Gratitude

Last week, in the middle of a snow storm, I drove to work.  It was pretty nasty outside and the roads hadn’t been plowed, what made the drive even more precarious was the simple fact that  I hadn’t gotten my snow tires put on my car yet, in fact my snow tires had just been dug out of storage and put in my trunk the day before.  Luckily I made it to work in one piece and I just hoped the snow would let up so that I could take my car in to have the tires changed out, since the snow tires are un-mounted.  My coworker said that if I wanted to take my car in right then she’d come and pick me up, that’s a great thing about working in a small office, we’re always helping one another out this way, so I jumped at the offer because for me it meant that I wouldn’t have to wait around, for hours, while they helped others and changed out the tires. 

I arrived at the tire place and got placed in the queue.  The lady at the counter informed me that it would be about two to three hours (it was just after 10 AM at this point).  I told her that would be fine and left to go back to work. 

Later that day, my coworker asked if I wanted a ride back to the tire shop during our 2 o’clock break, I said that I would call first and see if it was finished since I hadn’t heard from them.  I called and was informed that it wasn’t done yet and it looked like it would be another hour to hour and a half.  I, very nicely, said she told me that morning it would only be two to three hours and that we were now nearing the fourth hour and it would still be another hour and a half.  Needless to say I wasn’t very happy and rather than be upset, I chose to look at positive, that I had a car, I had money for snow tires, that I was at work where I was warm and safe.

Well, that was the first of many problems with my tires and that specific tire place but those other things are not what I wanted to write about.  I was going through my email and came across this article by Christine Kane and it just reiterated how I was feeling and how I feel and I wanted to share it with you.

Why Gratitude Makes You Happy & Wealthy

Gratitude is more than being thankful one day a year. Gratitude is a practice. For some, it's a way of life.

Why do some people swear by the practice of gratitude? Why do these people have joy-filled and abundant lives?

In other words, why does gratitude make you happy and wealthy?

• Because gratitude is about presence.

It's about waking up in this moment and being here - really being here - and noticing what's around you. Most people are so busy thinking about the next thing, or about their horrid past, that they don't wake up and look around at their present moment - the only moment there is.

• Because gratitude is about honoring YOUR precious life.

Do you ever compare your life with someone else's? Do you ever wish your life were better and more like [insert famous person's name here]? Sometimes we can lose ourselves in wondering how we "measure up" to some standard set by our families or by the media. Comparison is the mind killer. The antidote is gratitude.

Gratitude requires that you validate your own life. (And you really don't have any other life, do you?) It forces you to say YES to the gift that is you. The choices you've made and the changes you've gone through -- they have brought you here. Even if here is a place that needs a little adjustment, that's okay. There are always gifts in any present moment.

• Because gratitude is about attracting.

It's difficult to attract abundance and joy if you are constantly saying "no" to what IS. You say "no" each time you focus on the future or past, or when you criticize something that is in your present moment.

Attraction is about saying Yes. When you say Yes, you shift.

Gratitude says, "Yes, I love this!" And then more of this is attracted, because the this is what you're focusing on.

• Because gratitude is about choice.

How you translate any situation is the situation. What you choose to see is the truth (for you).

This isn't proposing that you live in denial or phoniness. It's reminding you that your translation of any life situation is your choice. We've all heard stories of people who have ignored others' translations of their talent, their projects, their art, their looks, their lives. These people chose their own translations and succeeded. You always have a choice when it comes to how you look at things. Choose to choose gratitude.

• Because gratitude is about wisdom.

I think people believe they're being smart if they criticize, complain, and focus on the problems of the world around them.

Smart? Maybe.

Clever? Sure.

But not wise.

It is wise to look for and find the knowing place in your heart. It is wise to choose joy. It is wise to honor your riches. It is wise to focus on and grow the blessings of your life.

• Because gratitude is about recognition.

Use your power of focus to hone in on beauty and on what makes your heart sing. Recognize the spirit in your life. It's all around you waiting to be noticed. In the words of Franz Kafka, "It will roll in ecstasy at your feet."

• Because gratitude is about receptivity.

Gratitude makes you receptive. It makes you a vessel, waiting to be filled.

I carry a tiny notebook with me everywhere I go. In it, I write down song ideas. I write down quotes I hear. I write down ideas for stage stories. As I do that, I become more receptive, and more ideas and songs come to me. It's a tool that says to my subconscious, "Send more my way!" And the subconscious always responds.

Gratitude is the same way. It says, "I am receptive! Send more!" And more arrives.

• Because gratitude is about creativity.

Creativity is really all about attention. (So is genius.)

When I write a song, I build a relationship with that song. I spend time with it. I get to know it. I pay attention to it. Artists do the same thing with drawings. They spend time in rapt attention, and the drawing is born.

Gratitude is how we Live Creative. It is a creative act to notice and pay attention to the moments of your life. Some days it's an enormous act of creativity to find things for which to be thankful.

Start today.

And have a Thanksgiving of presence, creativity, and gratitude!

*~*~*~*

Christine Kane is the Mentor to Women Who are Changing the World. She helps women uplevel their lives, their businesses and their success. Her weekly LiveCreative eZine goes out to over 12,000 subscribers. If you are ready to take your life and your world to the next level, you can sign up for a F.R.E.E. subscription at http://christinekane.com.