🙏 GRATITUDE - refocusing energy where it best serves us

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Click play below for a reading of today's intentional session from Matt.

Today, let’s focus our energy where it best serves by acknowledging our blessings.

A gratitude practice is a daily ritual of expressing your gratitude for all the wonderful things, people, and experiences in your life so far. I like to practice gratitude, periodically, throughout the day or whenever I feel “lack”. A gratitude practice can be as simple or as as listing three things you are grateful for in the morning and then three things about your day that you were grateful for in the evening.

What would your daily gratitude practice look like? The main idea is to “feel” grateful by acknowledging the bounty that you have created (your life). Don't leave the many wonderful attributes that YOU possess on the back burner. Feeling gratitude about the wonder of your being has its own set of benefits.

“I see and feel abundance all around me and I feel blessed.”

Autumn is the season of gratitude.

We know that Gratitude is one of the “feel good practices” of Mindfulness but did you also know that gratitude has many health benefits? Studies are now being done that indicate that people who consistently practice gratitude.

A gratitude practice affects your energetic vibration, your mood, hormone levels, and health. These are a few of the benefits:
A stronger immune system
Lower blood pressure, reduced stress
Higher levels of positive emotion, happiness, joy and optimism
Acting with more compassion and generosity
Feeling less isolated and lonely
Strengthening social relationships and increased understanding of others

There are many more benefits but my observation is that we cannot be in two feeling places at one time. If we are focused on gratitude we find ourselves, more often, in a feeling place of abundance, happiness, optimism and honor our connections more. These are the feeling places of a joyful, creative life.

Because Autumn is the Season of the Harvest, it is clear to see why it is also the season of gratitude.

When we place our intention on the abundance we have created (sure, we still have other wants and desires but look at what we HAVE accomplished! Look at the magnificence of who we ARE!) our expressions of gratitude become clear.

Focusing on all we have to be grateful for raises our energy and we show ourselves that we HAVE been learning, we have been growing, we have been evolving. By following the cycles and honoring the seasons, we can move into the coziness of Winter (once again) with gratitude and a clearer path laid out before us.

We have two ideas for our creative journal today:

(1) Our first idea is a Gratitude Journal!

Here are some ideas for a Gratitude Journal (if you choose to start one): Remember it can be as simple or expansive as you like and you are putting yourself in the “feeling place” of abundance and gratitude.

If you are limited in time you could write three things you are grateful for, followed by three affirmations of gratitude. Expand that to ten things if you have the time.
You can combine your gratitude journal with a visual gratitude scrapbook by collaging in images of what you are grateful for.
You can make a vision board of gratitude or a gratitude jar.
Write a stream of consciousness (continuous writing without correction, judgment or thought. Just write and keep writing) about what you are grateful for. You decide how long to write (it should be at least a full page).

Here are some prompts to focus on at the beginning of your stream of consciousness or if you are feeling a bit down and can't think of three things to be grateful for:

Who do you love right now and why do you love them?
Where is your favorite peaceful or inspiring place?
What traits about yourself do you love?
What do you love about your home?
What are your favorite ways to express your creativity?

2) Our second idea is CORNUCOPIA.

Make a cornucopia on your journal page and fill it with what you are grateful for (images or words or both). Take your time and add to it as you continue your gratitude practice.

“I am a remarkable being with so many unique qualities.

I am grateful for

_________________________ “

Being in Gratitude (and being in Autumn) reminds us of our bounty.

Please share your observations in the comments below or the Art Room Activity Feed.

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Today, let’s focus our energy where it best serves by acknowledging our blessings.