You know the phrase “Bloom where you are planted?” Well it has a new meaning for me when I think of it from the perspective of gratitude. When I think of this phrase, it reminds me to be grateful for where I am and to look for all of the good things that are around me. To learn the lessons from my current place so I can get the information and experiences I need to bring me to my next level. It also reminds me not to rush because when I do, I may miss a key. And when I rush, I’m not fully appreciating, which is where I want to be. 

 

When we are able to appreciate where we are, living from a state of gratitude, we are able to experience one of the highest vibrational states in terms of mhz scale. Enlightenment is ~700+ and love is ~500. I’ve seen gratitude/appreciation listen around the same as love. From this space, you’re beyond acceptance, you don’t need to reason anything out, you’re just vibing with everything and enjoying the experience you’re having.

It moves fast and free. There’s little to no restriction in this place. This reminds me of my old days in chemistry class where we learned about the different states of matter. For example water can be solid, liquid or gas. When it is in each state the atoms move at different rates of speed. In the gaseous state, the atoms move fast. This is what I think of when I think of the frequency of love, appreciation and gratitude; lots of atoms buzzing around a space. When they are cold they are slow or stagnant, when they are hot they move around at a sometimes erratic state and fast.

 

 

Abraham Hicks opened my eyes to really understanding the power of gratitude, the power of the mind and how it can adapt when we make gratitude a practice. This can be from finding the silver lining in a situation, to intentional time during the day to focus on everything right in your day, or even a full on rampage of appreciation. I mean, at the core, this is all mindset work!

 

Something I’ve done for a few years now is a daily gratitude journaling process. This practice has evolved over time (visible box, daily morning and evening, before sleep), but daily in the morning has stuck. It’s something I look forward to. And it’s not that I only reserve the morning to find things to appreciate, it’s constant throughout the day. The ideas I have, the person who crossed my path, the amazing meal, the way my body responded to something, the emotion I experienced in an interaction; it’s all relevant and worthy of in the moment gratitude. 

 

This is where 21 days of gratitude was birthed. I realized I was really good at celebrating others, but didn’t celebrate myself enough and it was time to fix that. This is the 3rd year I’m doing this for my birthday and I’ve found that there is more healing in the delivery than before. I’m not sure if I’m more present or if it’s something else, but I’m seeing old topics with new lensing which is bringing about more clearing and healing than I expected. I’m more excited about what I’m creating and what the future holds. This is also why I don’t have a problem digging in the dark and talking about the hard topics because you never know what you’re going to find. There’s clearing and healing on the other side of it. And freedom too!

 

How it’s helped me from a health perspective

Changing my mindset around my body from one of being duped and body is doing something wrong to one of my body is supporting me constantly and trying to relay information to me about what’s going on. This has helped me appreciate my body more because I understand the complexity it takes to make it function each day, and how smart my body is to have back ups to it’s back ups. Most importantly I understand it reacts to a stimulus just like anything else. If you don’t pay a bill your service gets cut. If you water a plant it will grow. If your body has a stimulus it will react…just not always in the way we want or think it should. Gratitude has made this very clear for me and really brought out my inner Sherlock Holmes. It’s exponentially increased my desire to alchemize and understand the different ways things impact my body and my health. 

 

But it’s helped me appreciate how cool the process can be, especially when you start to see results from the changes you make to a food, behavior, or even something external. I posted awhile ago that I gained 4lbs in a week and I was happy about it. Not because I wanted the extra weight, but because my body responded to a stimulus and I was aware enough to break down what happened, why, and what I could do about it. It’s now a big old puzzle and game I can play with my body and really everything in my life to not only understand, but improve my health and then share with others how they can do the same.

 

I’m no longer making myself, my body and my experience wrong for what’s happening. It all has a purpose and in some schools of thought I created the experience for a reason anyway, so it’s my job to figure it out and get the lesson so I can move on.

 

 

What’s been the impact?

There are four areas that I can think of where having more gratitude in my life has helped. 

