We have a choice to either focus on the miracle of our experience or the agony and painful hardship of it.
Life is filled with different perspectives. Cup half empty, cup half full. Two different sides of the same coin. Do we see the heads or the tails? Each one of our experiences can be seen in different ways. Our beliefs and conclusions influence how we experience everything. The good news is that those beliefs are changeable. How can we teach ourselves to see life with the attitude of gratitude and joy? Joy can be a foundation. Joy is created from the awareness that we are blessed. Changing the way we think can change the way we feel. The more we are aware of our choices, the more optimistic we feel.
I try to think of experiences as adventures. What do I have to learn from this experience? Do I see things in my life as overwhelming or an opportunity for growth? When situations are viewed as overwhelming, there is an invisible burden that is actually felt by us in a physical way. It increases our stress level and decreases our immunity and we are more susceptible to illness. When we view experiences as adventures and opportunities, we feel excited anticipation and the pleasure centers in our brains are stimulated and we feel joyous.
Everyday is an opportunity to experience the process of growth: from being enslaved by unhealthy habits and addictions, to being free, to go from feelings of inadequacy to feelings of strength. It is not an easy journey. Often we resent the distress that is caused by the pain of growth. From a different mindset, we can appreciate and feel gratitude for the opportunity to embrace the process of growth. We can express our gratitude to a higher power and our friends and family for providing us with the strength and nourishment to achieve a new and renewed level of personal and universal spirituality and growth. That strength provides us with the ability to face all challenges and feel grateful.
We can be grateful to our teachers also. They come to us in many forms. They may be advertent or inadvertent, accidental or intentional.
Today, we can stop, make a self-assessment and take an overview of what we can be grateful for in our lives. We must understand our history, feel the strength of our experience be it positive or negative, and embrace everyday blessings. We have an opportunity to strengthen our relationship with life, nature or a higher power joyously.
We must make a commitment to ourselves to feel joy. Let’s celebrate our freedom to grow with an attitude of gratitude and joy. It helps us to have knowledge of our history, but not let it bind us as prisoners. Self-awareness and growth helps us to have a sense of well-being, and can create a clarity of vision for our future. Keeping a journal can aid in reducing stress and working through problems.