|
|
| Customer Service Information |
|
|
Gratitude: the ICE that Fills Your Half Empty Glass!
Are you completely happy in your life right now? Honestly? Have you achieved all the success that you know is rightfully yours? If not, then perhaps you're missing this VITAL piece of the puzzle- GRATITUDE. A deep and profound feeling of gratitude must be an ESSENTIAL component of who you are, if you wish to live a life of permanent happiness and success. I totally agree with Cicero when he said, "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others." The fact is, without complete unconditional gratitude, there is no true happiness. And without an underlying foundation of happiness, you cannot have success. On the other hand, a person living in complete gratitude cannot fail to be happy and successful. For the short answer as to why this works, consider one of the Universal Laws governing our lives which says that what you focus your mind on, is what you get. Focus on negativity and you will experience more negativity. Focus on the positive, and you will experience more of the positive. The power of gratitude is that it focuses your attention on the positive aspects of your life. There is no room for fear in any of its forms, when your mind is filled with a deep and profound sense of gratitude. By focusing on the good and positive aspects of your life, and expressing gratitude, you will get even more of these positive experiences. And even more powerful than that - look to your current and past challenges and failures - and find a positive there. Give thanks for it. And you will find that you've taken a massive step in growing & learning from the experience, and overcoming similar challenges in future. Can't find a positive in your failures? You're just not trying hard enough. Consider this quote by Confucius: "I was complaining that I had no shoes till I met a man who had no feet." There is always a positive. Find it, and express a deep and unconditional gratitude. Your future success and happiness depend on it. Try not to limit yourself in who you express gratitude to. It doesn't have to always be a person. You can also express gratitude to an object (just for being), an experience, a feeling, a sound, a colour, a view. You can thank a group of people, a whole nation, the whole of humanity, nature, the universe, God, the Universal Spirit, or collective consciousness, or whichever other power you can relate to. So what's the most effective way to express gratitude? Let's look at 2 simple methods. (1) Repeat after me: "Thank You!" Awesome! I think you've got it. :) You can make the expression as detailed and specific as you wish, but there is something beautiful about a simple "Thank You" when expressed with a deep and genuine love & appreciation. Try it now. Think of the person you most love in the world. Perhaps your partner, your parents, or a friend? If you can't think of anyone, then picture the type of person you'd love to fall in love with. Focus on their image with complete acceptance and love, and thank them! "Thank you for just being you." "Thank you for the joy you bring to my life." Whatever you wish to thank them for, express it with genuine love & gratitude. There's NO WAY you can feel bad while expressing true gratitude. Try it again. If you're reading this article, then express gratitude for the power of sight. If it's being read to you, then give thanks for the miracle of sound. It takes a bit of practice, but if you do this regularly, your quality of life will improve dramatically. And whenever you find your life is not quite on track, pause to show gratitude for what you have here & now. You'll find the right way forward. (2) Now let's take it to another level. You may have heard of the concept of a Gratitude Journal. This is powerful stuff. If you're serious about your happiness, you MUST do this. Buy a nice book, and as often as you can, record something you're thankful for. Anything! It doesn't matter how big or small. Just record whatever you're grateful for in you life. Expressing your gratitude in writing, and reading it back to yourself, increases the power a thousandfold. Personally, I try to add five new entries per day. And anytime you feel like a nice "pick-me-up", reach for your Gratitude Journal. You'll find it's full of inspiration - an uplifting reminder of the good that you have in your life. It'll get your mind back on the positive, and perhaps even sometimes you'll experience that deep "knowing", that you really are perfect exactly as you are, and that your life is perfect exactly as it is. Try it. Start today & see how your life improves. If you want to see an example of how simple it is to express gratitude via a Gratitude Journal, please have a look at mine. I have recently moved it online so that you can all see. You will find it at: www.HowToBeHappyNow.com/journal/index.html Oh, and before I go, why not try this exercise for an hour or so, and see how it makes you feel. Sit down somewhere where you can watch people go past. Perhaps a cafe in the city, or a seat on a train. For every person you see, give a smile and send a silent "Thank You" to them. For no real reason. Just because you can. Make it a silent outpouring of love and gratitude - just for being. It's silent, so there's no need to feel silly. Just try it. You'll feel good, I promise. THANK YOU for reading, Lance Beggs Lance Beggs is the author of the "How to be Happy Now" newsletter, and the soon to be released "How to be Happy Now" book. His mission is to help others live a life of meaning, love & happiness! Subscribe to his FREE Mini Course & ezine at http://www.HowToBeHappyNow.com
