Gratitude Speeds Healing

“When in doubt, be grateful.” A quick jolt to the nervous system to be reminded to be grateful, even and especially when life seems to be saying “suffer,” “you lose,” “give up,” “stop trying,” and most of all, “you have no more love to give.”

The question is: Where are you putting your attention? Are you focused on being grateful for what you already have, what you already know, how much you have learned or achieved or accomplished or let go of? Or, like so many of us so much of the time, have you been putting all your energy, all your emotional capacity and all your conscious awareness on what is NOT going well in your life, what is not happening the way you would like it to, right now?

A few months ago, I remember eating something that obviously did not agree with my system. I became so queasy, chilled, nauseous and exhausted. All I could do was run to the bathroom when my body let me release some of the toxins. The rest of the time, headachy, achy and totally miserable, all I could do was get back into bed and pray for the misery to end.

Thankfully for me, this time, this illness was just a brief respite from my normal everyday living. I was stopped cold. Nothing else in the entire world mattered. I did not fret over a shortage of finances. I did not worry about a phone call I did not receive, a comment somebody made inadvertently, the tasks I had set out to do that I was obviously not going to complete. All I could think about was sleep and getting to the other side of this miserable state of being.

That brief illness reminded me to be grateful, right here, right now, for my life, for my senses, and for whatever else my life is currently offering me – which is quite a lot. I have lots of friends, people to share my thoughts and insights and feelings with, even though many of them live across the globe. I have shelter from the heat and from the cold. I have food (which usually does not make me sick but serves me well). I have activities I love, one of my favorites being tennis. And I absolutely love my deep sea blue BMW.

But most of all, I am truly grateful that I have a passion about learning everything I can possibly know about healing and about love. And what I have been continually discovering is that healing through love is the fastest way to get there. The only way out is through. The only way out of low self-esteem, anger and rage, insecurity, anxiety, stress, emotional pain and even physical pain and illness is LOVE. Such a simple yet incredibly powerful word.

How do you begin to heal through love?

* First step is to realize that perhaps you do need some healing, of some aspect of your life?

* Second step is to discover what it is you truly want and desire and believe will provide you with that sense of fulfillment, joy, peace or whatever it is you are seeking.

* Third step is to be grateful for what you have, whatever it is, right here, right now – no matter how difficult and awful it may feel. Why? Because whatever is causing pain right now may be just the impetus you need to transform your consciousness, change your lifestyle and heal.

Is there something in your life right now stopping you from being grateful? What would happen if you looked around and found at least a few other things to be grateful for, right here, right now? Are you ready and willing to begin the process of healing through love?