How are you showing your gratitude and appreciation?

I know you’ve heard it before — the fastest way to manifest is through gratitude.

I’m sure I’m not the only one whose initial reaction was indignation and a little bit of a sulk.

I mean sure, it’s really easy to be grateful when things are all sunshine, rainbows and unicorns.

But life is never THAT perfect ALL of the time in ALL ways, right?

There’s always some asshole who apparently didn’t receive a copy of our personal rule book and they’re not playing game.

There’s always an unexpected expense that fucks up the carefully laid out budget and then, just for good measure, someone pays you late.

You always get sick at the most inopportune time.

Your car always breaks on the way to an important meeting.

And then they tell us we have to be grateful?!

Or maybe I’m the only spiritual toddler alive at this time.

But I kept working on it.

I kept writing down my gratitude lists.

Every day.

I stayed open to the process and slowly but surely I started experiencing some results.

I found that I could SEE MORE to be grateful for.

My attention shifted from that which wasn’t working, to the blessings that I already had in my life.

I started feeling pretty good about myself.

A higher vibration results in a higher attraction.

I grew to love gratitude.

At which stage my next teacher arrived.

She told me that gratitude for the good was no longer enough.

I had to be grateful for the good AND the not so good aka the shit.

You’re kidding, right?

Please tell me you’re kidding!

Why the fuck would I be grateful for the bastard who once again told me I’m not good enough?

“Because everything happens FOR you”, she told me.

Couldn’t get my head around this.

So it was back to my faithful journal.

It took months for me to drop into this one.

First of all, I came to the realisation that unless I was connected with my PURPOSE, my life MISSION, I simply couldn’t connect the dots.

It was only once I claimed my soul vision, that I could sit back, view the landscape from a bird’s eye view, and see the incredible unfolding of my life.

I could finally comprehend that all those who I THOUGHT was against me, was in fact the pawns on MY chessboard, and they simply kept showing me ways to make conscious choices thereby empowering me to continue moving towards fulfilling my soul work.

I could finally see how some doors were closed to me as they would have led me down a completely different path and even though I believe in my heart that all roads have the potential to reach my destiny, it would have taken me an additional decade or two to get back to the spot I’m in now.

By now I was starting to think I’m not so spiritually retarded after all!

Not a bad feeling my friend.

But then I came across a video that said gratitude is only the first step, we have to also appreciate!

WTF?

I had to go look up the difference — I always fall back on to the excuse that English is not my mother tongue.

And found that gratitude is being thankful with a readiness to show appreciation

It’s not just lip service.

Appreciation includes ENJOYMENT

Fuzzyduck!

So I’ve been journaling on appreciation for months now.

Every day,

I am so grateful and appreciative of my home, my health, my relationships, my bikes, my car, my clients, my business…

Blah blah blah

Then,

a few weeks ago,

my pen kept moving,

and the questions appeared on my page,

‘If you’re appreciative of your car, how are you showing your appreciation in a celebration of enjoyment? What are you doing to make your car feel appreciated?”

Seriously?

The car?

And what did my soul even mean by how did I show my appreciation to my car?

So I went outside and I took a critical look at my car.

With all the sand on the seats from taking the dogs to the beach.

The empty coffee cups from various trips to the shops.

The dust on the dashboard.

And I thought to myself, if I was the car, always ready to transport my mistress, reliable, trustworthy, and she allowed me to look like a dustbin, would I feel appreciated?

Talk about a bucket of cold water!

In that moment I realised that appreciation is not a word, it’s an act.

It’s an energy.

It’s a bringing together of our best selves to be in service to each other.

And that includes everything!

I arranged to have my car cleaned immediately to bring out her beauty and to show her my appreciation for always transporting me to wonderful experiences.

I started looking around me — where else have I not been showing true appreciation?

To my home, my bikes, my laptop.

Everything could be polished a little more to make them shine.

Not from a grumpy, begrudging space but from a space of true love and as a way to say thank you!

Then I looked at my relationships.

Where have I not truly shown my appreciation for all the people in my life?

Where have I taken them for granted or maybe just became so used to them that I wasn’t fully present in the privilege of sharing their energy with me?

Even those that I’m at logger-heads with at the moment.

The teachers who are a pain in my ass.

And if I truly dropped into gratitude and appreciation, how would I be showing up for them?

GAME CHANGER!

This, is my new daily practice.

Not only do I write down my gratitude and appreciation list, I ask myself HOW I CAN SHOW MY APPRECIATION TO THOSE I CHOSE TO LIST TODAY?

Today I’m taking the Cookie Monster out for a ride and I’ll be giving her a good scrub down afterwards in appreciation of the hours of joy and adventure she’s gifted me with.

I’m taking the pups to the beach and letting them run wild to their heart’s content in appreciation of their unconditional love and yes, I’ll be vacuuming the car afterwards.

I’m taking my boys out to lunch in appreciation for their presence in my life and for choosing me to be their mom.

I’m calling my mom tonight in appreciation for just being the most wonderful inspiration in my life.

I’m kicking some soulmate client ass in appreciation for their trust in me and for their willingness to show up for themselves, having the courage to follow their purpose and building their empires.

These are some of the things on my list today.

What’s on yours Darling?

I would love to hear.

I would love hear from you if this piece created a new awareness for you.

That maybe you’ve been saying that your grateful and appreciative but you’ve not previously made the connection of showing and enjoying?

Or not.

Maybe, like the younger me, you’re thinking this is all just airy-fairy bullshit and that you have no desire to appreciate the pricks in your space.

It’s all perfect to me.

After all,

only death is inevitable.

Thriving, which by the way is filled with appreciation, will always remain a choice.

With love always,

Anel