Cultivating Gratitude!

Hello!

It's a beautiful day in Sacramento California and I hope it is a beautiful day where you are. And it is - you know why? Because you're here, you're alive, you're breathing, that means God is still at work! And for that, we should be thankful.


My favorite and most useful tool in my toolbox has to GRATITUDE! Of all the virtues, gratitude seems to be the least expressed. How often do people go out of their way to thank you? How often do you receive a thank you note when you give a gift? More important, how often do you extend your thanks to others? In our culture of plenty, where everyone feels entitled, we tend to take things for granted.


Being grateful is both a state of mind and perspective. One person’s idea of expressing gratitude may completely contradict another.

Make Gratitude a habit by retraining your brain to think about all there is to be grateful for, in good times or bad, can be life-changing. One of the ways to do this is by viewing each day as a gift. Before the day begins is an excellent time to reflect on all there is to be grateful for. This starts the day with feelings of hope, peace and happiness. You can simply say thank you for the day as soon as you wake up. This puts us right first thing in the morning and starts our day on a good note instead of starting the day out with negative thoughts.

You can also write a gratitude journal, when you jot things down, as opposed to just thinking about them, you are truly taking in each and every one. You aren’t just aware of them, you are acknowledging them. You are pausing and remembering the positives of your day and in your life. You are focusing on a moment in time that you truly appreciated and you are allowing it to sink into your heart and soul. Posting pictures and writing about the things you feel grateful for each day. Gratitude can lead to feelings of love, appreciation, generosity, and compassion, which further open our hearts and help rewire our brains to fire in more positive ways.

Instagram is a perfect tool to remind you of how blessed you are by simply reflecting on your post and friends post.


When we learn to give thanks, we are learning to concentrate not on the bad things, but on the good things in our lives." Says Amy Vanderbilt. Thinking about the good things helps us to be grateful. Remaining grateful helps us to have a positive attitude prompts us to thank about the good rather than the bad. It's a positive cycle that helps fuel itself. If you operate out gratitude you will have no time to be angry. Gratitude is the cure.

Experiencing and expressing gratitude is an important part of any spiritual practice. It opens the heart and activates a new way of thinking.Don’t just think your thanks, show it! Don’t let the kindness of others go unnoticed. Sometimes it’s easy to take for granted the people who are closest to us, but those are the people we should thank the most. Your family, your friends, the ones who love and support you are the ones who should feel your thankfulness the most.

"Thank you, always say thank you; it's the greatest gift you can give someone; because thank you is what you give to God." - Maya Angealou


List five things you are grateful for today.Show your gratitude. Who can you thank today, and how will you show your appreciation? Take a step of faith today and begin to show your thankfulness to those around you. When you feel least thankful, you are most in need of what gratitude can give you: perspective. If you're having a bad day, what is the smallest thing you can be grateful for? If you can think of nothing else, think of your breath. Let it overflow! Sow seeds of gratitude and blessing so you can reap an abundant harvest of blessing in return!

Journey to Freedom

Hello!

It's a beautiful day in San Francisco California and I hope it is a beautiful day where you are. And it is - you know why? Because you're here, you're alive, you're breathing, that means God is still at work! And for that, we should be thankful.


"Every addiction arises from an unconscious refusal to face and move through your own pain. Every addiction starts with pain and ends with pain. Whatever the substance you are addicted to - alcohol, food, legal or illegal drugs, or a person - you are using something or somebody to cover up your pain."

- Eckhart Tolle

I've confessed to being a  hot mess in the past. My suicide attempt, my battles with depression and anxiety, and I'm sure much more with you already.
I'm on a Journey to Freedom from all that's holding me  back and I invite you to join me. That's what this blog is all about. At 29 Im more mature and a little stronger. I think that’s something believers strive for everyday; to get more strength. But when you ask God for more strength, he just doesn’t magically give you more muscles. Your strength comes from the tests that you can pass. I’m excited about my growth.


No, I didn’t lose faith. I probably stopped caring, which almost could have been a good thing or a bad thing. ‘Cause I was always putting people first and feeling bad if I didn’t, then I just stopped caring one day. I began to say “no” to even family members. It was liberating.

I had some amazing therapy, because see, sometimes what we do is we also isolate ourselves from people that do love us. It was like getting back connected with people that honestly love me. That’s what really strengthened me again.

Taking accountability for my actions. When you’re down in the dump, we blame other people. There are other people and elements that can contribute, but they say if you know better, do better. I do struggle with putting other people first. I’m still learning that it’s OK to put me first. Call it selfish if you want to, but I have to do what’s going to be best for me and my future family.

And, there are times where we have brought people into our lives to teach us to trust ourselves. They way that they do this is my betraying our trust. Yes, you have spiritual contracts with people who are sent to betray you. Not as punishment, but as a part of your Divine curriculum to come home to your soul.

The purpose of a crisis is to shed what no longer serves our growth.

When we focus to much to what "someone did to us" without learning or becoming aware of the greater lesson, we stay stuck in a kind of self-created purgatory of blame, victimizing ourselves and not expressing our true purpose in the world.

