No doubt you’ve been aware of the recent Thanksgiving celebrations in the United States. I think it’s a wonderful celebration and in some ways, I wish we had a similar celebration here in Ireland.
At the same time, if you’ve worked with me or been reading my blogs, you know gratitude isn’t something that we do and it certainly isn’t something for once a year acknowledgment.
Gratitude is a way of being.
Gratitude a way of living your life whereby you are willing to be grateful no matter what is going on in and around you. You can fully appreciate the good times and, in tough times, you are willing to be grateful for the learning and growth. During times of challenge, you can express gratitude for knowing that ‘this too shall pass’. You are willing to look for things to be grateful for even when, on the surface, they are least apparent.
This may seem very counter intuitive! If you need help with that, have a look at my last blog on the topic of Natural versus Normal. It’s normal for us to complain when we don’t like what’s going on in the world. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed in the face of all that is happening currently in Ireland, Gaza, Israel, Ukraine and Syria.
You hear me often use the phrase that we are Spiritual beings having a human experience. Overwhelm and anxiety are normal for the human side of our nature. But Spirit doesn’t feel overwhelm or anxiety. Spirit only knows love. Spirit only knows unlimited abundance and unlimited possibility.
When we connect to the infinite side of our nature, to that part of us that knows we are made of more, that we have the spark of the Divine within us, then we can start to tune into what’s natural and see the abundance that’s there. Our nature is unlimited abundance. Our nature is unlimited goodness. Our nature is unlimited life. Hard to see that sometimes, but it’s the truth of who we are nonetheless.
Most people are tuned to look for lack and scarcity, that’s what’s become their normal. The finite side of us can’t wrap its head around infinity!
But if you choose to shift your attention you will see the abundance. So I want to invite you into an experiment, at least for the next couple of weeks – get curious about this question and tune to abundance:
- What can I do to get more tuned to unlimited abundance in my life and my abundant nature?
Photo by Autumn Mott Rodeheaver on Unsplash
Here are a few thoughts/suggestions to get you started:
- I have an abundance of access to knowledge – through books, the internet, media
- There is air to breathe and there’s enough for everyone
- There is still an abundance of autumn leaves around (here in Ireland!)
- There is an abundance of Christmas decorations and music in the shops – love it or loathe it, there’s lots of it!
And here are a couple of ways to deepen your gratitude practice: Knowing that when we approach everything in our lives from a solid basis of gratitude and everything we do and experience is elevated
Often times people will journal, list or record some gratitudes on a daily basis. Maybe you’re doing this already and you’ve noticed that it can become a bit rote? You’re not doing anything wrong! That’s just how we experience the things we do repeatedly and often it serves us.
With gratitude however, you really want to get into the feel of it, so you may wish to try a couple of these additions to amplify the feelings of gratitude:
- I am so deeply and profoundly grateful for…
When we add the words deeply and profoundly, it deepens our experience of gratitude and we feel a greater sense of reverence and appreciation for the good we can see
- I am grateful for … because …
e.g. I am grateful for my kids because they bring joy to our home/ they helped with the tidy up after dinner/ they went to bed without any fuss tonight…
When we add the word because, we tune into the feeling of gratitude at a deeper level.
In my home and business life has been very busy in recent weeks. Here are some of my gratitude’s, that supported me in seeing the good in all of it and find moments of joy:
- I am so deeply and profoundly grateful for the participants who joined me for my first ever Spiritual Immersion Retreat. We had a great experience and their positive feedback confirms my intention to offer it again (watch this space!)
- I am grateful for Cork County Council because of all the ways it works to enhance our environment and community and for the opportunity to be considered for a business award this month. Kudos to all the local companies who were recognized as finalists.
- I am so deeply and profoundly grateful to my husband, who did all the laundry (again!) so I could be ready for travelling to Canada at the end of November!
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash