Hello you beautiful beings! Today I want to talk to you about gratitude. When I was in college I took a class designed to explore alternative approaches to health care. In this class we not only learned about different somatic therapies but different approaches on how to heal from within. I would like to share them with you, and I hope that you will get the same benefit as I did. I believe that in today's social construct we are longing for things. We want the newest phone, the hottest outfit and, the most overrated, money. It is important to look around you and realize that even in the hardest of times, we have many things to be grateful for. We tend to put emphasis on things we've lost or things we want/can't have. It is important to take a quick step back and look at all the things around you. I encourage you to take a seat and write down 100 things you are thankful for.
This is not an easy thing. This takes time. You do not want to rush this. Take this as a meditation into what truly makes you happy, and how thankful you are for it. You can be thankful for things you have like a phone or TV, or things you enjoy like running, and hiking. They can also be things you appreciate like sun sets or the ability to take vacations. Maybe it's having all of your senses (sight, hearing, taste etc.) This is a very personal and private endeavor. You have so many things to be thankful for, sometimes it just takes a little encouragement to find them.
100 things to be thankful for will make you stretch your imagination. It is also a chance to really explore all the good things that have happened in your life up to this point. I do this at least once a year to remind myself of all the good things that have happened. You can do this once, or revamp your list every so often. I also like to print this out, and put it somewhere that I can review it when I feel like things get tough.
Another suggestion is that you do not put them in any specific order, #1 holds just as much weight as #63, and as #99. I think this is important because as you write your list, you do not want to give one thing more attention than another. I feel that creates some competition with list items, and if you are thankful for everything, then any one item is not more important than the other. I want to share with you my first 10, to give you an idea of how to get started. Remember, these are not my top 10. Only, the first 10 things that I thought of when I sat down to write
Finding my soul mate so early in life
Bright and sunny days
Having all of my senses
My body and good health
My curiosity and desire to learn
My pain and struggles
…and learning from them
The people I’ve surrounded myself with
My dreams
Finding a career that is fulfilling
You have so much to be thankful for in your life, and I encourage you to sit down and really think of them all. I look forward to hearing from all of you beautiful people. Happy journeying!
* Disclaimer: I do not claim any original thought to this. I am only sharing my experiences with you, in hopes that you will get benefit from it. I do not know who originally thought of this, as my college experience was nearly a decade ago. Thank you for understanding, and being respectful.