Celebrating gratitude is what we are all about here, and having the reminders, opportunities and creative ideas in how to express, explore and practice our own gratitude has been the biggest blessing for me!
Once you start truly and authentically living from the space of gratitude and abundance, it is hard to be ungrateful when we know how much we are blessed to be surrounded by at any given moment.
I am sure many of us have some kind of practice around gratitude, whether we are committed to a daily diary or journaling of our thoughts and all we are grateful for that in that particular moment, or that we are just mindful of acknowledging them as often as we can.
It’s this time of year when we start to reflect and check in on all that has happened, and so often all that may not have happened, or at least the way you had wanted.
Last year I made a list (as part of a workbook I had started using) of 100 things I wanted to do, experience, have and become throughout this year. If you haven’t tried it before, it is a great dreaming and manifesting tool and highly satisfying to cross off when they are done.
Sometimes the most interesting things happen and it is only when you look back and reflect that you realise something really did come true, even if it wasn’t quite as you had expected….like No. 47 on my list for example “Experience Morocco”….I didn’t get back to Europe this year, however in August we went to the US for a family holiday and whilst in Palm Springs I decided to take advantage of all the location was famous for and enjoy a spa day…at none other than ‘El Morocco’ a beautifully exotic spa that literally transported me to ‘experience Morocco’ without even being there…and it was probably about 47 degrees too!
It is a lot of fun to do this for yourself and your family and being a list you can pop it up somewhere you can see it often and visualise it all into reality…something to do now for the year ahead!
As a twist on this, and to really take this gratitude game up a notch, I have decided to reflect upon this year by creating another list and celebrating all that I am grateful for over the past year.
This is everything big and small, the everyday and the extraordinary, people, events, experiences, learnings, a big long list of acknowledgement for all the blessings that came your way this year.
This might take you a little while to really dig deep and get into the head space, but I think you’ll find once you start that you’ll get in flow and have waves of things you are excited to write down. It took less than an hour for me to get mine together and it is so worth the time! The key is to not only write down what or who it is, but think about why it came up, what it/they mean to you, and how it/they made you feel. It’s those thoughts and feelings that we want to ‘be’ within as often as possible in order to welcome in and attract more of the same!
The best part of this list isn’t just the writing down part, but being able to refer back to it on the days you aren’t feeling so sparkly and abundant (and of course, we all have them!), and may be needing a gentle reminder of how full your cup really is!
Don’t overthink it, just get stuck into it…I promise you, it feels sooooooo good!!! I’ve had a few interesting days of late that have really challenged my mindset. Sometimes we just have to honour and accept that we need to experience the not so nice times to learn what we must for the next chapter, other times, we just need a short sharp reality check and having this pinned up around your house could be just that!
To get the ball rolling I thought I’d share a few ideas of things that may prompt you for your 2016 Gratitude List so that you can get stuck into it straight away!….
Partner
Family member
Where you live – The country/area/house/space
Friends
Support
Groups
Interests
Products
Services
Nourishment
Nature
Clothing
Technology
Feelings
Learnings
Courses
Sharings
Volunteering
Charity
Experiences
Beliefs
Practices
And here’s a few of mine as an example…
1. My husband, for providing so much for us and being the dedicated hard worker that he is
2. My son for testing and challenging me daily, making me laugh and cry, go gooey with pride and awe that I was a big part of his being here and that we get to share so many moments together
3. The place we call home right now
4. How peaceful it is yet so close to all we need
5. How we are only a short walk from the lake and a few minutes from many quiet and beaches
6. How the beaches are constantly changing so each visit is familiar yet new all at once
7. The sunsets over the lake, the colours and tranquility
8. Living in Australia when I come from the middle of England…not a beach in sight!
9. Planes and the ease of travel
10. Meeting so many incredible people from all over the world
11. Embrace Life, Deborah and all the incredible blessings that have come into my life thanks to the space that she holds for us all to shine
12. Live events and the opportunity to share and celebrate all that I do with others
13. The confidence I have when I am surrounded by my tribe
14. Laying down on our lush green grass and watching the clouds (if there are any!) drift by
15. My car that allows me to get around with ease…(there were a few bus trips this year that highlighted this when I was stranded phone-less and far from home…)
16. Buses, public transport and Uber! for when driving isn’t an option or you don’t have a car!
17. My phone…how incredible is it that we can talk/message/see each other all over the world whenever we choose!?
18. Being able to run my business from my phone!
19. Having the courage to start my own business
20. Being able to share my message
21. The inspiration I get from others to be more, do more and give more!
22. The little things…like playing tunnels and tents with my son when we are meant to be making the bed
23. The big things….like when he tell me he loves me sooooooo much!
And the list goes on and on….
Have lots of fun with this and please pass it on for others to create their own too.
At a time when we may be shopping for gifts and food and all that comes with such a big celebration as Christmas, it is great to remember that the best present of all is being grateful for what we already have!
Love, Gratitude and many blessings for a wonderful Christmas and the most abundant year ahead!
Lucy shares her passion for helping women to best understand themselves through live workshops and personalised sessions. You can find more information via her website, Facebook Page or call her directly on 0450 717 474.