GRATITUDE in 2023

This is a different sort of article from those that I have usually written in the past; but, this isn’t the past any longer, is it? We’ve all been through so much the last few years including a frackin pandemic! And, how fast did that happen. One week things were more or less normal and then BANG, the world shut down and most of our lives were totally changed.

I have always tried to incorporate the philosophy and suggestions of healing, prosperity and abundance in all my work. At the core of this philosophy is the belief in gratitude, thankfulness and appreciation. Gratitude can literally and figuratively change your life. It allows you to tap into the transformative energies that are available to all of us, they really are.

Our world works like a giant duplicating machine. Whatever you focus your thoughts and energies on is what multiplies most in your life. You won’t get rich by focusing on how little money you have, but you can get rich by honoring the wealth that you already do have. This same principal works for every aspects of your life including love, joy, confidence, fulfillment and happiness . Stop focusing on what you don’t have and turn your thoughts to all that you have and want, but even more than that, give thanks for all that you do have.

You are probably rolling your eyes right now and I know that sometimes when things are rough and stressful and you are under constant and tremendous pressure it is hard to focus on the positive or even to believe that there is anything positive in your life. At those time it seems all we can think about or see is the negative and our own fear, we lose the ability to see options. When you are having a hard time changing your focus from negative to positive, here are a few suggestions and a little exercise to help you do just that:

First step: Ask yourself, what do you have that someone else might be willing to pay a million dollars for. Nothing? Think again …

1. What about your eyesight? Do you believe that someone who has lost (or never had) the power of sight would say that eyesight would be worth at least a million dollars?

2. What about good health? To the person who has lost physical mobility due to illness or an accident or to someone who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, "good health" would be worth at least, if not more than, one million dollars!

3. What about freedom or a loving relationship?

4. What about your children? I used to work for a law firm that acted as facilitators and helped people adopt a child and I can tell you there are many, many couples out there who would be more than willing to pay a million dollars if it meant that they could have a child of their own.

5. Here’s something else. What about the ability to think and remember? To the person who may be facing dementia or Alzheimer’s themselves or in their family , this would be worth any price.

Second Step: Now that we have your thoughts moving in the right direction, take a moment and think about all the other ways you are already so wealthy.

• What about a warm house, apartment or even just a single safe room to sleep in. How must that seem to the homeless person or family living on the street? There was a brief time in my life when I was living from day to day and didn’t know if I would have a bed to sleep in on any given night. It was a very scary and dark time indeed.

But one night I was sitting outside a cheap motel room that I was in that night (it wasn’t a very good neighborhood either), and across the parking lot I could see a lit window from the apartment building on the next street. I remember it was just before Halloween and there were some decorations stuck in the window obviously made by a child.

That lit window looked so warm and inviting that it made me cry because I had lost my own place and didn’t know when I would have another place that I could call mine again. Whenever I start to get irritated about the daily crap we all have to deal with, I remind myself of that time and how it felt not to have that window and I remind myself about how I am grateful for all that I have been given; because this Universe gives us many, many chances if we just open our eyes and look. Gratitude is a great way to start that process.

What about that meal you just had. To the person with no food, wouldn’t that seem like a miracle or to the parent who has no food to give their child? If they could give their child your last meal, how wonderful do you think that would make them feel?

What about your friends, someone who is there for you when you just need a shoulder or a hug?

Final Step: Remember that the philosophy of creating " prosperity " and “ abundance ” incorporates so much more than just financial wealth. It is the essence of the energy and life force of our wellbeing and that life force is fed by our thoughts, dreams and desires.

If you want to be energetically aligned with all that this world has to offer, look for the evidence in your life of your current prosperity and abundance , look for everything in your life to be grateful for; honor it, think about it, focus on it and then invite more of it into your life now; and allow your desires to thrive and flow through you. Remember your desires are almost pure energy and it is that energy that acts like a gigantic magnet for you attracting all that you desire.

Being thankful can unlock the fullness of your life and make everything a bit sweeter and brighter and more joyful. As you appreciate your life, your passions, the uniqueness of who you are including all of the experiences of your life that have made you the person you are (whether good or bad experiences), you become more valuable to yourself and others.

So if during the past few months or even years you haven’t remembered to gives thanks. Why not take a moment now and say “thank you” and I guarantee your world will get a bit brighter and sweeter.

And if you have a hard time doing this, hypnotherapy can help you. I can help you, it is what I do.

Linda Simmon, C.Ht.
Certified Hypnotherapist
Simmon.linda@att.net