“If the only prayer you say in your entire life is ‘thank you’ that would suffice.”
~ Meister Eckhart

 

Rushing off to work, the bills, un-healthy relationships, traffic jams, late for appointments, criticism, pressure, under-appreciation… and then running to the golf course to play without a warm-up! How do you deal with stress?

 

Imagine… You are snuggled warm in your cozy bed when you hear the beeping of your alarm clock go off. Your arm reaches over to press the “snooze” button, but this morning nothing happens. The beeping continues – and is getting irritating, all you want is 5 more minutes. So now you open your eyes, press again on the button, more beeping. You hit another switch which should turn the alarm off completely… more beeping. In a fit of frustration you finally pull out the cord from the electrical outlet.

 

You’re now up and in the bathroom at the toilet when . . . the toilet won’t flush. “Oh this is going to be a great day,” you think. You get dressed and start the coffeemaker. When you come back to the kitchen there is hot water and coffee grounds all over. Now it’s getting late and you’ve got to get to work. As you drive to work, you’re thinking about how rough the morning has been when suddenly . . . you are cut off and almost run off the road.

 

When you arrive at work your heart is still racing and you take every opportunity to tell everyone about “your morning”. What a relief it will be when this day is over!

 

Remember “Murphy’s Law”… Well, if you’ve ever had a day when everything that could go wrong, did, you can probably sympathize with that story above. It’s easy to become frustrated, feel sorry for yourself and think, “why me”?

 

 

Imagine a day when . . . .

• the alarm works perfectly
• the toilet flushes
• the coffeemaker makes a hot cup of coffee
• no one cuts you off

Now what happens? Do you arrive at work feeling overwhelmed with gratitude – with an attitude of appreciation for all the people and things that are supporting your perfect glorious morning? That would be wonderful… but probably not.

 

Habits of attention, becoming aware

If there’s no real problem going on that morning, your mind may think about something that happened in the past or anticipate something that may transpire during your day. It is common for our attention to focus on the problems we are having because we have to pay attention to in order to handle them. (Make sense?)

 

In becoming aware

Unfortunately many people develop the “habit of un-awareness” in which they fail to notice the many good things that support them. Your health, work, family, and efforts to accomplish your goals all become habits at some point.

 

The more this “habit of un-awareness” has developed, the less likely you’ll be able to experience gratitude. You must become aware of what is good in your life in order to de-stress, or rid your self what is not welcome.

 

Self-reflection – looking in your personal mirror

When you take a step back and quietly reflect on everything in and around you, are now becoming aware. The moment I did that, I felt more cared for, loved and supported than ever before. A feeling of gratitude hit me in such a way that it woke up my consciousness! Once I became aware to notice my life, I gained a power I had never known before… the power of gratitude!

 

Three obstacles of feeling gratitude

1. Self-preoccupation:
Being constantly preoccupied with your own thoughts, feelings, and needs you’ll have little left over for anyone or anything else. Think of your thoughts as a flashlight. Shine the light on your problems, negativity, aches and pains, and you’ll see more of those things. Like the law of attraction states, what you focus on gives your more of that which to focus on.

 

2. Expectation:
When I turn the switch on in my bedroom I assume the light will go on. Once I’ve come to expect something, it doesn’t usually get my attention. I am usually not aware of something until my expectation isn’t met. (Because the light bulb doesn’t work, I have to change the light bulb)… aha!

 

3. Entitlement:
The more I think I’ve earned something or deserve something, the less likely I am to appreciate it. As long as I think I’m entitled to something I won’t feel grateful for it.

 

To experience a sense of heartfelt gratitude you must overcome these obstacles. Self-reflection provides a path by creating self-awareness. It allows us to stop and appreciate what is being given to us rather than focus on what we don’t have.

 

It is rare to meet a person whose life is full of gratitude. Many people don’t truly appreciate what they have until it is gone. That’s a sad truth, which we all have the power to change.

 

To develop gratitude you must become aware. Once aware, you must practice it. Like any sport, without practice you cannot develop the skill - only the concept or idea. You cannot become a grateful person just by thinking, “I want to be grateful.”

 

Complaining is a wonderful practice if you wish to develop frustration, bitterness and self-pity. If you’ve ever tried it, it’s very effective. Each time you complain you get better at complaining. It is like learning to play a sport. Become aware of what you want.

 

Now what?

Create the stress free life you were meant to have. Start to observe, reflect and express your life. The first step to change anything, is in becoming aware! Your mind power is your ability and awareness to become grateful today.

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Hey, what’s that sound? Oh, it’s the reminder on my phone of an appointment. What a great feature. It frees up my mind to do other things. Thanks, phone. And thanks to my sister who gave it to me. And thanks to all the people who made it. And thank goodness my finger works well enough to shut it off!

 

“In body, mind power and spirit”
Randy

 

 

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