the gratitude I feel for the ability to share my thoughts through the medium of the Internet; something that was not even in existence at one point in my life or yours.

I am grateful that you are reading what I wrote and grateful that perhaps through my words you have noticed how powerful the practice of acknowledging that which you have to be grateful for evokes even more thoughts and feelings of gratitude.

Gratitude is contagious. When we are in the space of gratitude it does impact our surroundings. It impacts others regardless of whether they are near or far. Gratitude will actually increase the vibration level in all we do.

The more conscious we are of this fact the more we can consciously express that which we are grateful for.

I am grateful for…(you fill in the blank).

In gratitude,

Kathleen Gage

Comments

[Martha Tucker]

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Martha Tucker
http://blog.newimagewriters.com

[Nickolove Lovemore]

Hi Kathleen,

Thank you for this post. Many people do not practice expressing their gratitude enough finding it easier instead to complain. As a result they get more to complain about.

Last night I was listening to my heart beating so powerfully in my chest and though I often marvel at my heart and the ingenuity of the human body, I realised that I don't usually express my gratitude for my heart.

I frequently give thanks for my life as a whole and for my good health but last night I expressed my gratitude for my heart, for each major system of my body, my mind and my intellect.

As Cynthia Ozick said:

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude."

[Joy Idries]

Hi Kathleen

What a lovely post. You know, it was about 10 years ago when someone suggested to me that I start a gratitude journal and my comment at that time was, "I have nothing to be grateful for!"
I had suffered much trauma in my life and was at that time also suffereing with M.E. But you know what, it turned my life around. I am so grateful now for everything in my life and am living a vibrantly healthy and happy life, praise be to God! So I, for one, know for sure just what a difference it can make.
Joy ;O)

[Patsi aka The Blog Squad]

Kathleen, thanks for this post. Just as I was starting my work day, I began a familiar ritual of complaints...then I got this email update and read your post, in the nick of time to start my day over. I was half-way hoping for a 21 day pill or mini-e-course, or a teleseminar that I could subscribe to and be fixed. Your solution is simple and I can do this in the morning instead of at night. Thanks, you're lovely. Happy New Year and all the best to you and your family.

Patsi