Gratidue Leads To Joy And Miracles

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." ~ John Fitzgerald KennedynnThe role of Gratitude in my life was apparent to me even before I watched The Secret DVD, but that video really reinforced it for me.n nIn her book Something More: Excavating Your Authentic Self, Sarah Ban Breathnach says: "Being Grateful. That's the first step to the path of joy." nnOprah, among others, has frequently advocated the use of a Gratitude Journal.nnOn one of his shows, Dr. Phil challenged a guest who didn't appreciate anything that she had to write down one hundred things she was grateful for EVERY DAY FOR A MONTH! Yes... one hundred things for one month! I couldn't believe it was possible, so I took the challenge myself... AND completed it.nnAs I said, I've been aware of all this and more for some time, but it wasn't until a few short months ago that I really took it to heart and began writing out five things I was grateful for on a daily basis. I use a special little book that I keep by the side of my bed and every morning before I start my day I write out my Gratitudes.nnA strange thing happens when I really think about all the blessings in my life. A feeling of peace comes over me and, true to Sarah Ban Breathnach's words, I feel true joy as the tears flow down my face.nnWhat an amazing experience!nnIt doesn't matter what the coming day holds for me or how many 'problems' await my attention; it doesn't matter how well I've slept (I often have insomnia and don't get to sleep until 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning); nothing is meaningful to me except the incredible peace and joy I feel. nnThe only way I can explain it is that I am grateful for gratitude! nnIt has became almost like an addiction. Every morning, I can't wait to write out my Gratitudes and feel that feeling. I've even resorted to putting a Gratitude reminder on my Outlook calendar and when it pops up, I say a little prayer: "Thank you God for all the blessings I have and all the blessings I am receiving." Then I click on Snooze to be reminded every thirty minutes during the day!nnNowadays, I look around me and recognize little things that bring me pleasure such as the comment from an elderly woman who referred me to her husband as "...this young woman..." (I'm 63!), special conversations with special friends, a creative solution to a challenge I'm experiencing, the return of the Chickadees to my bird feeder, the perfect card for someone's birthday... any number of previously unacknowledged blessings. When we begin looking for them, miracles abound and the list is endless.nnApart from the wonderful feeling I experience, my gratitude has helped in other areas of my life. You may be familiar with Abraham Hicks' Emotional Guidance System where you use your current emotion to determine whether you're in alignment with who you are and what you desire... or not. nnIf you are angry, resentful, bored, or feeling anything 'negative,' your Emotional Guidance System is indicating that you are NOT in alignment with your true self. On the other hand, when you feel light-hearted, loving, happy, enthusiastic, or anything 'positive,' you ARE in alignment. nnWhen I feel that joy, how can I be anything other than in alignment with my true Self? That's how we're ALL supposed to feel... ALL the time!nnIt's easy to get lost in worry about some future event, or guilty about something done or not done, or angry over someone's words or actions, but the simple act of Gratitude brings us right back to the present moment where our power is.nnNothing ever happens in the future or the past. Everything can only happen NOW. The future is simply our thoughts and feelings about something we think is going to happen - but we don't know whether it will or not until that event is NOW. And that event may or may not be the way we think it will be.nnThe past is simply our memory of experiences which took place in a previous NOW. As such they have no power over us. The only power we have is NOW - this present moment.nnBy making it a habit to look for things to be grateful for, I've found a way to help keep me in the Now. Plus, by the Law of Attraction, when I am grateful for the blessings I already have, I attract even MORE blessings in my future!