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Dissolving Stereotypes through Personal Individuality The other evening, I was meticulously assembling and painting one of my many model airplanes. I carefully constructed the wingspan of this F-15C Eagle, gently sealed the cockpit and began to brush whisping strokes of color upon this small, plastic aircraft. Your Frame of Mind May Determine Your Health The mind absolutely amazes me. It will never be understood, yet it's been said that a healthy body makes the mind work better and it's been said that the mind can destroy the body. I'm sure you've heard about the power of the mind healing the body too. Mind Games! Have you ever been caught up in a thought that will not let you out? Escape is not an option. What was a simple drip in your pool of thoughts, quickly turned into an ocean of tidal waves rolling into each, over and over again.This is what it feels like to not have positive control over your mind. Having the Attitude I am the Greatest! While trying to ignore my teen daughters rap music a thought came to me. Whoever the rap artist was that she was listening to, is very positive about him self. He was negative about the women in his life, he made negative statements about the police but when it came to himself he was very positive. He used "I" statements, "I am going to be rich by the age of 24." He visualized all the material items he would like to manifest such as cars trimmed in gold, houses and yachts. In his music he was claiming his success. Self-Opinions---Can Limit Our Lives Dr. Phil says each of us has a personal "truth" -what we believe of ourselves when no one else is looking-- and from this comes results in our lives that are in keeping with that truth. A Rain Secret To Change Your Mind Heard of a raindance? It is a ritual used by native shamen to influence the heavens. It is a bit like bending spoons, you have to believe in something that goes against your normal perceptions of reality. Bit like a sceptic or a mystic, both will see what they believe. In the polarity of life, both sceptic and mystic are needed for balance. A bit like good and bad weather. Each one is relative to the other. Too much sun causes a desert. Too much rain causes a flood. Your Dominant Thoughts - How to Take Advantage of Them Self belief is a wonderful thing. Self-Recovery from Addiction: Taking Responsibility for Your Life I've had several coaching clients come to me who, while they wanted to move forward in life, were actually stuck in a self-destructive addiction. Of course, I cannot directly confront them about their addictions, as they had to open up to me that it was part of the problem that was keeping them in the same rut in which they found themselves day-after-day. As we worked together to make plans and open doors, the addiction was left open for them to examine and realize that they needed to overcome the situation, and cut loose that anchor to move forward to a fulfilling life. Negative Thoughts to Positive Thoughts Changing Negative Thoughts into Positive Thoughts is a key lesson to becoming healthy and successful. Why Should You Forgive? When I teach private Yoga sessions, sometimes, I become aware that a client has issues that cause anxiety, depression, and a negative outlook on life. This often causes difficulty for the student when trying to practice a stage-by-stage relaxation, and especially during meditation sessions. Why Motivational Posters Arent Cheesy! I don't want to say people are basically negative but?..if there was a camera and it could photograph the pictures in your mind what would it look like? When I asked myself that question it actually made me laugh quite a bit. I like to think of myself as a determined self starter but to be completely honest there are times when I confront a new project and I am scared to death. Creative Visualization For Successful Goal Achievement No one becomes successful by accident. Motivational speaker Les Brown advises, "You must see your goals clearly and specifically before you can set out for them. Hold them in your mind until they become second nature." Certainly, visualization is an essential element of achieving success. Forget Positive Thinking There are always explanations for why things to you or others. Even though you might not understand why. Some of the time, when things happen that you do not wish for, you may be tempted to throw your arms in the and wish ... Why Positive Thinking Doesnt Work! There was someone I used to work with who, well aware of their tendency to look at the negative side of things, used to constantly tell themselves to "think more positively". Are Your ANTs Taking Over Your Life? One of the first things that I work on with people having trouble with communication is to look at what and how they are communicating with themselves. How To Talk Your Way To Success Smart folk have always realised how vital it is to talk positively to themselves as well as to other people. A bit of research will show you how these successful men and women not only visualise their goals but also frame them in words they constantly repeat to themselves. Positioned For Success - The Refined Art Of Taking A Chance ARE YOU IN... OR OUT? Change Your Attitude from a Whiner to a Winner Who are the Whiners? Whiners are the people who always seem to have those hard-luck stories whether it pertains to their relationships, money, or health. You'll notice that even if they resolve one of their frustrating issues, they will immediately have another one to take its place. Are they really having a bad life, or just a bad attitude? Self-Confidence Sliding Downward! There are times in all of our lives where our self-confidence wanes!! This past week was one of those weeks for me. I questioned the work I was doing, both on the web sites and on our crafts. I found myself wondering if all my time and effort was worthwhile. Would our newfound business provide the income we needed? Is my work good enough for others to want to buy or to read? These are only a few of the questions that ran through my mind. And, with every question, my self-confidence was sliding downward! The Power of the Mind Each of us has a mind by which we convert ideas from spirit into the physical world. The mind is like a computer which when programmed will carry out certain tasks. Once programs are fully integrated we carry them out whenever the right key is pressed. Our automatic reactions are sometimes called subconscious programming. Actions become so habitual that we don't even realise we are doing them.
|
