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10 March 2009
# 7 Steps To Effective Gratitude
By: Terrie Wurzbacher
How many times a day do you say "Thank you"? Who do you say "Thank You" to? Every time you say it, you should remember and record it. Gratitude is power.
There are several universal laws - so much more than the Law of Attraction! You'll uncover more of them as you delve deeper into metaphysics. But the way to get results faster is to have Gratitude for everything....Effective Gratitude is when you consciously express gratitude during as much of your day as possible. It really is fun!
1) Start and end your day with Gratitude.
As soon as you wake up or get up start saying your "gratitudes". Some folks say "thank you" even before their feet hit the floor. Others wait and start their daily "thanks" as they are brushing their teeth. No matter which one you choose, make sure you start before you leave the house in the morning - before you leave your bedroom area would be best.
Each night before you go to sleep repeat the process. Once you start doing this you'll realize how much has happened during the day and you'll have even more pleasant dreams.
2) Journal your "Gratitude".
Take some time each day to jot down those things that happened to you each day for which you're grateful. They can be big things or little things. The more little things you "track", the bigger your next "Divine Surprises" will be. You can journal in a notebook or online but there is something extremely valuable about writing down your "Gratitude". If for no other reason than to be able to look at your journal when you think things aren't going so well for you. Glancing back at your track record will lift your spirits immediately.
3) Make this your mantra - "I am so grateful for (or that)".
If you keep that saying at the forefront of your mind, you'll be able to spot things immediately that you previously would have ignored. For example, if you're sitting at a long traffic light, instead of fuming, start saying "I am so grateful that I have the time right now to look around me and see the results of creative minds - look at all these wonderful cars that people have designed." Allow yourself to realize that man has gifts and talents and that you, too, have these same talents. Expressing gratitude for what you see around you will bring it even closer to you.
4) Say your mantra at least once an hour.
Until it becomes a habit, time yourself and make a conscious effort to be thankful for something every single hour you're awake. At work you can stop and silently say a "Gratitude". At home, you can take a break at a commercial. In the car, use a traffic light or a stop sign. At the gym, use a walk break or a transition between machines.
It doesn't matter if you're saying the same "Gratitudes" over and over again in the beginning. Initially the whole point is to remember to do it. Once it becomes a habit, you will see so many other things to be grateful for and variety will no longer be an issue for you. The whole point is to "just do it".
5) Express gratitude no matter what the appearance of something.
Declare everything a "success" EVEN if it doesn't look like a success right this minute. We can be so limited in what we see sometimes and we may perceive that something is bad just because it wasn't what we wanted or expected. But since we often cannot (or will not) see beyond our nose, something that doesn't look so great right now may actually be the best thing that has ever happened to us. Just declare it "good" or declare it a "success".
6) Take complaints and make them "Gratitudes".
Use this as an advanced technique of expressing your gratitude. At the start it may be easier to use other people's complaints because you can be more objective about them. Let's take a common one at this point in time - people complaining about the cost of gas. What can you be grateful for about the high cost? How about, changing family values and activities. Maybe the cost of gas will be causing people to spend more time with their kids and engaging in activities together at home. What a novel idea? Maybe even the cost of gas means that kids won't have as many cars or be able to go out as often. Perhaps that will decrease the number of car accidents or even exposure to drugs and alcohol. Just find something to be grateful for in every situation.
7) Stressed out? Unable to think of a "Gratitude"?
That's ok. You're not in a creative writing class here. You're simply trying to let the Universe know that you are grateful. And if things don't seem to be going great, just repeat frequently that you're grateful you're alive and breathing and able to walk and talk and think. Be grateful for the "little" things - things that really aren't little but we take for granted. The Universe will be very happy to hear you thank it for your body and your mind. Again, the whole point is to BE THANKFUL for something. When this seems hard, use the easiest of all - "I am so happy and grateful that I am alive!"
Once you begin to pay attention to the occurrences in your life, you will actually start to have fun by saying your "Gratitude". You'll begin to look for new and exciting things to add to your written journal (and you'll be forgiving and understanding if a few times, you just write the same thing over and over again - you'll know that just the act of doing that is what has to happen).
