November 2007 Tips For Living In Gratitude

• Keep a journal - each day record all of the things you consider to be a blessing in your life, no matter how small.
• Say a prayer of thanks or make a mental list of all of the things you are thankful for upon arising, and at bedtime each day.
• Carry a token, stone or coin to keep in your purse or pocket - every time you see or touch it, remember all that you are grateful for.
• What are you most thankful for in your life? Focus on how you feel when you think about this. Then when you are feeling down, shift your thoughts to this memory, try to connect with those good, positive feelings.
• Volunteer, donate, do something nice for someone as there is no better way to show appreciation for your blessings than by being a blessing to others!
• Pay attention to your surroundings - notice the beauty and wonder around you: Mother Nature's mystery and magnificence; man's ability to build and create; the amazing similarities we all share.
• Remind yourself of all of the small miracles that occur each day: how darkness always turns to light; how bad can change to good in an instant; the incredible abilities we have been blessed with, including the ability to heal!

THOUGHTS ON GRATITUDE:

Lesley Garner
"PRACTICE GRATITUDE"
from her book: EVERYTHING I'VE EVER DONE THAT WORKED

There are two regular practices that can transform your attitude to, and experience of, life. One is gratitude. Gratitude is always a good place to start from in the middle of turmoil. It's like a light that you can carry at will from the good places in your life to the dark ones. It will illuminate them.

Gratitude begins as an instinctive, unfettered, and free-flowing response to the positive moments in life. When we're children it begins as a sense of awe and love, before we're taught to say thank you. Then we sometimes find ourselves being made to say thank you politely for things we're not at all grateful for, so the sensation and the state get muddled. But you can find gratitude again. Remember the experience of receiving a spoonful of delicious ice cream, a sip of fine wine, an eyeful of moonlight, the sight of the sea, a tender touch, a helping hand, or the clean embrace of your own bed...Gratidude, unforced, will overwhelm you.

Think about the times when you can hardly believe your luck. You've met someone wonderful...or you find youself in the heart of a group of friends and you think how lucky you are to have them. You lose a child in the supermarket and after a heart-stopping minute, you find your precious one again. That's gratitude.

Everyone knows what gratitude is, what the sensation feels like. The trick in the conscious practice of gratitude is to reach into this emotional store and be grateful on purpose.

In moments of stress and depression, it's far easier to follow a damaging practice of ingratitude, resentment, rage and blame. But these obsessive, negative thoughts switch on the chemicals in our bodies that damage our immune system and lead to states of depression and despair...

The trick is to identify this pattern of thought, and change it as soon as it occurs. Reach into your store at moments of trial and despair, and apply the transformative balm of gratitude to your open wounds...

Negativity, self-pity, and complaints are addicitive, easy, and irresistible. They darken your vision so that hope and goodness are invisible. They also become a habit. I've found that if I practice gratitude instead, starting with the smallest thing (and nothing is too small), my attitude can be swiftly transformed.

If your problems aren't life-threatening, you can change your attitude to them by practicing gratitude for the smallest things. And the moment to do this is when you find yourself feeling the least grateful. Stop right there and say the simple words: Thank you.

*To read the complete chapter on Practice Gratitude, and the rest of this incredible book, Everything I've Ever Done That Worked visit www.hayhouse.com. This easy-to-read book is full of really useful suggestions for getting through the difficult times of your life. Thank you Lesley for allowing me to share your great advice!

GRATITUDE TAPPING WITH EFT* - Ruth Stern

Using EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is a wonderful way to feel the gratitude we experience. I often do "gratitude tapping" before I sleep. It's a very positive way to end the day and reminds of all the things - no matter how small, I am grateful for. By taking the time to contemplate your gratitude, you are also enhancing your energies with the Law Of Attraction. For the more you focus on the positive, the more youcreate of that as well.Here's an example of gratitude tapping. You start with the eyebrow point and tap each new phrase on another point (see this website under the EFT section for location of points):

"I loved feeling productive today; I got so much paperwork done...I'm grateful for my daughter calling me so much this week...I feel so bonded with her...I'm love how Ron was thinking of Amy...I thank God for healing all the cells in my body...I feel and see the white healing light; healing all of me...I'm grateful for the cooler weather..I feel more energy with the crisper air"...

The key to making your gratitude list is to look for anything; no matter how small, to appreciate. We tend to overlook the small stuff and don't realize that all of it really matters to uplift the spirit. If you're having trouble coming up with ideas; ask yourself; "If I was grateful, what could I be grateful/thankful for right now? " Start your gratitude list and you might surprise yourself!

*If you are not familiar with EFT (Emotional Freedom Tecnique) I recommend you check out our article in Learn About...and for general information about EFT, visit: www.emofree.com. Note: Ruth Stern has previously written a Guest Speaker feature for Heal With Hope on the subject of EFT: Ruth Stern/Guest Speaker. She also has a website where you will find more information about her, and about EFT: www.taptotransform.com

"Just when I start feeling sorry for myself God makes me aware of some situation of another person who is suffering. This puts me right back in my place and I realize just how much I have been blessed with in my personal and professional life! "
~Marj Melchoir, All Natural Cosmetics.com (www.allnaturalcosmetics.com)

"Give of yourself. Work for the betterment of your community or the world. Do what you can to benefit others. Be generous. What you give out always comes back to you. " ~Louise Hay (www.hayhouse.com)