Second Chance at Your Dream

After a bountiful harvest, the Pilgrims gave thanks and our national Thanksgiving day holiday became established. It is endearing to me that this holiday has become an acknowledged time of family gatherings and peaceful intentions before we step into the activities that surrounds Christmastime.

Expressing appreciation shifts human perceptions and, with them, our energies, in positive ways. Every time I exchange my worries, criticisms, or complaints for gratitude, I find a sense of peace within and move to expanding joyfulness.

Here are some ways from energy psychology you can use to  transform your own internal landscape by engaging increased mindfulness for the good that surrounds you.

• Notice when you feel heavy, burdened, or irritated.
• Ask yourself to fully connect to the emotion and see it as a springboard for change. E-motion is energy in motion and therefore paves the way for new possibilities.
• Gently rub the heart center in the mid-chest or any part of the body where you most feel the charge.
• Add an affirmation that imbeds recognition and self-respect such as, “Even though I feel_(name the feeling or situation), I deeply and profoundly accept and love myself.” Repeat at least three times or until you strongly feel the self-respect despite the strong emotion.
• If needed, put the energy of the feeling in motion by safely hitting a pillow, making noises, writing your complaints or criticisms down, or venting to a reliable friend (pets make great listeners and continue to love us in spite of our stuff).
• Engage mindfulness by noticing what works well in your life which may include your ability to feel deeply and express yourself in creative rather than destructive ways. Note that you still have many choices even when external events or people won’t change.
• Develop a litany of thankfulness: “I’m grateful for my home; I’m grateful for warmth in stormy weather; I’m grateful for the loved ones in my life; I’m grateful for the support of my body; I’m grateful for the birds that just flew by, the beauty and rhythms of nature,” etc.
• This may seem artificial first, but remember the best way to change a negative feeling is to create different thoughts and actions. By just moving the body, we can change our sense of internal heaviness. By just expressing a new thought of kindness, we can move the mind to a more functional pattern.
• Affirm to yourself, “Each worry or complaint I feel is an opportunity for gratitude in some form”…. “ In mending the mind by expressing thanks, I now automatically shift and transform my being.”

I see such internal shifts in personal attitude as a miracle. The power to transform ourselves lies within each of us. The important thing is to notice the miracles that are all around us every day. The great physicist and philosopher Albert Einstein observed, “There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.”

Every detail of our lives can transform itself to a brighter, higher frequency when we add the dimension of gratitude to our awareness. Make every day an occasion for thanksgiving!

Dr. Dorothea Hover-Kramer is author of Second Chance at Your Dream and 8 other books and  a leader in “re-firement” practices.