As you start becoming attentive to your life and the wonderful things that happen in it, you'll wonder why you never learned this before. Your outlook will change completely. And best of all, you'll start having more in your life to be grateful for. There is always supply and all you have to do is express your gratitude to the Universe and it will, in turn, shower you with more!
Related Post:
Poem about Grateful
How Gratitude Bring Happiness
There are several universal laws - so much more than the Law of Attraction! You'll uncover more of them as you delve deeper into metaphysics. But the way to get results faster is to have Gratitude for everything....Effective Gratitude is when you consciously express gratitude during as much of your day as possible. It really is fun!
1) Start and end your day with Gratitude.
As soon as you wake up or get up start saying your "gratitudes". Some folks say "thank you" even before their feet hit the floor. Others wait and start their daily "thanks" as they are brushing their teeth. No matter which one you choose, make sure you start before you leave the house in the morning - before you leave your bedroom area would be best.Each night before you go to sleep repeat the process. Once you start doing this you'll realize how much has happened during the day and you'll have even more pleasant dreams.
2) Journal your "Gratitude".
Take some time each day to jot down those things that happened to you each day for which you're grateful. They can be big things or little things. The more little things you "track", the bigger your next "Divine Surprises" will be. You can journal in a notebook or online but there is something extremely valuable about writing down your "Gratitude". If for no other reason than to be able to look at your journal when you think things aren't going so well for you. Glancing back at your track record will lift your spirits immediately.3) Make this your mantra - "I am so grateful for (or that)".
If you keep that saying at the forefront of your mind, you'll be able to spot things immediately that you previously would have ignored. For example, if you're sitting at a long traffic light, instead of fuming, start saying "I am so grateful that I have the time right now to look around me and see the results of creative minds - look at all these wonderful cars that people have designed." Allow yourself to realize that man has gifts and talents and that you, too, have these same talents. Expressing gratitude for what you see around you will bring it even closer to you.
4) Say your mantra at least once an hour.
Until it becomes a habit, time yourself and make a conscious effort to be thankful for something every single hour you're awake. At work you can stop and silently say a "Gratitude". At home, you can take a break at a commercial. In the car, use a traffic light or a stop sign. At the gym, use a walk break or a transition between machines.
It doesn't matter if you're saying the same "Gratitudes" over and over again in the beginning. Initially the whole point is to remember to do it. Once it becomes a habit, you will see so many other things to be grateful for and variety will no longer be an issue for you. The whole point is to "just do it".
5) Express gratitude no matter what the appearance of something.
Declare everything a "success" EVEN if it doesn't look like a success right this minute. We can be so limited in what we see sometimes and we may perceive that something is bad just because it wasn't what we wanted or expected. But since we often cannot (or will not) see beyond our nose, something that doesn't look so great right now may actually be the best thing that has ever happened to us. Just declare it "good" or declare it a "success".6) Take complaints and make them "Gratitudes".
Use this as an advanced technique of expressing your gratitude. At the start it may be easier to use other people's complaints because you can be more objective about them. Let's take a common one at this point in time - people complaining about the cost of gas. What can you be grateful for about the high cost? How about, changing family values and activities. Maybe the cost of gas will be causing people to spend more time with their kids and engaging in activities together at home. What a novel idea? Maybe even the cost of gas means that kids won't have as many cars or be able to go out as often. Perhaps that will decrease the number of car accidents or even exposure to drugs and alcohol. Just find something to be grateful for in every situation.
7) Stressed out? Unable to think of a "Gratitude"?
That's ok. You're not in a creative writing class here. You're simply trying to let the Universe know that you are grateful. And if things don't seem to be going great, just repeat frequently that you're grateful you're alive and breathing and able to walk and talk and think. Be grateful for the "little" things - things that really aren't little but we take for granted. The Universe will be very happy to hear you thank it for your body and your mind. Again, the whole point is to BE THANKFUL for something. When this seems hard, use the easiest of all - "I am so happy and grateful that I am alive!"
