“The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!” ~ Henry Ward Beecher
With Thanksgiving and the holidays fast approaching it may serve us all well to take a deep breath, put life on pause, and consider the magnetic power of a grateful heart. It is no secret that what we focus our attention upon rises in the field of our awareness and tends to become part of our experience.
In challenging times, often the tendency is to stare at what seems to be missing rather than the good that lies right in front of us.
Practicing conscious gratitude activates and directs the creative energy within that nurtures the potential of a more abundant life. When we begin to look beyond our obvious blessings—between the cracks and crevices of our daily life—we begin to see with new eyes, eyes that are able to perceive infinite grace operating in exquisite and subtle ways.
The power of a positive perspective opens the portal of plenty by igniting an attitude of gratitude.
For most of us, practicing conscious gratitude is not something we generally remember to do because we are so easily seduced by the collective consciousness of humankind that is obsessed with looking down—staring at what is wrong or missing in our lives. We can transcend the vortex and gravitational pull of the collective consciousness with the conscious practice of gratitude—it’s just a matter of remembering to remember.
As you move into this holiday season a great mindfulness practice to assist you in “remembering to remember” is to create a 30-day Gratitude List (or Journal). Take a few moments each day to consider three things that you currently have in your life for which you are grateful—things that will help raise the altitude of your attitude of gratitude. Each day for 30 days, add three new awarenesses of gratitude—and try not to repeat the same thing twice—keep the list fresh and growing. Cumulatively, at the end of 30 days you will have a cornucopia of acknowledged blessings for which to be grateful.
If you find yourself thinking you are running short of blessings, consider the following: When was the last time you gave thanks for your heart that keeps on beating, or your teeth that allow you to chew your food, or your eyes, legs, feet and toes. How about the roof over your head, or the cool, clean water you have to drink? What about the warm water with which you bathe—or the hot water in which you wash the very dishes you just used to fill your stomach with food, or the country in which you live?
When you really think about it your gratitude list could go on indefinitely. Suffice it to say, with a little effort “thanks living” can become a conscious practice every day—you don’t have to wait until the fourth Thursday in November each year to be reminded of how blessed you truly are. In other words, as William A. Ward wrote, “God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say, ‘Thank you?” Your 86,400 seconds begins now.
Peace, Dennis Merritt Jones
Article by Dennis Merritt Jones
www.DennisMerrittJones.com