Tag Archives: appreciation

22

Inner Security

Leave a comment
One might look for a mighty castle to provide safety.

Life seems to be a maze of things we develop fear about experiencing. We are continuously looking for security in our day-to-day experience. Sometimes we look for relationships to provide a safe place to be ourselves. In other moments we see money as a security blanket against the world’s troubles. We create a constant state of stress and worry about what might happen and never know the joy and power of the moments we are in right now. To live in this way will push people to block good things from entering life and keep you on the treadmill of unhappiness. To stop the cycle, a person needs to start to look inside for items that are always there, always accessible, and always positive. These things are inside each of us, and turning your focus to them will provide as much security as you can expect in this life.

No matter what we do or how well we plan, the truth is. We have very little control over our external security, and we have total control over our inner security. To lack the ability to find safety inside is the definition of insecurity. No matter what happens outside, be secure about your reactions and feelings. Here are some areas your awareness can go to find security daily.

Find The Moment

Too often, too many people choose to live their conscious moments worrying about the future or regretting the past. Ignoring the most precious moment they have, the present moment. Being mindful of where you are right now and becoming aware of the situations, people, and things in your current reality are the only thing you have. The past is recollected the way we think of it, and the future is nothing but a fantasy. It hasn’t happened yet and may never occur the way you think.

Getting into the moment is as simple as being aware of what you are doing and living from that perspective. Sometimes we are so routine-oriented we make the majority of our choices through subconscious programming. Making conscious choices and noticing the moment is a power we have at our fingertips in each moment. There is significant security in this because the moment will always be the only thing there is, so making the most of it and finding joy in it makes a lot of sense. This appreciation comes from the inside, and you have it available to you all the time. It can be hard to see if your focus is “out there.”

Be Open

Another way to be secure is to be open-hearted toward the world. Too often choose to separate ourselves from others because they are different from us. But we all are the same, and by practicing an open heart, we can foster security of connection with all people because we are all connected. We all have the same blood in our veins and breath the same air. We have thoughts, take actions, and love one another. So many see fear when they look at individuals who are different from themselves, and it causes people to withdraw.

When you open your heart to others and life, you realize you are all in the same production, doing your best to play the role you have been assigned. Don’t waste time judging someone else; invest your time getting to know someone from a different station in life. Send love to everyone, especially those who are negative. They need it the most. Open your heart, and security will be yours.

Accept Yourself

Most people see the flaws in themselves quite easily. We compare ourselves to the images we see in the mainstream media or even on social media and pick out the ways we don’t quite measure up. Rather than seeing our uniqueness as a strength or an unusual defining characteristic, we dislike ourselves and hate that part of us. We have to accept what we are. It doesn’t mean we can’t improve and change. If you don’t get yourself now, you won’t receive yourself in a month or a year or five years when you have made all these changes.

Bring your awareness to the things about you, which are lovely and unique and make you a one-of-a-kind experience for the world because each of us has the luxury of being this. There has never been another person who looks like you, talks like you, or has your skillset throughout time. It has never happened before, and it will never happen again. Too often, people fight against who they are and what they look like because nobody is perfect. It is in our imperfections that many of our strengths lie. There is absolute security in the person you are. Embrace that person and accept them, strengths, flaws, and all.

Awareness and Appreciation

You are an infinite, creative, unique, and inventive living on this planet. Start to use your awareness to see all of the things already in your life, which are lovely, and then take a short moment to appreciate them for just being themselves in the scope of the world. Your awareness is the connection to your attention and focuses on what you are experiencing. Knowledge stops you from taking things for granted and allows opportunities for growth from passing by you.

Appreciation is a door you can open, which will bring more into your life. Are you a person who always sees the bad? Or can you find the good in any situation? All people have a choice about where they fall on this continuum. The majority of the thoughts you entertain and believe to be true will dominate your energy and the life you experience. Focusing on more positive things will allow more of those things to enter your life—a choice.

Unconditional Love

This emotion is the rarest of things because society has conditioned us to expect something in return for what we create or give to others. Putting your focus on the love you have for others is a great place to seek security, but the best is how you choose to love yourself. Nobody is perfect, but all of us are entirely constructed to be exactly who we are. It is too easy to stop and put awareness of your flaws rather than your talent and greatness. It is not arrogance or avarice to be proud of what you do well or what you love about yourself. To want more of these  things is a natural progression,

To offer unconditional love to the world or someone else is tough to do. The ego always tells you to judge someone for their harmful actions and punish them by not loving them anymore. It happens every day worldwide; love is lost and replaced with vengeance, anger, and even hate. Letting these emotions and thoughts dominate your mind and reality will harm you, not the person you are angry at and hate at that moment. You can love someone and keep them at a safe distance. Choose to love, no matter what, and see how it changes your life and gives you power.