Once you begin to pay attention to the occurrences in your life, you will actually start to have fun by saying your "Gratitude". You'll begin to look for new and exciting things to add to your written journal (and you'll be forgiving and understanding if a few times, you just write the same thing over and over again - you'll know that just the act of doing that is what has to happen).
As you start becoming attentive to your life and the wonderful things that happen in it, you'll wonder why you never learned this before. Your outlook will change completely. And best of all, you'll start having more in your life to be grateful for. There is always supply and all you have to do is express your gratitude to the Universe and it will, in turn, shower you with more!
Related Post:
Poem about Grateful
How Gratitude Bring Happiness
Label:
Gratitude
# Daily Affirmations
Affirmations for Self-Esteem
~ I am free to make my own choices, my own decisions.
~ My self esteem Make me easily to respect others and get respect in turn.
~ I am a unique and a special person and I deserve respect from others.
~ I accept every compliments easily and also freely compliment others.
~ I accept others as they are and they in turn accept me as I am.
~ I am free to make my own choices, my own decisions.
~ My self esteem Make me easily to respect others and get respect in turn.
~ I am a unique and a special person and I deserve respect from others.
~ I accept every compliments easily and also freely compliment others.
~ I accept others as they are and they in turn accept me as I am.
Other Affirmations:
Affirmations for Relationships
Affirmations for Confidence
Label:
Affirmations,
Self Esteem
# The Power of Intention
By: Margaret Paul, Ph.D.
Imagine two big spotlights. One is pointed upward, casting light far into the air. The other is pointed downward and buried into the earth - no light is cast at all.
This is like intent.
There are only two possible intentions in any given moment: the intent to learn about loving yourself and others, and the intent to protect against pain with some form of controlling behavior.
When you consciously choose the intent to learn, your light points upward, shining upon the truth that will guide you in your highest good. Your mind opens and becomes a receiver of the information you need to support yourself in manifesting your dreams. Consciously choosing the intent to learn is the most powerful thing we can do. When we consciously choose the intent to learn, we open ourselves to our Higher Self - the part of us that connects us with the information and creativity in the universe.
When we unconsciously choose the intent to control, we shut off access to truth. Our mind closes and becomes like a closed circuit TV - recycling the old information that has been programmed into our mind. We become stuck in our limited mind, operating from the false beliefs that we learned as we were growing up. We become stuck in the past, recreating old hurts.
The challenge here is that our unconscious automatic choice is to control. When we were growing up, we all had to learn many ways to control to survive the challenges of childhood. We learned ways of trying to have control over how people feel about us and treat us, such as anger, blame, judgment, righteousness, or compliance. We learned ways to protect against losing ourselves to another's control, such as resisting or withdrawing. We learned many addictive ways of avoiding feeling our pain, such using food, drugs, alcohol, TV, Internet, sex, work, sports, gambling, shopping, self-judgment, and so on - all to have control over not feeling our painful feelings.
Most people immediately, and unconsciously, choose the intent to control the moment they feel any anxiety. The problem is that the intent to control is self-abandonment, always causing even more fear, anxiety or depression. Instead of shining the light of love upon your distress in order to learn and heal, you shove the light into the ground, causing more darkness.
Choosing your intent is the essence of free will, and it determines what you feel and what you manifest. While you might have momentary pleasure when something good happens, the deep joy and wellbeing that we all seek, and the ability to manifest your dreams, is the result of your intent to learn about loving yourself and others.
The challenge in our lives is to REMEMBER that we are at choice - to remember to choose the intent to learn.
How can you remember to consciously choose the intent to learn? How can you remember, the moment you feel any fear, anxiety, or any stress, to open to learning about what you are thinking or doing that is creating this stress? What can you do to stop your automatic reactive controlling behavior?
First of all, you need to accept that this is a lifetime practice - not something that will occur quickly. We have all been practicing the intent to control for most of our lives, so it will take much practice to even remember that there is another choice.
