Gratitude: the REAL focus factor

This is not an anomaly. It’s common knowledge that the practice & skill of the art of gratitude builds a certain positive momentum in one’s life. That momentum picks up speed & girth much like a snowball tumbling down a hill. The key to fortune & peace & happiness in all areas of life…is as simple as the pixie dust in a snowball, really. Turn on the gratitude… turn on the steady stream of focus on appreciating what’s good. By doing this, we become powerful beings that amplify light & love. We become unfettered by any & all predetermined limitations, barriers, blocks, or densities. We become free.

The objective is to build the gratitude momentum into a driving force. Like the electromagnetic current running through the wire streaming to the light switch in the house 24/7. Like the blood coursing through our veins to the heart pump & back again in an endless flow of circulation 24/7. Like the County water supply rushing to the kitchen faucet 24/7. We must develop a continuum of momentum…of GRATITUDE…coursing through the veins of our life experiences, relationships, communications, connections, perceptions & expressions, in order for this virtue to be most effective. This momentum is composed of a state of gratitude via the vehicle of: the observation/(focus) on the good. Our own individual personal power lies….solely within our ability to do this. That’s a true statement…pay close attention: the more we are grateful, the more personal power we harness…to create a life of total fulfillment & joy.

I am fully aware that not everyone is on the same level of learning, same spiritual path, on the same page or even on the same wavelength. But we all can agree on one thing…a smile is a smile. And why are you smiling? Because you are experiencing a happy feeling. Guaranteed, we can all agree, if it is making you smile, you are in the state of appreciating it….whatever it is. So, whatever it is that makes you smile, feel good, secure, at peace, happy, content, warm, fuzzy, empowered, lifted, confident, strong, nourished, beautiful, blessed, included & loved…..observe that. You’re so much prettier or more handsome when you smile! (me… grateful for you taking the time to read this!) 🙂

Choose today, to develop a level of continuous observation, of all things that exist within your realm of experience, that are “good” & essentially… what you desire or ultimately want in life. Small manifestations & evidences of your fondest wishes, dreams & desires materialized…count. You may essentially want to win a million dollars, but only win 5$ on a scratch off…be grateful for that five dollar winning & it will multiply…what it is, is evidence of the momentum of manifestation….the more we focus on it the more girth & speed it will gain…the faster the momentum becomes….& voila! We have a winner! Ding! Ding! Ding! Publisher’s Clearing House shows up at your door :)! Point is, don’t ever get dismayed or discouraged…choose gratitude instead. Why? Because what you seek is always on it’s way to you even if it may not appear that way to the naked eye. No need to worry. Practice faith based on this premise. The genuine appreciation of the now, & all the goodies within it….is the most efficient manifestation accelerator & most practical way to fan the flames of your dreams & desires. The more you engage in gratefulness, the more miracles you will see pop up like daisies across the fields of your experience right before your very eyes. This state of mind is affectionately called: “the attitude of gratitude.” Therein lies the birthplace of faith. Like I said…there’s no room for worry….when ya have an “attitude of gratitude.”

What is worry? Worry is the lack of faith. Moreover, Worry is a symptom. It is a symptom of the steadfast observation of lack, limitation, injustice, guilt, fear, sorrow, or the disdain for circumstances or people. The exact opposite of the observation of all things good that we’ve been talking about. Worry is a symptom of the pure observation of the not so good, if you will. The “downward spiral of good” versus the “upward increase of good.” When we are brave enough to behave in a manner that shifts that observation point to the “upward increase of good” position, we become grateful. A state of gratefulness elicits a state of carefree confidence that proliferates the emotions that compose faith. Faith, is a symptom of a steadfast observation of the upward increase of good. This good is found in any & all evidence of the following things listed below: (and then some)

Abundance; wealth; health; luxury; riches; happiness; laughter; fun; joy; beauty; grace; friendship; love; goodies; snax; bonuses; rewards; plenty; excitement; stability; security; wonder; inspiration; respect; honor; caring; adoration; pets; nature; flow; affection; unity; community; harmony; success; celebration; exhilaration; elevation; satisfaction; playfulness; charm; ease; peace; tranquility; comfort; freedom; demonstrations of faith; demos of dreams realized; demos of Divine design; demos of small miracles, coincidences, gifts, rewards, blessings.

I’m sure we have all had someone tell us to “count our blessings,” as a child, on some occasion. I noticed recently, that now that we are all grown up, if we are “told” that… often times our ego mind hears a condemning command: “Count your blessings, son!” as we cower to the feelings of guilt over feeling like we have not been a good boy or girl & been thankful enough. With all due respect, the ego mind tells me that statement feels like a penance we are told to say after we confess our sins to the priest behind some creepy red curtain. And, if you do not obey, you will then be subject to the likes of Hell.

