Did I remember to tell you how much this meant to me?
The other day a friend from high school called me. We weren’t close friends but we always liked each other and would stop and shared a laugh; at least I thought that was all it was.
She went on to say how much she always appreciated my happy ‘cheerleader’ self full of encouragement and support. She told me that I was one of the only popular ones (Popular=Cheerleader…whatever) who took the time to really see and hear her and how good that always made her feel. She ended by saying that this was a nugget/a moment in time that always stayed with her and that she has taken this moment in time to pay it forward with enthusiasm and gratitude. What a win for both of us!
Gratitude is one of many positive emotions and makes one feel soo good. It's about focusing on what's great in our lives and being thankful for the things we have. Gratitude is pausing to notice and appreciate the things that we often take for granted, like having a place to live, food, clean water, ears to hear, eyes to see, flowers to see-touch-smell and yes, pick, friends who offer advice (whether we ask for it or not), etc.
The secret to being able to give and then keep on giving is conceptualizing, integrating and then finally living entirely from a perspective of gratitude. With this, you have finally arrived at the core of the divine joyfulness of being human.
Gratitude restores courage and opens up a whole new world of wonder. It overcomes regret, self-pity, powerlessness and self-victimization. And when we take on responsibility for owning and celebrating our place on this planet, we become more adept at being able to take advantage of a real live opportunity to look around and take into our hearts a plethora of reasons for which to be grateful.
And to add to all of this, gratitude allows us to become more whole and complete so we can share this most entrancing, magical feeling with the world.
Living your life from a state of constant gratitude means you, will always be giving the best of yourself. It also means that your soul has a constant source of inspiration and revitalization.
As one who has always leaned in to help someone in need with a problem (or like in my earlier years, forced my loving intention to ‘make them better’) I have found that after learning to finesse the art of listening from my heart space vs telling from my head, I am able to help my clients to hear themselves more clearly and focus more intently. When you take the time to really and truly engage with another person while creating a safe place to flourish one is always able to be more in their body and feel more engaged with who they are and their value.
When was the last time you took a time out to experience gratitude? Was it when a coworker stepped in to assist you with your project when time was running out? Maybe a friend came by and helped you pack up some boxes as moving day was right around the corner? Or maybe it was when a friend came over to baby sit so that you and your partner could take a few hours for yourselves? These are all sweet examples of how we can go into a place of gratitude and be aware of the opportunity to be the gift of giving and receiving. All we must do is to pause, look, listen and act.
If you are lucky enough by practicing gratefulness you soon come to realize that EVERYTHING that happens to us is a blessing, even though we have been trained to view some of the things that happen to us as calamities and curses. We are all guilty of taking our lives and surroundings for granted and looking for the next brass ring. But if we become proficient in the practice of living in the Now, living our lives with purpose and in honor of who we are and what we bring to the world, then we fall into a richness beyond anything that money can buy.
Living in a state of gratitude is the defining moment in your history on this planet when the walls of confinement and victimhood become a condition of your far, far, far away past. Only you are responsible for how your life unfolds…foibles and all. Only you can take responsibility for how you view your experiences and the world around you. Only you are responsible for how you portray your view of the world around you to others. And only you have the opportunity to make a simple, conscious choice about how you are going to live your life and the impact you are going to have on the world around you.
So when you can give without expecting anything in return, then you have arrived at your depot of authenticity. Trains will continue to transit through here and will taunt you to get onboard and leave this destination. But even if you do embark on another journey away from here you will always return. There is absolutely no other place in which to reside, no place other than here to find your true self, your heart space where truth lives and thrives and where gratitude flourishes.
Ways to practice gratitude from a life coach in Los Angeles:
1. Journal. Nighttime, anytime. List at least 3 things for which you are grateful each day.
2. Stop and smell the roses. Yes, they are here for our enjoyment.
3. Find appreciation in everything, even the challenges. We live in a Universe of opposites so both are important for balance and growth.
4. Practice mindfulness. https://www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/
5. Heartfelt self expression when in the company of others.
6. Volunteer.
We are all blessed in one way or another and for one thing or another. BE the gift that keeps on giving. Gratitude/gratefulness is a heavenly reward. Allow this blessing to overflow.
I appreciate you and am here to be of service to you!
With heartfelt blessings,