The place to start is to practice noticing your feelings throughout a day. Perhaps wearing a rubber band that you can snap on your wrist will remind you to check inside to see how you are feeling. You cannot begin to learn about your thoughts and actions that are causing your feelings until you are aware of your painful feelings. You cannot stop your addictive anesthetics until you are WILLING to feel your feelings and take responsibility for them.
If you decide that you are willing to feel your feelings, that willingness will lead you to becoming more and more conscious of your feelings. This is the beginning of being able to consciously choose your intent to learn.
Related Post:
Power of Expectation
Imagine two big spotlights. One is pointed upward, casting light far into the air. The other is pointed downward and buried into the earth - no light is cast at all.
This is like intent.
There are only two possible intentions in any given moment: the intent to learn about loving yourself and others, and the intent to protect against pain with some form of controlling behavior.
When you consciously choose the intent to learn, your light points upward, shining upon the truth that will guide you in your highest good. Your mind opens and becomes a receiver of the information you need to support yourself in manifesting your dreams. Consciously choosing the intent to learn is the most powerful thing we can do. When we consciously choose the intent to learn, we open ourselves to our Higher Self - the part of us that connects us with the information and creativity in the universe.When we unconsciously choose the intent to control, we shut off access to truth. Our mind closes and becomes like a closed circuit TV - recycling the old information that has been programmed into our mind. We become stuck in our limited mind, operating from the false beliefs that we learned as we were growing up. We become stuck in the past, recreating old hurts.
The challenge here is that our unconscious automatic choice is to control. When we were growing up, we all had to learn many ways to control to survive the challenges of childhood. We learned ways of trying to have control over how people feel about us and treat us, such as anger, blame, judgment, righteousness, or compliance. We learned ways to protect against losing ourselves to another's control, such as resisting or withdrawing. We learned many addictive ways of avoiding feeling our pain, such using food, drugs, alcohol, TV, Internet, sex, work, sports, gambling, shopping, self-judgment, and so on - all to have control over not feeling our painful feelings.
Most people immediately, and unconsciously, choose the intent to control the moment they feel any anxiety. The problem is that the intent to control is self-abandonment, always causing even more fear, anxiety or depression. Instead of shining the light of love upon your distress in order to learn and heal, you shove the light into the ground, causing more darkness.Choosing your intent is the essence of free will, and it determines what you feel and what you manifest. While you might have momentary pleasure when something good happens, the deep joy and wellbeing that we all seek, and the ability to manifest your dreams, is the result of your intent to learn about loving yourself and others.
The challenge in our lives is to REMEMBER that we are at choice - to remember to choose the intent to learn.
How can you remember to consciously choose the intent to learn? How can you remember, the moment you feel any fear, anxiety, or any stress, to open to learning about what you are thinking or doing that is creating this stress? What can you do to stop your automatic reactive controlling behavior?
First of all, you need to accept that this is a lifetime practice - not something that will occur quickly. We have all been practicing the intent to control for most of our lives, so it will take much practice to even remember that there is another choice.
The place to start is to practice noticing your feelings throughout a day. Perhaps wearing a rubber band that you can snap on your wrist will remind you to check inside to see how you are feeling. You cannot begin to learn about your thoughts and actions that are causing your feelings until you are aware of your painful feelings. You cannot stop your addictive anesthetics until you are WILLING to feel your feelings and take responsibility for them.
If you decide that you are willing to feel your feelings, that willingness will lead you to becoming more and more conscious of your feelings. This is the beginning of being able to consciously choose your intent to learn.
Related Post:
Power of Expectation
Label:
Intention
06 March 2009
# Relax into Health
By: Wayne McDonald
I’d like to share a little secret about relaxation techniques for athletes (or health-minded people that workout) and anyone that wants to feel more focused, calm, healthy and peaceful.