Reminiscent of the former days of Catechism Sunday School class with wooden desks that smell like dust & pencils. The dense stuffy classroom air not even fit for a hamster tank. Not to mention the crux of it all, the crucifix, the ultimate sacrificial human lamb hung hauntingly on the wall not too far from the rather large numbered loud ticking clock. Both seem as if they will pounce off the wall & get you, if you stare at them for too long… as they work in conjunction to exude that perfect synergetic blend of guilt, fear, & deadlines. Oh that infamous clock & crucifix of every Catholic classroom. “Count your blessings children!” Said the scary dictator/nun/intimidating teacher with a yard stick. No wonder why my Dad’s generation had authority issues…lol. The heavy regime of organized religion was just another organized crime family…if ya ask me. Fear & control…not friendly teachers.

Moving on…another trendy recommendation in the current pop culture Gratitude Movement is: “make a list of all the things you are grateful for.” While the list could be an excellent way to remember & review your blessings, unearth them & acknowledge them…more times than not, does this list wind up in some drawer somewhere, or if tacked to the fridge…it just becomes a part of the scenery & alphabet magnets.

With that said, my belief is that to explain the gratitude technique is much more practical than to tell someone to count their blessings or make a list & repeat it 3-5x daily, likened to a homework assignment. I would like to redefine the way we teach & learn gratitude. A new approach that mitigates the process, since the ego mind tends to be quite traumatized by certain historic or religious ordinances. We do not want the idea of practicing gratitude to feel like a chore, a scolding or an implication of bad behavior… where guilt then ensues, defeating the whole purpose of amplifying good vibes. Crossing the bridge over to Gratitude City should be fun & exhilarating! Let’s reinvent the way we travel there, shall we?

A damaged ego is the toughest customer whom we could attempt to sell a dream to. When dealing with a bruised ego, the art of coercion must be the mode of operation. In this way, we explain to the ego mind, how living in gratitude makes perfect sense. As a result, gratitude is then seen as harmless, an obvious benefit, & a gratifying experience. The idea of practicing gratitude becomes enticing to it & eventually it follows suit. It’s not what you say…it’s how you say it. This cannot be more true & applicable to all of life’s circumstances, from the transference of knowledge from professor to student, to the simplicity of teaching a kid to behave properly, or curbing your pet…even. Animals do indeed recognize the neg or pos vibration of your tone.

We all know that we are grateful at heart, while some of us focus on what we are thankful for more than others…most of us know better than to take things for granted in life. I really truly believe that most of us don’t even realize how self-sabotaging the mind can be. Thus, we often times will find our thoughts engaged with disdain or complaints on how we just wish for things to improve or be better…as equally & frequently as with gratefulness. It is not our fault that we slip into this mind set. We were often times programmed this way since childhood, & in order for that attitude of gratitude or gratitude mindset to dominate our thoughts 100%, we’ll have to train it that way & practice accordingly. The good news is>>>>>>>

We all know that to be grateful is the key to a happy heart. The pop culture iconic Oprah Winfrey coined the word “grateful” for many of us in our day. We are thankful on Holidays. We are thankful for a meal. We are thankful when we dodge a bullet. We are thankful for mom & dad or a lover, neighbor or friend. We are thankful for the job that provides us with the means for monetary pleasures & survival or self-fulfillment & purpose. We are thankful for our energy, vitality, resilience…our gifts, talents, skills & abilities. We are thankful we can see a sunrise & breath fresh clean air. We are thankful to have an unlimited supply of clear clean running water & two legs to walk & run & exercise freely. We are thankful for our pets & plants for providing company, joy & oxygen. We are grateful for the health & hygiene of our teeth, our immune system, our digestive system, our nervous system, our heart health, bone heath, muscle memory. We are grateful to have a cell phone, high-speed internet, a fridge, a microwave & a mode of transportation. We have cable, google at our disposal, google maps to navigate us to the moon if we wanted! Whew! we have a whole lotta stuffy stuff to be grateful for, folks, I do declare 🙂

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What if I told you, that what you focus on you expand. I’m sure you already know that. So let’s apply it shall we? This is much more than “counting blessings” or drawing up lists. This is a way of living…that will indeed effortlessly get you to exactly where you want to be in life promptly, with all the benefits & blessings you’ve ever dreamed of & more.

The ego mind loves that idea, I’m quite sure! So let’s begin…

We are now about to be mystified by the pure magic formula for wealth, health, success, freedom, & love. Dunt da da da! “Living in Gratitude!”

What does living in gratitude mean?

It means…to be living every single moment in a state of honed in observation of goodness. We choose to observe the elephant in the room instead of the rats beneath his feet.

