Positive changes in life begin with a shift in focus. If you want good things to come into your life, express gratitude.
It seems counterintuitive to be grateful when life knocks you off your feet. However, there may be a reason for it that we don’t understand at the time. A car breakdown may have prevented a wreck from occurring somewhere else. A job ending may open up a new opportunity you would not otherwise consider. The death of someone dear to you may usher in an unexpected change in a new direction. Being grateful for the “lessons,” allows us to move on and focus on the blessings around us.
Manifest a Better Outcome in 17 Seconds
Have you heard of the 17-second rule? It’s a practice first mentioned by Abraham-Hicks Law of Attraction. The idea is to set up a daily practice of being in a positive mindset for 17 seconds while visualizing a goal. Doing this for a period of time grounds you, calms you, and shifts your focus.
- Choose a goal (keep it simple)
- Clear distractions
- Set a timer for 17 seconds
- Feel the feelings around the goal (joy, etc.)
- If you can do it, extend the time to 68 seconds.
The Gratitude Journal
My mother kept gratitude journals. Each morning, she wrote down five things she was grateful for that day. I watched the change in her attitude over time as she released negativity and embraced happiness. She did not complain about the physical pain she endured. Instead, she was always smiling. She encouraged our family to focus on the positive rather than the negative. Mom set the tone of her journals with a handwritten quote by Melody Beattie.
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie
A Grateful Attitude Offers Many Benefits
Professor Rachel Ritchie suggests that an “attitude of gratitude” rewires your brain and improves health. Feelings of gratitude can release serotonin and dopamine and combat feelings of sadness and depression.
“Experiencing gratitude actually rewires the brain,” Ritchie says. “It helps communication in neurological pathways. It’s been linked to improved sleep, relationship health and mood regulation.”
That’s not all. Being grateful can help you in your professional life, according to PositivePsychology.com. You can improve work stress; become a more effective manager; improve decision making; find meaning in your work; and more.
Powering Up Your Psychic Abilities
Negativity and self-doubt reduce your ability to connect with higher consciousness. Focusing on positivity creates a better connection with the unknown. Making this shift enables you to trust the accuracy of your inner voice/higher self. Self-trust improves your psychic awareness.
“Regularly expressing gratitude opens your heart (chakra) and raises your vibration, making it easier to receive intuitive messages. Gratitude aligns you with a positive energy that attracts success.” – Alexis Giostra
Steps You Can Take
If the idea of feeling gratitude 24 hours a day seems overwhelming, consider starting out with something simple. Express gratitude for a new day. Be thankful for a perfect parking spot. Feel the contentment of a good night’s sleep. Appreciate a discount at your favorite store. If you have a pet that is happy to see you, focus on the joy that pet brings into your life.
Letting people know how much you appreciate them can be a superpower! Not only do you feel the happiness of sharing the joy others bring you, they feel it too. Additionally, expressing gratitude makes you happier and more resilient when life’s chaotic moments come along, Ritchie says.
Things you can do to accelerate an attitude of gratitude:
- Write a thank-you letter to someone.
- Write a list of positive attributes about yourself you can refer to. You can use the list to shift your mind to something positive.
- Thank yourself for doing a great job – even if it is simply cooking a good meal.
- Keep a “kudos” file. This could represent congratulatory messages from others. It could be a “job well done” note, or a thank-you note or card from a client or a friend.
- Review the good things that happened during the day just before you go to sleep at night. Ask yourself, “what went right?” This action can reprogram your mind and improve your sleep.
- Life is short. Tell people you care about that you love them. Those words create a beautiful vibration. (Energetic alignment)
Looking for Guidance in Your Life?
If you are looking for clarity, have a question, or you would like to know what is ahead for you in your life, reach out and connect with PsychicLifeAdvice.com on the contact page. I look forward to hearing from you.