But first, let’s define relaxation techniques, or more specifically, meditation. To begin, it’s not necessary to be a Zen master to learn meditation. Anyone can jump-in at any time and start meditating. You should put any expectations aside; do not try to force the outcome; don’t try to over-analyze "what meditation is"; and in general, just turn-off the brain and be in the moment. When meditating it is not necessary to blank out your mind or chase thoughts away. You’ll learn that as you progress with meditation, your mind will become quieter. Sit comfortably, with your spine reasonably straight. You can rest against a chair, a wall or headboard. Your hands can rest comfortably at your side or on your lap. Your legs can also be in any comfortable position (crossing them or any complicated pretzel position is not necessary). Overall, allow your body to sit comfortably so your body-mind-spirit can be open to relax.
There are different types of meditations that you can use in your daily practice. Here are a few:
* Mindfulness - A process focusing on physical sensations and being present of the moment. It is being attentive to the sensory information entering your mind through your five senses. Beneficial to athletes, people in body pain or someone with a health challenge, dieters and overall for body awareness.
* Visualization - This process creates in the mind specific places or situations, such as a green forest or the calming waves of the ocean. This can be used for goal setting or for quieting the mind.
* Breath mediation - A process focusing on the rhythm of breathing.
* Walking meditation - This Zen Buddhist form of meditation focuses on the sensation of the feet against the ground. Some people have discovered its benefits without realizing it was meditative. Pacing back and forth can be very calming on the mind.
This next meditation I strongly recommend learning first. In fact, I do a "sandwich" - I start with grounding then one of the meditations listed above and end my meditation practice with grounding.
Grounding - This process is being fully present mentally and emotionally and will help you feel more centered and focused. Practicing grounding will put you in control of your environment and focus your energies in your daily routine. Anyone learning meditation for the first time will gain great benefits by practicing grounding on a daily basis.
The Tree Meditation is the simplest exercise to feel more relaxed and energized. Yes, you can actually experience both of these at the same time! Familiarize yourself with this meditation by reading it two or three times and then begin. If you want, you can set a timer for ten minutes.
* Close your eyes and breathe in calmly. Each breath, imagine sipping air with a straw.
* Breathe in --- slow --- and relaxed.
* Imagine a beautiful, majestic tree. As you think of this tree, breathing in more relaxed, imagine YOU are the tree. With each calming breath your spine lengthens. See your body as the trunk of the tree; and as you continue breathing down from your head to your spine, down to your hips ---continue breathing down, feeling more relaxed and calm; down your legs --- your feet ---supporting you like the trunk of the tree.
* As you continue breathing, imagine healthy strong roots extending from the bottom of your feet. Your roots extend deep into Mother Earth, anchoring your body. You’re healthy-whole-and complete; fully supported as you breathe deep into the earth. You are a beautiful tree; you feel strong, solid and fully grounded where you are.
* Continue relaxing and breathing. When you are ready, come back to the present --- alert, confident and fully energized.
The last type of meditation is Transcendental. This is a specific type of meditation that must be learned from a certified teacher of the Transcendental Meditation program. Introduced in the late 1950s, this meditation focuses on a mantra (a sound, word or phrase that is repeated over and over, either aloud, as a chant or silently).
Studies of relaxation techniques have shown overall improvements of the body-mind connection for athletes and many health benefits for individuals. Taking the time to meditate and quiet our mind gives us the time to pause in our daily lives. It is the greatest power we hold, to be in the moment, alive and aware of our surroundings and our body. Relaxation gives us time to better organize our day, focus our energy and work more efficiently.
Start your meditation practice in the morning for ten to fifteen minutes. Many of the types of meditations - Grounding, Mindfulness, Visualization, Breath, Walking or Transcendental - can be done at home, work or out-and-about. There are hundreds of meditations to match the needs of the individual or to meet a specific purpose. You can find meditations online, in books, on CD and by taking a class. Over time you will have increased self-esteem and self-confidence; greater creativity; a greater ability to problem solve; and a more calming effect on your surroundings and the people you interact with.