Let the elephant in the room be: the obvious truth of the ever existence of good. If we are not talking about it…let’s start! Let this obvious truth be noted by our observations at all times.The obvious truths of the ever existence of good are: all things positive…how did I phrase it earlier? The upward increase of good. This is the obvious truth I speak of. Anything representative or demonstrative or symbolic or reflective of bounty, beauty, success, satisfaction, brilliance, harmony, & the sweetness of life & nature. From the most minuscule example to the most grandiose display. If the only thing in that room (or your life) that you can find to be positive or fits the upward increase of good category, are the pretty flowers in the vase on the table in the corner….while everything else seems to be drab, dark, desolate, or dreary….focus on that! If the fact that your breathing is the only thing you can find to be grateful for….focus on that then. Seriously. lol

In other words…through the eyes of an artist…if the only thing in the ghetto that we can put in that category….is the tiny bright yellow shiny butter cup sprouting out from the crack in the dingy sidewalk….then by all means, lets focus on that. You may then find that with this simple exercise, as you hold your focus on the buttercup, that a butterfly will appear, to add to the goodness & expansion of the “painting.” Catch my drift?

FunFact: (A=432 Hz, known as Verdi’s ‘A’ is an alternative tuning that is mathematically consistent with the universe. Music based on 432Hz transmits beneficial healing energy, because it is a pure tone of math fundamental to nature.The Universal music of sacred geometry)

The constant 432 hertz live stream of consciousness that should be running through our minds at all times is: the formula for grateful observation. Observing only good. Making the wallpaper in the back drop of your mind’s room a live wallpaper of everchanging observations of upward increasing goodness. The elephant in every single room we walk into is what must be observed in order to be in a steady state of gratitude…hence “living in gratitude.” Ya know when something unfavorable happens, & someone says to you…”Look on the bright side…”? Well…”living in gratitude” is a just another way of saying… “My mode of operation is… looking at the bright side.

Notice & observe. Notice & observe. Notice & observe. EQUALS>>>>>

Focus & expand. Focus & expand. Focus & expand. EQUALS>>>>>

MANIFESTATION.

Being in a state of “living in gratitude,” makes our life’s main focus on: the upward increasing good. As a result, we essentially begin to expand all that is good in all the ways that good things grow, stretch, blossom, produce, bear fruit, grow gifts, express, extend, & accelerate further. We don’t have to know what is going to expand exactly, or how or in what way. The details follow suit to the focused intention on good. That’s the part where we can let go & let God, if you will.

Our job: We focus on all that we are grateful for.

Universe’s job: Deliver more.

Our job: Focus again.

Universe’s job: Deliver even more.

I’m gonna be honest….up until this very moment…I did not realize the importance of this old adage: “glass half empty; glass half full”

It’s code for: “Live in ignorance >or< Live in bliss.”

Very simple: either we train our brains to “live in gratitude” by observing all things “half full” which leads rather swiftly to a focus on all things good resulting unequivocally with the expansion all things good.

OR…..allow the lazy untrained brain to dominate, deceive, & sabotage us with shoddy glimpses of half glass empty observations. This will essentially end up making our lives miserable, dissatisfied, unfulfilled, & wired with all kinds of misfortunate circumstances.

Misfortunate circumstances are a direct result of living beneath the flow of gratitude, flopping around like a fish out of water in the underbelly of servitude. Serving negative vibratory frequency…by participating in the foolish practices of glass half empty observation. This servitude turns to slavery fast & we are then victims of our own self-sabotage, doubt & loathing.

We notice the less fortunate. We observe the less fortunate. We focus, we expand, the less fortunate. Period. Small way, big way, whatever amount of time we spend in an hour, a day, a week….playing for the glass half empty or glass half full team…will determine our fate, destiny, & essentially our life experience. That is how we take responsibility for the creations of our personal realities…here on Earth in our daily lives.

Allow me to make this distinction then: Being grateful is a temporary state that is fleeting. Living in gratitude, on the other hand, is a lifestyle that remains as long as you live it, & will undoubtedly furnish your life with unlimited miracles, magic & plenty.

We Choose.

How much time do you spend playing for the half empty team? How much time do you spend playing for the glass half full team?

“Check yourself before you wreck yourself”

Just how does one check oneself?

By asking yourself this: What team am I playing for? Observe your observations & you will know the answer. The answer then depicts your state & resulting condition. If your condition needs improvement in any way on any scale, then the best & only way to achieve that improvement is…to play more fully present for the glass half full team.

Check yourself defined: Catch yourself backsliding to the half empty team.

Prevent wreck yourself defined: Realign immediately with the glass half full team &….proceed happily & accordingly.

Gratitude…the ultimate alchemist!