Learn to focus and awareness of these things and develop the inner security that comes with them. There is little we can do to avoid the pitfalls and challenges that come to us externally, but we can build a security net inside ourselves, which is totally in our control.

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.– Buddha

 

21

Both Sides Now

Leave a comment

the flip side of lifeWouldn’t it be nice if all we had to deal with in our lives was a success in all we do and happiness in all experiences? I think everyone would feel the same way, no sadness, loss, or grief, just happy things that are easy to deal with, yet we all know that life isn’t going to come as quickly as that. We all must go through some difficult times, and I think that is OK because you will never appreciate the good in life unless there is the opposite aspect to compare it to in life. There is always a flip side. How do you know that life is giving you what you need now? You are experiencing it. Please take a moment and focus your conscious thought on this very thought of how opposites teach you lessons and see what words and actions arise from it. It will probably be a better version of yourself, and you will value the joyous times and good experiences all the more when they happen.

Sunshine and Rain

No matter what your preferred weather is, there is difficulty enjoying it thoroughly without having experienced the opposite of your desired temperature. For me, it is the weather of the fall in the northeast.

sunshine without rainWe are blessed with pleasant temperatures and cooler weather at night, which is perfect for sleeping. Each day it seems that there is a different and wondrous color scheme on display. Fall has a feeling in your heart that you can’t explain, feel. Yet the appreciation I have for this season is deepened by the hot, uncomfortable summer weather and the oncoming extreme cold and snow of winter. Those intense experiences help you tune into the perfection of September/October that you are experiencing in the perfect dance of autumn.

If the weather were as you like, all of the time, you would eventually find that you lose the special appreciation you have for it. It would be more difficult at any rate to find that appreciation for the beautiful autumn days, and they would be “days.”

I think this is true about all things in life. We need to have what we don’t want to know what we do want and, more importantly, appreciate it when it is in our lives and seek it out daily if you can.

Being Alone Leads To Growth

Most people long for comfort and company, yet many have this in their lives and manage to throw it away because of a bit of moment or slight that they perceive. If you

have ever been without someone who “gets you” and is forced to live your life truly on lonely makes you appreciate relationshipsyour own, then it is difficult to appreciate it when you have that connection partner in your life.

You would be much less likely to throw that relationship away if you knew what real loneliness felt like inside. The warmth of happiness and connection should stop people from cheating and taking their partners for granted.   The opposite side of this coin would help many a relationship find its way through rough waters.

Empathy for another and understanding the feelings, dreams, and ideas that make someone else tick is, to me, one of the most critical features of any relationship. It allows you to understand and be understood, give accordingly, and receive. When empathy is gone, and people start worrying about their own needs without concern for the needs of the other, trouble is not far away.

Sometimes you need to be alone to allow yourself to grow into the person you are meant to become. Much like a seed needs to be in the ground alone, you may need the same situation to allow yourself to grow in understanding and ideas. Life is a tricky game, and none of us have all the answers at the outset. That is why it is so damn impressive. You do not have to be lonely to appreciate the company of others, but it certainly does make it a lot easier to remember and keeps your empathy at the surface.

Loss Makes You Appreciate What You Have

If you have never lost everything, you do not appreciate everything you have quite as much. Everything is a subjective word that can apply to anyone and their situation. You may lose your family, friends, possessions, or guiding principles and strand you in life with no clear guidance or a place to call home.

Whatever it is that you lose, a friend, a family member, a relationship, it is through this loss, you will learn to appreciate what you do have. When you evaluate the things you have lost in your life, remember to include equal time thinking about the good that you have in your life and the appreciation you have for it — practice gratitude to some degree every day.

Sometimes the wounds of the loss are too big, and we can never move past them. Sometimes the pain of loss or the idea of the damage has engulfed us and our identity to the point that we can’t see around it. My experience tells me that once I have let something go, there is an appreciation for the people and things that are in my life that I would never have known.

You don’t have to lose everything to find this appreciation, and you have to look at what you have in your life and be grateful for it.

Seeing the Dark Side

To be human is to possess the ability to be very, very good, but each person also comes equipped with a dark side. Much like Darth Vader in Star Wars, we all have to choose which side of life our thoughts, choices, and actions will take us. There is power in being positive, helpful, honest, kind, and a decent human being society would fall without this attitude is prevalent. But there is a dark side in all of us.

