Change Begins Within

[pollyanna]

Change begins within

The pathway of life is filled with numerous challenging situations that we sometimes avoid or choose to work through. Inevitably though, we survive them.

To help work through these challenges you can implement an invaluable exercise which will feed your spirit and attract positive experiences into your life. This exercise is gratitude.

Gratitude is a state of being that is thankful for everything that is good and received in your life. Gratitude is appreciating and identifying the richness of all the blessings in your life. When you feel truly grateful and focus your attention on gratitude each day, the experience of it within your being intensifies a sense of energy - of aliveness.

Moreover, this powerful and positive energy attracts likeness.

Meister Eckhart said, “If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘thank you’, that would suffice.”

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to 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

"Many people who order their lives rightly in all other ways are kept in poverty by their lack of gratitude."
Wallace D. Wattles

"You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you."
Sarah Ban Breathnach

"Take full account of the excellencies which you possess, and in gratitude remember how you would hanker after them, if you had them not."
-- Marcus Aurelius

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfilment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.

GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.
~ Author Unknown ~

I am truly thankful for the gratitude exercise Michael gives freely with Discover Meditation for change begins within.

I wish you an abundance of peace and joy

[WeeHoo]

Pollyanna, thanks for the terrific post. I especially love that Meister Eckhart quote. It was a favorite of my mom's and I love being reminded of her.

Probably many of you are familiar with this poem, but it's one of my all-time favorites:

The Guest House -- by Rumi

This being human is a guest house
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

One of my brothers introduced me to Rumi a few years ago. Every time I read this poem I'm grateful for him (the brother, not Rumi) (well, Rumi, too!).

[pollyanna]

Thankyou WeeHoo, I will read more of Rumi. You are so right, it is wonderful to be reminded of our mums and dads - we truly only have one of each and I am so thankful for the loving parents I had. They taught me the immense value of counting my blessings. Peace and joy to you and yours

[Edwin]

Took me a while to get into it, but now that I have been practicing it for some time, I have to say Pollyanna, it is an excellent post !

Thank you for posting this, I am learning to be gratefull for all that I have, and I feel more balance in my life !

[pollyanna]

I am so pleased for you Edwin and I can understand that it takes time to get into. Sometimes, when many challenges are faced it is difficult at times to really feel thankful and simply saying or thinking sentences without "feeling" thankful doesn't work.

Once the habit is formed though, I truly believe it can be a great asset to anyone. I wish you an abundance of joy and happiness - you really deserve it

[flossie]

Dear All

i think your ability to be grateful and practice gratitude is amazing. i was wondering if you could pass on any ways of increasing your gratitude. i know that i have to really feel it not just say it but i was wondering if there were ways of doing this.

thank you very much for your help

april

[Spartans]

The poem is so nice and wonderful. Very few people have this feeling of greatefullnes

[sogno]

Pollyanna,

thank you for your post. I have been so miserable lately..... It feels good to know that there are people out there with a good heart.

Thank you again and please carry on with your supportive posts, it's feels good to read positive stuff.

All the best x

[pollyanna]

Thankyou for your kind words Sogno, especially at a time when you have been feeling so miserable - you made a difference to this heart And that's what life is all about when it comes down to it.

As long as I can make a difference, I'm going nowhere - I'm here to stay

The journey through life is a bit like a long railroad I think. So many wonderful things to see and experience along the way, yet every once in a while we journey through a dark tunnel. Some are short, some are longer than others and some can seem so long that we almost forget the light that is always waiting at the end. Some we see coming in the distance and some just seem to appear from nowhere.

Through reading your previous posts I understand that you suffer from PTSD and bi-polar. I mention this to you because I cannot imagine how you feel sometimes, though my heart reaches out to you and hopes the things that have helped me in the past are of some use to you.

For many years, I found that counting my blessings and reading good books to help me develop a better, more positive and healthy attitude really improved my life. However, when I entered a dark tunnel, I found I didn't want to read - that's when I discovered that this was the most crucial time for me to read, play good music, count my blessings etc.

I believe the tunnels became shorter and less frequent because of this.

And then I learned how to observe with LF and let go of so much more garbage than I would have ever believed I was carrying around with me.

And I'm still letting go of stuff

Looking back, I feel like I was like Atlas, carrying the weight of the whole world on my shoulders - and I had the massive amount of tension to prove it.

Now I feel FREE, though I'm glad I experienced it all - it allows me to understand and hopefully help others.

Have you learned to observe and let things go? Let me know and if I can be of any help to you. I wish you much peace and joy on your journey

[Eady]

Pollyana the way you post about things it sounds like you have reached enlightenment tell me how did you come about Life Flow and whats your story if you have these posted somewhere else just let me know where so I can check it out I want to experience what you experience.

If you have any good tips for meditating please let me know my biggest problems come from I get distracted easily I was practicing the discover meditation fast track to success I was practicing meditating for the first time .


It was going well for the first few minutes but then all sorts of random thoughts came flooding into my head I did just as michael said don't resist them just let them pass by but I was wondering if you knew of a technique to help quiet the noise in my head a little more easily your response is appreciated


Hope to experience bliss soon
~Eady~