Gratitude

Sometimes I forget little things … like where I put my keys or someone’s new spiritual name that they changed their old name to when I had just finished remembering that (this happens a lot more than you’d think on the left coast). But sometimes I forget the big things … you know, like waking up in the morning and giving gratitude for waking up in the morning … or all the other miracles that happen in my life each day.

Awareness 

During the holiday season, I tripped and fell into a little bit of a funk. Normally, I’d spend days in this state of unconsciousness, usually brought on by a moment of self-pity or the illusion that I am alone at that particular time of the year. Instead, I realized that I was falling into this state of mind and did something proactive. Even though I often find myself teaching in this realm of awareness, it’s important to listen to others who are giving the same message, as sometimes we doubt our own wisdom in such moments (yep, was suffering from a bit of low self worth too). So, as I began to fall into this rut, I searched online for a good Esther Hicks video, as she is a favorite speaker of mine.

Shifting Focus onto Positivity 

Esther talked about how we create what we focus on and it dawned on me that by focusing on being a sad, I was actually creating more of that energy. This is probably why falling into a depression makes it hard to feel happy for a while because we perpetuate it with sad thoughts, which usually have very little to do with being grateful for our current state of beingness. The magic that I had felt just a few days before had wained and I had forgotten to focus on all of the amazing gifts in my life. So, that’s what I did … I began to focus on how happy it made me feel to have my youngest son living in Santa Barbara with me; all of the friends who have become such sacred family to me; the beautiful mansion that I live in and the fabulous housemates who bring such a smile to my face; the new projects that I’m launching that feel good to my heart; the decreased pain levels from all of the powerful healing I had been experiencing out west; the computer that I was listening to Esther Hicks on; and so much more. Before I knew it, the sadness had lifted and my heart was full again.

Changing Our Perspective 

Life is a tricky course to navigate and it’s so tempting to fall into a pothole of struggle when we’re not looking where we are walking. In just a split second, someone or something along our path can present an experience that might feel like a curse versus a gift. When we move a little bit to see that someone or something from a different perspective, it changes our view. Literally, that’s all it takes to move from a state of mind that might cause sadness to one that brings peace or fulfillment.
Each challenge is an opportunity to grow and we don’t always know why we are presented with a particular experience, but if we can remember to move into a space of gratitude, even around that challenge, the heaviness of that moment lightens and brings us the insight we need to get back on course again.