One of the things that make good people so beautiful is that we make a choice each day to be that way. Sometimes, it can be a natural choice to follow the voices of fear and separate, ridicule, lie, gossip, or be selfish. Each of our actions balances out in our vibrational energy and just what you are putting into the world mentally, and with your efforts, you will get back to you. If you are not happy with where you are, look at your mental game and see how it is playing out. Take affirmative action, and positive will happen. Follow the light side of the force.

Look at the Flip Side of Everything

So my final urging is to look at the flip side of everything that you experience each and

Superman is not as great without a villain to compare him to.
Superman is not as great without a Lex Luther to battle against.

every day. Noticing that there is something positive for you to appreciate in every situation. Enjoy moments of downtime as well as deserved respites from the whir of activity that often rules your life.

Appreciate the moments of being by yourself as opportunities to grow. Nobody knows who you will end up with, but remember that making yourself the best person you can, will bring the person into your life who will make you better. With the heart-wrenching bitterness that death and loss of a loved one get to your life, there is an appreciation for those you live with still that can envelop your heart and touch your soul if you look for them.

That is why we should always look for and appreciate the flip side of the coin because we would never understand the value of moments in our lives without it. Light without darkness, happiness without sadness, love without fear, the experiences that we live define us by our ability to appreciate our journeys. 

“Belief systems thrive in circumstances of the collision. Their opposites energize them.”– James P. Carse

“All colors are the friends of their neighbors and the lovers of their opposites.” – Marc Chagall

 

 

21

Grateful

Leave a comment

Thank You For Being You!!

grateful Moving through your life, from task to task, work time to free time, one of the most important thoughts to keep in your consciousness is to be grateful for all of the things in life you experience every day. Some people and experiences bring joy, and some get lessons. All need to be appreciated for what they are because……….

Being grateful is an attitude that increases your positive energy, makes you more efficient and is in the doorway of abundance. In every situation, there is a choice of opinion. One can decide to be angry, disillusioned, bitter, or worried. Or a mind can be appreciative, grateful, accepting, and joyous. In each moment, the choice of gratitude exists, and I encourage you to be thankful in your thoughts, words, and actions today. Show that appreciation wherever you can by choosing the simple words, “Thank you!”

Don’t Take Things for Granted.

When life is going well in any area, relationships, financially, or achieving personal goals, take a moment and be grateful. Recognizing the presence of positive and enjoyable things in your life will open the doorway gratefulfor other “good” things to come into your life. Those who take things for granted tend to experience little to no joy, no matter what they have. Does it matter if you have everything if you don’t have the mental acuity to appreciate these gifts? Look to be grateful for the smallest of things, and joy will arise in you.

You never know when the good things in your life will pass away and disappear like smoke from a smooth summer’s fire. Each moment you have which are joyful and shared with someone you love should be appreciated, and a feeling of gratitude should accompany it. We are not guaranteed anything in this life, only a beginning, a middle, and an end. It is up to you to either appreciate your life and those in it. Or you can choose to take it for granted and be angry. This decision is one we make every day. Where are your choices leading you?

Say Thank You Often

In the course of your activity in a day, seek out situations to use the phrase “thank you.” Be mindful of why you use the term, and you will see more conditions the words can describe in your life. Each time you are grateful, from your heart, for something someone else has done, you increase the positivity of the world in just a fraction. Thank you have the power to show, share, and transfer the feelings of being grateful to other people.

It is also essential to be able to accept gratitude from others. If they take the time to acknowledge your acts of kindness with the words, thank you, make sure to keep the positive flowing by responding with a heartfelt word. The best one I know, I was taught by my great-grandmother. When I would thank her for one of the millions of kindnesses she showed me, her response was always cheerful and heartfelt “You are very welcome.” It still transferred the joy she felt in giving and made me feel loved and appreciated. Spreading that feeling can’t be a bad thing. Be conscious of the opportunities to thank you today and show how grateful you are for all things, big and small.

Appreciation Game

One of the most reliable ways to turn your attitude around is to focus on the appreciation game. This gratitude is the mental process of shifting your conscious focus away from negative thoughts of regret or anxiety and being grateful for the positive things in your life. Look gratefulat how fortunate you are. All people can find something to be thankful for having. Some can never find anything. The choice is always up to you and your mind.

Look at your life today and list, either mentally or on a piece of paper, things you are grateful for in your experience. Good weather, people who help you, people who care about you, coffee, reliable transportation, a job you enjoy, the ability to learn, an act of kindness, something in nature you witnessed, or anything you can think of experiencing. Just a moment of being grateful for each thing, and your mood will flip because it is tough to be negative and thankful at the same time.