1. Health: I’ve already mentioned some of this, but I now have a greater appreciation for my body and what it takes to function each day. I also thank my body for doing the basics and supporting me when I push it beyond where it wants to go. I talk to my body and am able to trust that it will support me because that is all it ever does. Because I no longer think my body is attacking me or that I’ve done something wrong to feel a certain way, my experience has improved. I’ve created more alignment with my body, understanding of what it needs, and an environment that is more supportive.
2. Relationships with others: Gratitude has simply helped me appreciate others. It helps me understand that I have support in others when I need it (even if it doesn’t look the way I think it should). It has made me more present to how I interact with others and how I can be perceived through those interactions. It helps me see more of the good in others too.
3. It rubs off on others: When people see how you’re able to find the good in most or possibly all situations (don’t worry, it can take some time to do this after a situation), it rubs off on them. They want to be a little more positive too. There is a ripple effect that happens because when you see others improving and having their lives experience life changing shifts…you want some of that too! 
4. Experience more good: This is a little law of attraction for you. When you are able to see the good around you, more good comes looking for you. It’s pretty simple. You are able to reduce your stress and stop worrying about what you don’t have, so your good things expand. When your good things expand, you are about to see more and be exposed to new things – ideas, opportunities, people etc. You also see your journey in a new way and connect to things outside of yourself in a different way. This is where magic and transformation happen.

 

Here’s a little secret…

One hack I’ve done with my gratitude is being grateful for the things to come. If I’m manifesting something, I thank it for its presence now even though it isn’t physically mine yet. Energetically I claim it and do my best to align with it because the subconscious mind doesn’t know whether it’s “here” yet or not. All it knows is I’m grateful for the thing, so that’s what really matters, right? But do you see how the opposite could register for something we don’t want? If we worry about something happening, the subconscious could register it as going to happen or having occurred and energetically we align with that…whether we want to or not. The things we have in our lives now are the things we have already created, so in a sense they are past tense. In order to create more and bring that into our lives, we need to tap into the power of creation and the infinite possibility that we have access to. 

 

Does love have a role in the healing process?

I’ve been exploring the role of alignment and love in healing. When we are able to tune into the frequency of love and let the body recalibrate…is there any impact? There have been studies where a plant or even water have been exposed to love or positive words/music and grown faster or made pretty, intricate patterns. Why wouldn’t our cells be the same. I know my experience shifts when I’m in gratitude and since love is the same ball park, this should be the same result if not better. I would guess that by allowing and receiving more love in our lives, we are able to transform ourselves and everything around us. And that our bodies, even down to our individual cells, respond to us feeling, being, and embodying that love. 

 

Plus, when you’re coming from this space, you aren’t as distracted by the things around you or the judgment from others, there’s a focus that exists where you can’t really describe but a sense of surrender as well. And assuredness. You know that it feels good and it feels right, so therefore that is what is. 

 

I’m grateful because I learned something about myself, another person, or group. There is a lesson in every experience, so what can you appreciate from that?

 

 

Ways to get more gratitude

Gratitude journal daily. I’m putting this in the same camp as celebrating oneself. It’s kind of similar, in that you have to find the good and not default to what’s wrong or bad. You actually can’t see the other side from where you are if you’re in the extreme…which is kind of the point. I do this daily, in the morning, and in a dedicated journal but any time of the day is good if it works for you. You can even buy a journal that has specific prompts for you to follow if it’s difficult to write from a blank page. But the key is to get started. Oh, and set an alarm as a reminder if you need to. 

 

• Physical reminder. At one point I had a little decorative box in my bathroom serving as a reminder to write down my gratitude. I would tear off slips of paper and write things about my day. The key was to keep the box in a location where I’d always see it. You can do the same to begin if you need a visual cue to serve as a reminder for your daily gratitude. You’ll want to clear out your box periodically, so it will be nice to read through your gratitude to build momentum.
• Reflect and find proof. Speaking of gaining momentum, reflecting on the past may be a good way to start. Sometimes it’s difficult finding the good where we are, so looking backward may help. I call this building your “list of proof” that there is good in your life. When you’re able to see the good things that have happened in the past, you can relate these to where you are now. Seeing evidence from the past will help you identify the situations now to appreciate.
• Seek guidance. Sometimes seeing the good is difficult. I completely understand that. If you don’t feel comfortable or confident in your ability to do that a coach can help. A coach has your best interests in mind and can teach you how to see good, equip you with tools, won’t judge you and will celebrate with you as you navigate your gratitude journey. Remember, this really is about mindset, so changing your mindset can take time but is easier with assistance.
• Involve others, get a buddy. You can get a gratitude or appreciation buddy. I’ve found that when I have someone with a vested interest, it helps me stick to my new task. They can also help you see different perspectives about a situation because we tend to have blindspots about our own lives. It is a mutually beneficial relationship because you get to help each other improve your lives and see more good in everything you see and do. 

 

As you can see, gratitude can make a huge difference in your life. When you’re able to see the good in your life, magic can happen for you and everyone around you. If you are looking to experience more gratitude in your life, I’d love to support you. Feel free to send an email to hello@shannonnsmith.com or set up time to chat so we can talk about your goals.