You cannot live your purpose when you are blaming others for your life.

You cannot live your purpose when you are attached to finding out why someone did what they did - because you will never truly know.

We must take a wiser perspective on life, one that has the spiritual maturity to recognize that life is happening for us, rather than to us. And while we need not blame ourselves for what happened, we must learn the lesson and break free.


It's about coming home to yourself and trusting yourself again. 

The first step is through forgiveness. So, in today's blog, I'm including a powerful guided meditation for forgiveness.

All of life is conspiring in your best interest. What seems like a crisis is Grace working it's way into your life. Focus on the gift, the lesson and choose to believe that what's coming next is a greater understanding and embodiment of living your life's true purpose.


"When you know better, you do better and when you choose to do better we rise unto our best selves".

When you let go and admit it, accept that you have moments of being a mess and than you share that feeling of feeling unworthy at times with the rest of us, then you can step into a larger, freer life.

"A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided." - Tony Robbins

And when we make that kind of choice, our bodies feel different.  Our nervous system responds. Our adrenaline glands begin to fire.

Some part of us know that the choice we’ve just made has truly, fully and unequivocally put our butts on the line.

When we’ve made that choice that deep down we know we should have made a thousands times before, but we chickened out. That choice that comes deep from the belly of our soul, that no matter what the outside worlds says, does or think, we know inside that it’s the right choice.

A choice that produces a high level of uncertainty, anxiety and excitement (all at once).

This choice will bring us to the edge of our faith. Test our ability to believe in ourselves and make us think from time to time we were crazy.

But in the end, we will see that this choice was a choice for freedom. The truth will set you free and when we look back on this choice at the end of our lives, we will be happy that we made it.


I’m still on the journey. It’s a journey of leaving the past and moving forward and being free from anything that’s going to keep me from being my absolute best. Sometimes you’re scared of letting go of your comfort zone. You might be scared of letting go of familiar territory. On the road to greatness or success there is a season where you have to be alone and you have to get free from those worries and those doubts.

As always be honest with yourself. And remember you can't get to courage without going through vulnerability.

#GetInspired It's All About Service

“The best way to find to is to lose yourself in the service of others.”  

 – Mahatma Gandhi

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”

- Muhammad Ali

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy. ”

- Rabindranath Tagore

"Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart. "-

 - Elizabeth Andrew 

"Our success as a Nation depends upon the willingness to give generously of ourselves for the welfare and enrichment of others." 

- First Lady Pat Nixon

Instead of wondering what you can get out of every experience, relationship, encounter or opportunity, ask what you can give. How can you be of service to others? How can you support, love or uplift someone else?  How can you create a better conversation or community? Being of service serves everyone involved, especially YOU.

It is your spiritual responsibility - as a human being - to bring your skills and abilities to as many people as you possibly can. It is your spiritual responsibility to serve at the highest possible level, helping people, teaching people, inspiring people, at every opportunity. 

There is always a way to serve. 

"What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains & is immortal." - Albert Pire

#GetInspired 

Breaking Chains

"Every addiction arises from an unconscious refusal to face and move through your own pain. Every addiction starts with pain and ends with pain. Whatever the substance you are addicted to - alcohol, food, legal or illegal drugs, or a person - you are using something or somebody to cover up your pain."- Eckhart Tolle

Are you free? A pretty simple question right? Do feel stuck in some area of your life? Do feel like you’re being held hostage by your thoughts, feelings, someone, or something (relationships, family, friends, job, addiction, etc.). Do you feel shame and guilt often?

As always be honest with yourself and remember you can't get to courage without going through vulnerability.

The truth is we all at sometimes have felt like hostages or prisoners to someone or something in our lives.

The first step to moving forward is to accept where and who you are now. And to remember we are more than our circumstances.

The second step is forgiveness. The only thing that makes you feel more vulnerable than being hurt is forgiving. But it's not a bad thing.

Vulnerability makes us step outside of our comfort zone and accept that we are not unbreakable.  It makes us accept that we aren’t as strong as we might think.  It makes us looks past people mistakes and faults. Accept their broken selves because we're broken too.

Vulnerability makes us depend on our higher power to pick us up and soften our hearts to forgive.

The third step is Surrender to your higher power. Surrender through Praise and worship. Praise & worship is the expression of our GRATITUDE to the most awesome The Creator the Universe.

In the Book of ACTS Verse 25 says, But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. - I don’t believe Paul and Silas were worshiping begging God to do something, I believe they were worshiping Him out of a place of gratitude that they could partake in His sufferings. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. - When you create a landing pad for His presence to settle down, captivity cannot exist. In any way at all, ‘where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom’.

    27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. - It is not biblical for us to fear in the presence of darkness, it is biblical that darkness fears in our presence. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” 29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” – The guards calling for light was much more than a calling for light in the natural, he was desperate for the light of Christ in his life. Because he desired the freedom that was in the atmosphere, the freedom in Christ.

     31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. – Worship not only brings us more freedom, it brings the people around us more freedom. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. (NKJV)

The keys to freedom are practicing gratitude on a daily. Take what resonates and leave the rest.  