Be grateful today, say thank you often, and count the good things in your life. It will be impossible to be in a bad mood. You will be a light of positivity. All this comes by becoming more conscious of your thoughts, words, and actions of being grateful in life. I thank those who have lied to me because I learned how much I value truth. Thank you to those who have hurt me because, through suffering, we find our most authentic selves and understand what is important to us. I thank those who count themselves as my enemies; you have taught me to understand the opinions of others never define my value.

“Develop an attitude of gratitude and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” ~Brian Tracy

“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” —Charles Dickens.

 

 

 

21

Grateful

Leave a comment

No matter what life brings you, each person can either be grateful and appreciative of the experience, or they can be angry and disillusioned. The choice is always in your hands. Always.

Things Go Wrong Sometimes, Be Grateful

This is an easy idea to cope with when things are going well. There is plenty of money to do whatever you want, all of those you love are healthy and happy, and the most significant decision you need to make is what form of entertainment is in store for you this evening. Of course, you can be grateful and appreciative of this situation. Yet, I know many people in just such a predicament, and there is very little gratitude or appreciation.

It seems like so many are focused on what they don’t have rather than what they do have in their life. They gratitudehave a house, but the problems with that house seem to stand out to them, and they only see the lack rather than the bounty.

When things are going badly, many people get discouraged by the pain, trouble, worry, or inconvenience. It is hard to see the positive and be grateful and appreciative when the cellar is flooded, possessions are being ruined, things need to be moved, and the plumber can’t come for two days. These situations make it difficult to appreciate, but in time the positive can be seen if you choose to look.  No situation is inherently good or bad except for the label that we apply to it.

 Appreciate the Good Things

Positives can be anything from being grateful for the times when the cellar isn’t flooded to the new closeness that your family has for working together getting through the problem.  Being appreciative of the simple things in life is much easier when taken away for even just a short time.  Today when we vibrationlose power for a day, we are lost.  But you sure as heck have an appreciation when the power is back on.

Choose Appreciation and Gratitude

There is a power that comes with expressing gratitude for what you have. When you have a heartfelt appreciation for what you do have, I believe that it opens the door for more of the same to show up in your life.  Be grateful for the comfort of the life we are provided each day.  Enjoy the people who make your life the wonder that it is each day. The family and friends who provide all of the delightful flavors to your life.

Being grateful is always a choice to appreciate what life brings you. Not for what it is, but for what it allows you to be. All events can be positive life-altering events if you choose to make them so.

Related articles across the web

21

Gratitude

Leave a comment

 

gratitude 1I have often considered that truly practicing gratitude is an important step into bringing more of what you want in your life into your life.  Every day, I am more and more convinced this is true.  I had often talked a good game about being grateful, really taking a moment, and appreciating the things in my life, but my process was off. The past year has taught me many valuable lessons. One of the biggest is to be grateful for every day you have to live and every person who brings something positive into your life. You never know when people you count on will be gone, or the positives will be harder to find.  List, think about and feel positive about the good things you have. They are always there; it is sometimes hard to notice them because our focus strays so far toward what we don’t have. Be grateful, enjoy those moments, accept your positive things.

What I used to do for Gratitude

I would take a moment and be thankful for things in my life, people I came across, and things that happened to me. I think this might be OK for others, but my problem was that it was inconsistent, and I might not recall something I had real gratitude for.  I also spent inconsistent amounts of time thinking of the blessings in my life.  I would try thinking of them on the way to work, but I am easily distracted, and one thing would drive out another. I was inconsistent and sloppy with my gratitude, and I met a lot of blocks in my life. Things that stopped me from achieving success or getting things I really wanted in my life.

It is difficult sometimes to maintain your gratitude when you have gone through a big shakeup in your life. Losing someone that matters to you, or having a job change, or just being put out of your “normal” routine, whatever that is.  When the negative entered my life, I had little focus for what I was glad to have and a lot of anger about what I did not.  That is a path to more frustration in life.

My New Process of Gratitude

gratitude It does not take a brain surgeon to figure out what to do differently. I was inconsistent, so I needed to add a complete gratitude practice in my life.  To build that consistency and to make the topics of my gratitude consistent.  I had to take a moment each day to write it down. I didn’t try to write down a million things, just three to focus on and get my energy of being grateful to flow through me.

I always try to have my gratitude notebook with me, so when I have a moment each morning, I jot down my list of things I am grateful for. I would suggest this for everyone for this reason. Even though it seems a simple thing, there is a contemplation moment that happens when you actually write down your gratitude.  The thought has to travel from your mind through your arm to your hand and onto the paper.  My lists are not all that elaborate because I am pretty grateful for the little things in life.