Related post:
Simple explanation of Meditation
But first, let’s define relaxation techniques, or more specifically, meditation. To begin, it’s not necessary to be a Zen master to learn meditation. Anyone can jump-in at any time and start meditating. You should put any expectations aside; do not try to force the outcome; don’t try to over-analyze "what meditation is"; and in general, just turn-off the brain and be in the moment. When meditating it is not necessary to blank out your mind or chase thoughts away. You’ll learn that as you progress with meditation, your mind will become quieter. Sit comfortably, with your spine reasonably straight. You can rest against a chair, a wall or headboard. Your hands can rest comfortably at your side or on your lap. Your legs can also be in any comfortable position (crossing them or any complicated pretzel position is not necessary). Overall, allow your body to sit comfortably so your body-mind-spirit can be open to relax.
There are different types of meditations that you can use in your daily practice. Here are a few:
* Mindfulness - A process focusing on physical sensations and being present of the moment. It is being attentive to the sensory information entering your mind through your five senses. Beneficial to athletes, people in body pain or someone with a health challenge, dieters and overall for body awareness.
* Visualization - This process creates in the mind specific places or situations, such as a green forest or the calming waves of the ocean. This can be used for goal setting or for quieting the mind.
* Breath mediation - A process focusing on the rhythm of breathing.
* Walking meditation - This Zen Buddhist form of meditation focuses on the sensation of the feet against the ground. Some people have discovered its benefits without realizing it was meditative. Pacing back and forth can be very calming on the mind.
This next meditation I strongly recommend learning first. In fact, I do a "sandwich" - I start with grounding then one of the meditations listed above and end my meditation practice with grounding.
Grounding - This process is being fully present mentally and emotionally and will help you feel more centered and focused. Practicing grounding will put you in control of your environment and focus your energies in your daily routine. Anyone learning meditation for the first time will gain great benefits by practicing grounding on a daily basis.
The Tree Meditation is the simplest exercise to feel more relaxed and energized. Yes, you can actually experience both of these at the same time! Familiarize yourself with this meditation by reading it two or three times and then begin. If you want, you can set a timer for ten minutes.
* Close your eyes and breathe in calmly. Each breath, imagine sipping air with a straw.
* Breathe in --- slow --- and relaxed.
* Imagine a beautiful, majestic tree. As you think of this tree, breathing in more relaxed, imagine YOU are the tree. With each calming breath your spine lengthens. See your body as the trunk of the tree; and as you continue breathing down from your head to your spine, down to your hips ---continue breathing down, feeling more relaxed and calm; down your legs --- your feet ---supporting you like the trunk of the tree.
* As you continue breathing, imagine healthy strong roots extending from the bottom of your feet. Your roots extend deep into Mother Earth, anchoring your body. You’re healthy-whole-and complete; fully supported as you breathe deep into the earth. You are a beautiful tree; you feel strong, solid and fully grounded where you are.
* Continue relaxing and breathing. When you are ready, come back to the present --- alert, confident and fully energized.
The last type of meditation is Transcendental. This is a specific type of meditation that must be learned from a certified teacher of the Transcendental Meditation program. Introduced in the late 1950s, this meditation focuses on a mantra (a sound, word or phrase that is repeated over and over, either aloud, as a chant or silently).
Studies of relaxation techniques have shown overall improvements of the body-mind connection for athletes and many health benefits for individuals. Taking the time to meditate and quiet our mind gives us the time to pause in our daily lives. It is the greatest power we hold, to be in the moment, alive and aware of our surroundings and our body. Relaxation gives us time to better organize our day, focus our energy and work more efficiently.
Start your meditation practice in the morning for ten to fifteen minutes. Many of the types of meditations - Grounding, Mindfulness, Visualization, Breath, Walking or Transcendental - can be done at home, work or out-and-about. There are hundreds of meditations to match the needs of the individual or to meet a specific purpose. You can find meditations online, in books, on CD and by taking a class. Over time you will have increased self-esteem and self-confidence; greater creativity; a greater ability to problem solve; and a more calming effect on your surroundings and the people you interact with.
Related post:
Simple explanation of Meditation
Label:
Health,
Meditation
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