ADVANCED GRATITUDE

WEEK ONE:

Make a daily practice of just writing out the gratitude list every day for a week, looking for things to be grafeful for, but also acknowledging those things that are upsetting you.  Go back and re-read it later on for clarity.  Check in with your current state and see if your feelings match where they were earlier.  The thing about feelings is that they’re not permanent.  They are always in motion.  So there’s something to be grateful for right there:  no matter how bad you feel now, just wait a minute.  

WEEK TWO (AND HAPPILY EVER AFTER):  

When you’ve done the basic Gratitude List for a week, buy yourself a fresh 3 section spiral notebook and begin the advanced course.  

Label the first section:  Things I Want 
Label the second section:  Things I Don’t Want
Label the third section:  Things I’m Grateful For Right NOW  

List One:
This first list will be things you can (at least theoretically) get excited about imagining having in your life.  You don’t have to actually get excited thinking about them, just believe that they would be exciting if they happened.  Almost everyone begins with increased cash flow, a new home, a new car, a tropical paradise vacation, and basically all the “goodies” that people believe will magically force them to be happy.  (And let me just point out that this has never worked in the entire history of the world.  It is quite possible to be a wealthy, miserable, angry, sad jerk.  It’s not required.  It’s just possible.  Because those items are entirely unrelated.)  Notice how you feel when you work on that list.  Notice where those ideas show up in your body.  What does it feel like when you think about that warm, tropical breeze and the soft white sand under your feet?  Where in your body do you feel that?  Notice how your posture shifts. Notice what emotions come up and don’t judge them.  Just pay attention to them and watch where they go.  

You aren’t looking to create some massive shift into Outrageous Optimism or even Manic Excitement here.  That is not what turns dreams into reality.  You are just noticing how those ideas affect you at the physical and emotional level, without judging whether those effects are “good” or “bad”, “right” or “wrong.”  You can’t mess this up.  Just pay attention and I promise you that you’ll notice more and more responses every time you do it.  Very quickly you will begin to notice your internal chatter as well.  If you’ve ever had any doubts about whether or not you are “blocking” something, you’ll get your answer right here. 

List Two:
This second list will be all of the things that you DON’T want. Be aware that the unconscious mind doesn’t understand negatives – it’s looking at two lists of things that it believes you DO want, simply because you are paying attention to them.  You aren’t doing this on purpose, obviously.  Nobody wants to manifest illness, pain, poverty, and suffering.  But it’s a good way of understanding how this process works.  That second list is a list of things that your unconscious mind notices a lot *because* it thinks you WANT them.  It’s a mental rehearsal for a live performance.  I know you think that focusing on the things that could go wrong will help you avoid them, but in reality you are actually living the dream even when it’s a nightmare. 

Notice how those things make you feel – in your body, mind, and emotions.  They are disempowering, overwhelming, and frightening.  All of those responses are helping you to achieve the things on that list.  To the mind, there is no difference between an internal (“imaginary”) event and an external (“real”) one. This becomes plainly evident when we simply notice how the body responds to fearful, disempowering thoughts.  Muscles tense.  Heart rate increases, breathing becomes shallow and rapid, and blood pressure typically goes up.  We notice aches and pains more.  We have uncomfortable feelings in the chest and belly.  These are warning signs, and they’re telling you that you are heading for trouble.  Just note them and move on to List #3. 

List Three:  
This third list will be things that you know you already have and can relax about.  Again, notice what happens when you dwell on them and remember that they can be seemingly “small” things.  Look back over your day and remember the baby flirting with you in the checkout line, the way the light looked when it filtered through the trees on the drive home, and how you felt when a favorite old song came on the radio.  If you’re dealing with financial fears, remember the good feeling of being able to pay a bill or buy that favorite pair of shoes. It doesn’t matter how long ago that was.  If you think about it now, it’s happening in your mind and body and emotions NOW.  You’re helping your mind to notice and remember all of the many, many things that are going RIGHT.  After all, you’re still here.  And the entire world is actually supporting your existence right now.  From the air you are breathing to the ground you stand on, everything is supporting you being here.  Allow yourself to feel that support, just for the next few minutes.  That feeling of relief and acceptance is also helping you to achieve the things on your Most Wanted List.  

Update all three lists every day.  Do this for an additional 23 days, for a total of 30 consecutive days of Gratitude.