I am grateful for good cups of coffee, good conversation, something interesting I read on a blog, a book I read, having money in the bank, a text from a friend who made my day, or a long, verbose Facebook message was awesome to read. The list gets a bit long, but I have tried to keep it to what comes to mind.  I can always look back to see what I wrote before.

The Blocks are Disappearing

It may just be a coincidence, and those who are negative will say that is all it is, yet I don’t believe that. After a short time, I mean a matter of days,  blocks I was having in life was melting away.  I could give specific examples, but they will only mean something to me.  Making a gratitude list for me has become something real and powerful.  I know how it sounds, but I can feel the difference.

Being grateful is the key to accepting more things into your life. Whatever it is.  If you are lonely, look for when you don’t feel too lonely during the day and be thankful for those.  If you are poor, be grateful for the things you do have. If you are not feeling well, find the moments you don’t feel as bad and be grateful for them.  If you are particularly down, find the little things around you all the time, the weather, a smile from a stranger, flowers, and unexpected fortunate turning. Whatever you come in contact with, be grateful for it.  A momentary contemplation of thanks is all it takes.

The worst thing that will happen is you will feel better about life. The best thing that will happen is that you will open yourself up to more of the same experiences.  It doesn’t really matter if you believe what I am telling you or not.  Just contemplate what will happen if you do nothing different? Nothing different will happen. If you are lonely, sick, poor, or just generally unhappy, what the heck do you have to lose? Give it an honest attempt and see what an increased awareness of gratitude does in your life.

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” —Gilbert K. Chesterton

“Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.” —Zig Ziglar

“Learn to be thankful for what you already have, while you pursue all that you want.” —Jim Rohn

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” —Oprah Winfrey

Life Lessons

Value of Appreciation

Leave a comment

It should come as no surprise that feeling appreciated in any situation is important to people. Appreciation allows a person to feel valued in a situation and that their presence and contribution matter to the overall experience of things. This is true in all areas of life and should be a part of your conscious focus. Having our positive points recognized and valued by someone else is the essence of being a well-functioning human being.  Appreciation also gives people the confidence to perform at a higher level in all things they undertake.  Look for ways to show appreciation to all those in All areas of life today.

Appreciate Those You Work With

It is not difficult to be appreciative.  Look for those who are doing all the things they should be doing at a high level and then tell them how awesome they are doing there.  Criticism is easily dispersed when a crisis arises or to just make yourself feel better.  All people should be held accountable for their actions, and let the chips fall where they may for deeds of dishonesty or deceit. These things take care of themselves.

Far more common are people performing at a high level for a company and not being recognized for it.  In fact, people see the good work, know it is there, but nothing is ever said until something goes wrong.  Then criticism and reactions are the norms. This destroys morale and any positive momentum a workplace has accumulated is gone. Taking the time to appreciate those who are working for you or your company, will pay you back in loyalty and a lack of turnover in staff.

Appreciate those in your life

There are people in your life that provide a positive spin on things and are there for you when you need them.  Each person brings a special presence to your life and you should always take the time to tell them that you appreciate them and all they contribute to your life.  It doesn’t take a lot of effort to do this and if you mean it, all involved should feel better about all of your interactions.  Everybody wants to be appreciated and know that they are important to the fabric of your life.

How many relationships fail because there is little to no appreciation for the things that couples do for each other every day?  I would bet quite a few.  Tell those who are doing something for you that you appreciate them as often as you think of it.  Be specific in the praise and accept the appreciation you get in return.  All of your relationships hopefully will grow in a positive direction that you show appreciation for.  Who wouldn’t want to be reminded of their good qualities on a consistent basis?  Don’t make them wait, appreciate!!

Appreciate Yourself

Each of us needs to take a moment and just appreciate all the things we do well and what our “good” qualities are.  Too often people spend way too much time focusing on their shortcomings and faults.  Who knows your faults better than you? Nobody.  That is the problem because we are so used to having a negative inner dialogue about our problems that we forget to appreciate any of the things we do well or the talent we contain within.

Take time today and focus on enjoying all of the positive qualities that you possess. Each of these skills is there shining for the world to see. Your sense of humor, your skill with people, your ability to sing in the shower.  All of these things are there for you to enjoy and celebrate.  Appreciate all the things that many take for granted.  The gift of vision, hearing, sound, thought all are amazing gifts and should be appreciated.  When you look at yourself this way there is a happier soul inside of you.

Appreciation is the challenge today, appreciate all of the people in your life, at work, at home, and in the mirror.  They all deserve it and it will make the world a much happier place.

“Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you’ll find that you have more of it.”- Ralph Marston

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”- John F. Kennedy