Living Fearlessly

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.  And a lot of us are operating out of insanity aka "fear".
Fear stops us from taking action and I believe that gratitude is the antidote. You can not be grateful and fearful simultaneously. Gratitude is really the reset button,  the cleanser of the soul. Wnen your grateful its no longer about me or you it's about giving thanks; and when you give thanks, youn disappear and connect to the Devine.

Gratitude is the spiritual practice that strengthens are faith. I'm talking about a powerful faith in God's unconditional, unlimited, unwavering, perfect love for us. Faith is the knowledge and continual expression of gratitude.

First John 4:18 teaches that understanding God's love for us will deliver us from our fears. Now this doesn't mean we won't ever feel fear, but faith in God and His love will enable us to 'do it afraid' if we have to.
God wants you to know that He is with you. He will lead and guide you, so you can put your confidence and faith in Him!

Remember, His love is perfect, even when we aren't. He isn't going to love us any more or less because of our mistakes. Isn't it good to know that God loves you right where you are? Doesn't that thought just kind of boost your faith and take your fear down a notch?

Mistakes are our greatest teachers in life. In each mistake that we make there is a lesson to learn. Be grateful for the mistakes. As Maya Angealou says "when you know better you do better; And when you choose to do better we rise unto our best selves". We shouldn't still not be making the same mistakes that we made in our thirties that we made in our twenties. Each day that given is new opportunity to try something new. When you are comfortable that means you are not growing and operating out fear.

Ask yourself the following questions.

1. What is the story you are telling yourself right now? What self-limiting beliefs(like, "im not good with money" or "im not creative")?

2. Write about a recent happy moment.

3. Write down three things that you are grateful for.

4. How do you define success?

5 . Where in your life do you feel stuck? What is the small action you can take to change? Then what massive action-an exponentially bigger step-can you take?

6. How many times today did you say, "I can't? How many times did you say "Sure! I can do that!" Or "I don't see why not!"?

7. Think of something you've always wanted to do, and break it down into the teeny tiniest little steps you can imagine.  Thenn cut those in half. Write the steps down. Then take one. And another......  

As always be honest with yourself and remember you can't get to courage without going through vulnerability.

      #getinspired #gratitude 

Practice Gratitude

People with a strong sense of gratitude, love and appreciation don't necessarily have more than others; they aren't luckier or the luckiest. They simply recognize and see more beauty in their lives.  People who count their blessings are generally happier and healthier than people who don't. If you ever feel as if anything in your life isn't "enough" , try practicing an attitude of thankfulness.  Which means operating in a state of gratitude.

To begin bringing gratitude into your life, you can deliberately meditate on all the things in your own life that help you or make you smile.  You can also write a gratitude journal, posting pictures and writing about the things you feel grateful for each day. Gratitude can lead to feelings of love, appreciation, generosity, and compassion, which further open our hearts and help rewire our brains to fire in more positive ways.

When we learn to give thanks, we are learning to concentrate not on the bad things, but on the good things in our lives." Says Amy Vanderbilt. Thinking about the good things helps us to be grateful. Remaining grateful helps us to have a positive attitude prompts us to thank about the good rather than the bad. It's a positive cycle that helps fuel itself. If you operate out gratitude you will have no time to be angry. Gratitude is the cure.

Experiencing and expressing gratitude is an important part of any spiritual practice. It opens the heart and activates a new way of thinking.

List five things you are grateful for today.Show your gratitude. Who can you thank today, and how will you show your appreciation? When you feel least thankful, you are most in need of what gratitude can give you: perspective. If you're having a bad day, what is the smallest thing you can be grateful for? If you can think of nothing else, think of your breath.

"Thank you, always say thank you; it's the greatest gift you can give someone; because thank you is what you give to God." - Maya Angealou

      #Gratitude #thankyou #getinspired

How to Bring Gratitude into Your Life

  "He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." - Epictetus 

To begin bringing gratitude into your life, you can deliberately meditate on all the things in your own life that help you or make you smile.  You can also write a gratitude journal, posting pictures and writing about the things you feel grateful for each day. Gratitude can lead to feelings of love, appreciation, generosity, and compassion, which further open our hearts and help rewire our brains to fire in more positive ways.

When we learn to give thanks, we are learning to concentrate not on the bad things, but on the good things in our lives." Says Amy Vanderbilt. Thinking about the good things helps us to be grateful. Remaining grateful helps us to have a positive attitude prompts us to thank about the good rather than the bad. It's a positive cycle that helps fuel itself. If you operate out gratitude you will have no time to be angry. Gratitude is the cure.

Experiencing and expressing gratitude is an important part of any spiritual practice. It opens the heart and activates a new way of thinking.

 "Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concerate on what you don't have, you will never have enough." - Oprah 

List five things you are grateful for today.Show your gratitude. Who can you thank today, and how will you show your appreciation?When you feel least thankful, you are most in need of what gratitude can give you: perspective. If you're having a bad day, what is the smallest thing you can be grateful for? If you can think of nothing else, think of your breath.

       #gratitude #getinspired