Appreciation – let it fill you up and change your focus

Happy Tuesday and welcome to you all,

Have you ever found yourself weighed down by all the things that have gone wrong in your day?

And do things, then, just seem to keep pouring down upon you? You drop a plate, your computer won’t work, you stub your toe, your car won’t start? The printer has malfunctioned as you have a load of printing to do? Some unexpected problems arise in what should have been an easy flowing scenario?

Well – to be honest – that was exactly how I was feeling about 15 minutes before I had to write this blog, as my day just seemed to go from bad to worse with various technological challenges and mishaps blighting my day.Hardly inspiring  - and I was wondering what on Earth I could write about that would be inspiring when I was feeling so low and bleak ha ha!

But then two things happened:

1. I received a wonderful message from one of my subscribers showing her appreciation for my blogs and communications [ most perfectly timed I have to say ]

2. I remembered a wonderful message from Abraham [ I am talking as in Esther and Jerry Hicks] that I had seen in my inbox and decided it was time to meditate upon that briefly.

Now – did my mood totally change?

Not exactly ha ha ha – but it did inspire me to sit at my laptop and write – and that is a good and grand thing as it lifted my spirits greatly.

So – what were the inspiring words from Abraham that shifted me today?

If all you did was just look for things to appreciate you would live a joyous, spectacular life. If there was nothing else that you ever came to understand other than just look for things to appreciate, it’s the only tool you would ever need to predominantly hook you up with who you really are. That’s all you’d need.

—Abraham

Mmmmmmm – bingo!

Look for things to appreciate.

So that is what I started to do – I shifted my focus from everything that had gone wrong and was going wrong and started to look at everything that had gone right or as adding something lovely to my world:

* the man at the printers who offered to assist me, even though it was a tiny job for a company like his and most likely not really worth his time

* the lady at the OfficeWorks whose printer was broken, who went online googling to try and help me find an alternative that was close by

* the glorious sunshine outside my window that was providing me with a stellar backdrop for my day

* my friend’s daughter who had come to stay and was providing me with lovely company and great conversation

* my neighbour who let me connect to her internet whilst mine was being sorted out

* the wonderful stand up paddle-boarding lesson I had yesterday and the lovely people I met there

* my good fortune to have the offer of a cup of coffee with my other neighbour later in the day

*my lovely apartment that has the option of heating when I get cold in the wintery chill

* my lovely balcony and plants that provided a most welcome place to rest and recalibrate should I need it

* my good health

* my wonderful, supportive and funny family who are always there for me

* my amazing collection of incredibly inspiring books

* my wonderful job teaching tap dance

* my good fortune to enjoy writing these blogs

* the joy I get from drumming

* the joy I get from reading

The list went on and on and on and suddenly I no longer felt quite so bad.

Sure – I still had these “things” to deal with, but they didn’t seem so big and scary and terrible and all encompassing as before.

I also realised that life was wonderful in so many other ways and that they were just as significant in my life at that moment. So why focus only on the bad or irritable, when there is all that good around as well?

I guess, we tend to take all the good things for granted and focus our attention on the bad?

A strange choice so it seems – but there you go ha ha.

So today – I invite you to look through the challenges you are facing and for a good 20 minutes at least, take the time to reflect upon all the good that is in your life.

You may like to write a list like me.

Just look out of your window, or step outside, or take a quiet moment to really see, hear and appreciate all the good things that are with you right now.

Breathe it in.

Drink it up.

Focus on all the good.

Close your eyes and take 4 deep breaths with these things in mind.

Mmmmmmmm – feels better doesn’t it.

So for this week.

#Discoverthegood, #Lovethegood, #Bethegood

Christine