Gratitude, Positivity and Love: 3 Simple Rules I Live By
July 06, 2016
I am fond of reading self-help/motivational books and I figured that these 3 simple ideas were ALWAYS present in the books that I have read. I am currently in the middle of a change in my life (see: quitting my first job ever + currently looking for a new one) and to stop myself from succumbing to laziness and demotivation (which is definitely easier), choosing to live out these rules prove to increase my productivity and make me feel fulfilled as well.
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1. Always be grateful.
Every morning, I make it a point to pray and give thanks to what God has been giving me. From blessing me with a loving family to having the ability to pursue my dreams and passion, I just thank God for EVERYTHING. Instead of asking for what I think I need, putting my prayer in a grateful tone eases my heart more. As opposed to saying "Please give me a job that I really want" or "Please make *insert your greatest want here* happen soon", I say "Thank you because I am exactly where I am meant to be, and that whatever will happen will lead me to what my heart truly desires." and "Thank you for whatever this amazing day will bring me."
Starting a day by being thankful also puts me in a calmer, peaceful mood. It reminds me of all the blessings I have, blessings that I tend to overlook. Being aware of these blessings makes it easier to face whatever setback I encounter in a positive way because hey! great things are happening in my life, why focus on one minor roadblock?
The concept of abundance is also related to gratitude. I have read somewhere that the world is abundant. There is enough abundance in the world, you just have to claim it. This means that we should live our lives in an abundant manner, by giving thanks and being aware of what we have and what we will have. And since everyone is abundant, it's a cue for us to stop ourselves from comparing ourselves to others because we are given the same opportunity. Isn't that an assuring thought?
Allot the first few minutes after waking up as the time to be grateful and to thank the Higher Being you believe in. This will create ripples of positive change for the rest of your day.
Such a simple concept but an often forgotten one is the power of our thoughts. From what I've observed, as an overthinker, when I start dwelling on negative thoughts, it would go downward from there. I would start stressing over things that have not happened yet, which would then result to frustration. In the end, I would not accomplish anything since I spent most of my energy worrying.
In order to counter these inevitable negative thoughts, I diligently repeat this mantra (in my mind or out loud):
"The universe is conspiring in my favor."
This mantra reminds me that whatever happened, is happening, and will happen in my life are all leading me to where I am meant to be. Having this outlook helps me be more accepting of every situation and deems being anxious as unnecessary. This also gives me confidence to do the things I want to do without thinking so much of the results. Do something with love, hope for the best, then leave it at that. No need to get worked up over the results. I've done my part, let the Universe work its magic. ✧･ﾟGo with the flow~
"Thoughts become things" is also an effective note-to-self in terms of positive thinking. This is the Law of Attraction in a nutshell. Whatever you are thinking of most of the time will manifest in your life. Start thinking of the things you want to happen in your life and believe that the Universe/Higher Being is helping you achieve that. What is there to lose, anyway? Besides, isn't it a comforting thought that no matter what your circumstances are, you can change it just by changing your thoughts? You can start anytime. You can start NOW.
A helpful tool to remind me of all the things I want in life is through a Vision Board. I blogged about this months ago, actually. I try to update my vision board regularly, especially if I have new goals/dreams/passion. Every morning, after praying, I visualize. I imagine that I am already achieving all my dreams. This leaves me feeling happy and motivated to do something about my goals and it definitely helps in starting my day in an optimistic way!
A helpful tool to remind me of all the things I want in life is through a Vision Board. I blogged about this months ago, actually. I try to update my vision board regularly, especially if I have new goals/dreams/passion. Every morning, after praying, I visualize. I imagine that I am already achieving all my dreams. This leaves me feeling happy and motivated to do something about my goals and it definitely helps in starting my day in an optimistic way!
3. Always love everything.
Last rule and for me, the most important one, is to have a genuine kind-loving heart. Honestly, this is the most difficult rule for me. Certain situations sometimes push me to be a ~hater~ a.k.a to say bad things about other people, to think in a not-so-kind manner, etc. Complaining and ranting seem to be gratifying at first but doing these ALWAYS leaves a bitter aftertaste. I have read in Zero Limits that whenever one feels angry, s/he should say the following:
"Sorry. Thank you. I love you."
This is addressed to the person or the situation that stirred that anger in you. Say these in a SINCERE manner repeatedly... until you feel at peace. I have done this numerous times already and it does work! It gives me peace of mind. I just need to remind myself more that this should be my go-to thought/action whenever I'm in a foul mood, before my anger gets the better of me. Saying those 3 magical phrases is also applicable when you are dealing with a difficult person (not necessarily because of anger) or when you're having negotiations, etc. This somehow changes the mood of the person and you will be able to do the negotiations smoothly. It's like magic!✧･ﾟ
Loving everything not only applies to a person but also to an experience or a situation in your life. Spread and feel the love when you're about to do something, anything. I don't know if there is an exact routine for this but what I do before I have to do something, I would scream "I LOVE YOU!" in my head OR say it with my whisper voice repeatedly, then imagine myself feeling all the love in the world! It sounds crazy but it works, I do feel the love! Say I love you to the room where you'll do that thing, say I love you to the sun, to your car, say I love you to anything. Everything has energy and if you spread positive energy, you'll receive it a thousandfold.
I also realized that loving everything is related to gratitude and positivity. If you love everything, if you see the good in everything, isn't it tons easier to be grateful and optimistic? In the end, love connects these ideas.
So LOVE EVERYTHING first, then being grateful and thinking positive will automatically follow. ♡
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I am no expert in this topic and I, myself find it difficult to follow these rules ALL THE TIME. I guess I just want to share the beliefs I deeply value and try to live out because it works for me and it makes me feel lucky, happy and loved. I also just want to somehow dissect all these ideas and writing about it makes it clearer for me.
In the end, it's not just about the ideas you know. It all boils down to whether or not you believe in these ideas. What's the sense of living these out if you don't have faith/trust that it will work, right? For me, gratitude, positivity and love are life's essentials so relating everything I've been reading about to these 3 fundamentals does not cause a dissonance within me.
KEEP GIVING THANKS, THINKING POSITIVE AND LOVING EVERYTHING! LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL!♡
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