One of the keys to learning to love yourself is Gratitude. Have you heard the saying: “what you love is what you get the most of”? The more gratitude you have for something in your life, the more it will manifest in your life. It is one of those mysteries of the universe that has to do with the Law of Attraction. It is at the moment of gratitude that we send a small ‘thank you’ to the universal Source. An involuntary reaction that is something like the purr of a cat when it is pleased, that little wave of gratitude surges directly from our hearts and runs through the universe and goes directly to the heart of the Creator. The prayer of gratitude is just the icing on the cake.
While it may seem like there is little to be thankful for in life these past few years, there is much to be thankful for each and every day. So the house is owned (stolen), the car is ruined (without insurance), the kids get sick (which makes you sick), and you don’t have enough money to buy your favorite junk food / pay for cable TV / buy alcohol or cigarettes / partying … maybe that’s part of the Big Plan. How else does a Creator draw the attention of his little creations that are going crazy? How about if all you hear from your children is “give me, give me, give me now!”, “I want, I need, I have to have …” or “please help me get what I want”?
When we allow Gratitude to fill our hearts, we are happy to know that we are being cared for. Perhaps that care is not as good as “we would like to get used to”, but it will always be exactly what we need to progress on our Path. Life is much more than an accumulation of “things”; it is about becoming more (yes, I hear the gears in your head grinding … no, it’s not about getting richer). To become one’s true Self is to become the brilliant being of Light and Love.
To bring more gratitude into your life, start listing everything you are grateful for, every day, from the items you have or receive, the skills or abilities you have, loved ones, or even your humorous way of looking at life. If you can’t find anything in your life to be thankful for, you need serious psychological help, so get it. Even someone who has just survived a horrendous trauma has something to be thankful for: life. Every moment we spend on Earth provides the opportunity to become plus. Try not to waste those opportunities.
© 2010 Dr. Valerie Olmsted All rights reserved
