It is easy to lose sight of what is valuable in our lives. Just in waking, we have spent several hours all alone in our heads. For me, that is some scary stuff. Sometimes when I wake, I can have lasting impressions from the dreams that quickly fades from my memory, but the emotional state lingers. Couple that with a few morning headlines on my cell, traffic and in-bound emails for work and I’m already an active engine of manifestation processing exactly what I’m feeling. However, I have the ability to choose to act myself into better thinking.
I learned an antic several years ago which today I share with some special friends in my life. Every day, I text at least 5 things that I am grateful for with another person. If you feel ambitious, make it 10. It has best results if it is with the same person so you can hold each other accountable. My friend and I do it almost like a game. The only rule is that we cannot repeat anything we have listed prior, and although they do not need to be elaborate, they must be sincere. It is fine to list people individually but focus less on people as much as aspects of people such as the love your sister demonstrates or your mother’s cooking. This practice, as simply as it actually is, causes us to disrupt the cycle of downward spiral of negativity, and instead route our thought processes, at least for a few minutes on the positive. I don’t have to propagate negativity any further. If I replace my magnificent magnifying mind’s focus from negativity to positivity and things of the light, then that will be radiated and shine forth.
Sometimes we need to open a window to a new way of thinking. One cannot hold bitterness and resentment in our heart and be grateful at the same time. After all, gratitude promotes wellbeing, and is a spiritual concept that we can foster, nurture and use as a functional tool to assist us in being a more positive contributor to society. Today, I am grateful that I have the ability to promote enlightenment.
*Special thanks to site member Kevin Voeltz for his featured painting.