Yesterday we were discussing how important what you “think” is – relative to what you experience in life.
Click Here Now to Read Yesterday’s Article
Today I received this quote in my email which I thought really encapsulated the point I was making:
Every subject is really two subjects, with what is wanted on one end of the stick, and the absence of what is wanted on the other end. Sometimes you are a perfect vibrational match to the unwanted end of the stick but you don’t realize it because it feels normal to you. And that is only because it is more usual for you to talk about the problem rather than the solution.
—Abraham-Hicks.com
In other words, there is what you want – and then there is the absence of what you want. Unfortunately, we often focus on the absence of it because that is our “reality” at the moment, rather than focus on the joy of having it which will be your reality.
The problem with focusing on the “not having” is that your thoughts drive you towards more “not having”.
Therein lies the frustration. How do you not notice your reality of not having something? And since I really want this thing – that is really all I can think about? And of course thinking about not having it causes me to experience more not having it – which is now my normal thought process and the experience I am living.
Arrrghhh! How do I stop the wheel and turn it around the other way? This really is my reality! How do I not think about it since it feels overwhelming?
I understand that frustration. I have dealt with that as well. The first thing that you must realize is that your reality is multi-faceted. There are many parts of your reality – some fantastic – some good – and some not so great.
Step 1 is to begin to shift your perception of your reality to focus more on what is fantastic. If you keep focusing on the negative parts of your life, it’s amazing how it starts to cloud all the areas until all you see is darkness.
Turn to the light. See what is great in your life already. There is plenty once you shift your focus.
Try this exercise: Every day for the next 30 days write down 10 things which you are grateful for in your life. As you write each down, think about why you are grateful – what it means to you in your life. After you have written your list, go back and re-read it and after each item say Thank You 3 times with appreciation.
Do this every day – no exception – if you miss a day, double up the next day. At first, your list will be easy to create. You’ll think of the big things in your life. Your house, your car, your marriage, your health, etc. After a week or two, you’ll start finding it harder and harder to find things in your life to appreciate.
You’ll have to start appreciating the small things. The things in life we all take for granted. Here’s a tip: If you’re having trouble truly appreciating the small things in life – imagine not having them at all. You know that feeling when the power goes out – and you never realize how your life depends on electricity?. Or when the internet goes down, and suddenly you can’t seem to get anything accomplished?
Imagine if you didn’t have a phone. Do you appreciate your phone more now? If you didn’t have a bed to sleep in? No chair to sit in? You see what I mean – appreciate even the little things we take for granted.
I promise you that after doing this exercise wholeheartedly for 30 days; at the end you will feel like a different person and your life will start to take off in the direction of your desires.
I love this part – you don’t even have to focus on or even think about your desires. You have already put enough energy behind those. Just focus on appreciating what you do have, and the rest will happen automatically.
You may not experience all of your desires in 30 days, but you will experience your life changing. I found it amazing. Of course, you won’t want to stop after 30 days – you’ll want to keep it going.
I recommended this exercise to someone and here is what they wrote back to me this week. I am not going to share his name out of respect for his privacy:
I wanted to give you an update on what was going on with me and how I fared with writing out a list of 10 things I am grateful for. I have to say that things have improved since starting. The greatest take away is it makes you mindful of how fortunate we are NOW and what we have NOW.
When you look at things from a different perspective your thoughts and actions change and subsequently good things start happening. From a business standpoint, I have always struggled early in the year and it did start out the same way in January. But as of right now I’ve closed 5 deals(3 lease options and 2 wholesale deals) 2 out of my market which is a first for me. I have 3 in the pipeline and should be getting more. I don’t think it’s a coincidence this happened.
When you come from a place of gratitude, things start going you way. Some may call it “lucky” but now I know better. Thanks for this “golden ticket” piece of advice. I’ll continue this practice from here on in.
Appreciation IS the golden ticket. The sooner you wish to start experiencing your desires coming to fruition in your life, the sooner you should practice this exercise. My advice is to commit to the 30 days before you even begin. Promise yourself that you will give this a fair test and do it each and every day. The more appreciation you can feel for each item, the better your results.
This will be an amazing experience for you. Please, share your perspective after you complete the 30 days. I’d love to hear about it and you’ll be paying it forward.
In my next post, I’m going to refer you to some great resources for delving further into this topic.
Click Here Now for Part 3: Resources
Expect abundance,
Lou Castillo
