Do you operate from a lack based perspective? In today’s society, it seems that we are conditioned to operate from lack and less conditioned to operate from an abundant, grateful and appreciative perspective.
I recently went into a beautiful café for coffee with my husband. It was really busy and it was inevitable that we would be waiting for a while for our order. I couldn’t help but notice how agitated everyone was as they waited for their orders to arrive. The energy in the café was electric for all the wrong reasons!!!
Most tables were occupied with couples, families and friends and instead of using the wait time to engage with one another,to appreciate the beautiful art and interesting décor in the café, to relax and just enjoy the ambiance of this beautiful space, almost everyone was focused on the wait time for their orders.
Seriously, the wait wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t extreme and everyone who entered the café and placed an order was informed that there would be a small delay due to staff calling in sick. When our coffee arrived it was just so beautifully created. The aroma of the coffee was amazing. The coffee art on the surface of our lattes was also incredible . The café manager also delivered a decadent piece of homemade cake to everyone who was seated in the café as a peace offering.
What struck me about this whole experience was –
We were in a beautiful space
We were sharing time with loved ones
We were served the most beautiful coffee and cake that was created and prepared with such professionalism and passion.
The extra wait time allowed us the opportunity to really soak up the ambiance, the aroma and the company, and yet 90% of the people in that café were focused on how long they had to wait and how inconvenienced they were. This was a café filled with people who had a lack mindset.
When did we become a society based solely on entitlement and expectation? When did we lose our sense of appreciation for what is rather than what isnt?
If you simply align your thoughts with abundance and then apply those thoughts to every situation no matter what it is, you will experience riches beyond your wildest imagination.
This week, take the time to give thanks by practicing the following -.
Practicing gratitude and appreciation is as important as eating a healthy diet
Practicing gratitude and being appreciative has been shown to:
Increase levels of wellbeing and increase positive emotions
Boost happiness, energy levels and optimism
Improve sleep
Improve relationships
Reduce the risk of stress and depression
Improve immune function
Reduce symptoms of illness
When you next take your daily dose of vitamins,don’t forget to count your blessings!
Practice appreciation by starting with yourself
If you are the kind of person who has a problem appreciating others, it is more than likely that you will find it challenging to appreciate yourself. If this resonates with you, take a moment.
Remember, you need to treat yourself with love, respect and appreciation. You need to see the good in yourself first, before you can see it in others. By appreciating yourself, you dramatically alter how you perceive and interpret other people. This in itself can quite literally change your life for the better.
Don’t take things for granted
Most of us take for granted how totally blessed we are.
We have clean water, access to fresh food, we have homes, we are surrounded by our loved ones, I could keep going but you get what I mean. Whenever you catch yourself having really extreme expectations, if you find yourself complaining, understand that this normally comes from taking things for granted.If you can change your expectations to appreciation, you can change your entire life. If you want to experience life on a whole new level, learn to appreciate how blessed we are as a society.
Practice
For many people, learning to be grateful takes work. It requires practice. For the next week, take a few minutes every single day to reflect and acknowledge what you are grateful for and why you are grateful for it. Write it down, create a gratitude journal or better still, share what you are grateful for with the people that you love. Make it a habit to talk about what you are grateful for. It will reinforce the feeling of gratitude and eventually it will become your new state of being..
Thank you+ Thank you + Thank you
To learn the grammar of gratitude, practice saying “thank you” more often. These words have the ability to heal, make peace, uplift, reconnect and repair relationships. Whether you are saying thank you to someone for a kind act or whether you are just saying thank you for everything you experience in your life, the power of the words thank you cannot be understated.
With love and gratitude
Wishing you wellness in Mind, Body & Spirit
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you
Jo Ettles