Count Your Blessings!

Gratitude

Count your blessings!I remember sitting in my sister’s yard (my home at the time) with my dog, beauty all around me, the neighbors’ roosters running around me; and feeling a sense of calm and fulfillment. I was so grateful for my surroundings and my family and good friends.

Not long before sitting there and writing I had closed the doors of a business. As the business was ending, everyone kept asking, “Aren’t you sad”, “Don’t you miss it”? What are you going to do now”? I felt as if they thought my world should’ve been coming to an end and I remember thinking, “WOW”, “One door closes and another one opens”. I knew I’d miss the people that I worked with but it was time to move on. It almost seemed as if some people wanted me to feel bad because they would’ve and they thought it was strange that I didn’t. I’m not saying there wasn’t a feeling of loss but I needed to move on, move forward to bigger and better things, as I did. I was thinking, “How great is this”? ”I could sit in my yard and write”. While I was thinking how grateful I was, they were thinking poor Marion. I realize now that everyone will not always get it, so don’t expect everyone to always be on board with positive affirmations and visualization. Sometimes your old time friends and closest family members do not understand and that’s okay, as long as you keep moving in the right direction, which is forward.

I was totally grateful for where I was at this exact moment in time, and you will see if you begin to be grateful for being exactly where you are right now you will also see how your life changes.

You might be saying, “What is she nuts, I’m poor? I can’t even afford necessities”, or, “Be grateful for where I am right now? My kids are terrors”? or ” I’m in a horrible relationship, why should I be grateful”? “She’s telling me to be grateful for where I am NOW? Is she kidding me”?

I’m here to tell you – YES – When you become grateful for what you have in the present it allows more to come into your future. If you do not have money right now, do your best not to make statements such as I am poor or in debt, instead begin thinking about what you do want as far as money goes. Start focusing on financial freedom instead of poverty or debt.

You must always stay focused on what you DO want and get rid of the thoughts of what you do not want. The negative thoughts will bring on more of what you don’t want. This is just how the mind works. I once heard “Whatever you think about you bring about”. You must stay focused on the end result in order to acquire it. My favorite quote that I say to everyone is “Whatever you focus on is what you get, negative or positive so you might as well focus on the positive”(my quote).

I also went through a different experience with money issues that I’d never gone through before. While I was stuck in the thought process of scarcity, I got more caught up in that. The more I thought it the less I had. I decided to take a new approach, after all, the money always seems to be there, one way or another when I need it.

Why would you want to focus on being poor when you could imagine being rich or comfortable? That’s like saying to the Universe “I’ll take more poverty please”. And the Universe will give you more poverty. Instead think about riches or living comfortably, what ever it is you want. Think it, feel it, put yourself in it. Picture yourself already being rich, or comfortable, already having all that you desire. So, now I start with being grateful for what I have, a wonderful husband, furry kids, family and friends, a beautiful place to live, a bed to sleep in, my health, my knowledge, my wisdom, my ability to share with others.

I found that making a list at some point in the day, of things I’m grateful for, makes a huge difference. It’s better when I do it right before I go to bed because then it’s a great ending to have on my mind upon going to sleep. I believe I sleep more soundly when I do this. I sometimes just do it in my mind, as a matter of fact, I haven’t written it down in my book in a while but I do think about it.
What am I grateful for today? Sometimes it’s as simple as “I am grateful to have healthy hands and fingers to type”. Other days it’s “ I’m grateful for having a loving husband”, or “I’m grateful for the person holding the door open for me”, or “I’m grateful for the beautiful scenery around me”. It doesn’t have to be complicated, just truthful.

Practice being grateful and let me know all of the wonderful things that come of it. I am grateful that you are reading this article. Thank you.