Gratitude

One of the most important things to learn is how to use Gratitude to not only move you into a positive state, but also to enjoy the process of living, and attracting more good things into your life. I think it's common knowledge that you get out of life how you view it. It's easy to wake up and claim "I'm tired - this day is going to suck". And that's exactly what you'll get, unless you stop to look around and see the beauty around you. What is most interesting about this topic is that it's not common knowledge that we can choose how we feel. Just as we decide that we are going to have a bad day, we also could choose to have a great day. Robert Holden, author of Be Happy, found in his happiness project that almost everyone makes an unconcious decision in the first hour of there day about how your day was going to go. If we really have the power to choose how we will see the day unfold, why don't we do this every day? Well, when you wake up late, kids are screaming, you have no clean clothes, and you've got a stressful day of work ahead of you - its easy to see how we focus on just getting through the day. However, what if it were possible, even in this situation to stop and choose to have a different experience (maybe not in that moment) but in the moments to come. Since watching the movie the Secret, I noticed how gratitude brought about a sense of peace in me. I became concious that the days I thought about being grateful for something, were the days that I was most happy. I connected with others more deeply, and I felt a positive maturing unfolding. In most cases there was a calm, grounded feeling in my day when I took time to choose to feel good. So I decided that rather than reflecting on how great my life was on occassion when I saw something unfortunate in someone elses life, I could reflect proactively and more often. After reading and listening to many lessons from Gerry & Ester Hicks, I created a list of ways to start a statement of grattitude. I listed these in the first page of a journal (My Gratitude Journal), and began either writing or meditating on the following questions on an almost daily basis. Here are mine:
Wouldn't it be nice if...
I wish...
I want...
I'm looking forward to...
I'm hopeful for...
I am grateful for...
The new story I want to tell is...
I appriciate...
My secret desire is...
I love...
I love myself because...
I want to celebrate having accomplished...
(By the way, you don't need a lot of time for this - often I go through this list while I brush my teeth and get dressed in the morning)

These statements are in a specific order.
When your feeling really lousy it's hard to pick yourself up and say "I love life!". It's much easier to say, "Wouldn't it be nice if...". If your husbands stomping his feet, the dog peed on the floor, and your coffee machine is broken - the statements "I wish" can lift you up and get you to choose a different path for your day. If your having a great morning, you may be able to wake up and declaire " I love myself because..." but this may be a stretch especially at the beginning of a gratitude journal. Gerry & Ester Hicks call this moving up the emotional scale. It's important to realize that if you intend to change your state/mood, one step up the scale at a time is best.
After practising gratitude for a while you may start to notice there are certain things you have aquired, accomplished, or surround yourself with on a daily basis that make you feel good as soon as you think about it. Tony Robbins talks about changing your state by using things like this (anchors he calls them), to conciously choose to feel good. Throughout your day, things may unfold miserably, you got fired, you missed your train, the dog peed on the rug again, and rather than thinking "Oh I love my life!" which would be rather sarcastic and too far off the emotional scale, you can move to...Well, at least I have this...I'm really greatful to still have... and soon enough, you are in a place where you are feeling hopefull about where you are and optimistic about your future.
There is one thing I know for sure - each day we are growing, changing and evolving. I know I want to enjoy my time, attract happy people into my life and live a life full of amazing experiences. And now that I know Joy is a choice, there's no reason not to choose it every day. Will you choose to enjoy your day today? Give it a try for a few days and notice if changing your state makes a difference in how things unfold for you!