Ego says, “Once everything falls into place, I’ll feel peace.” Spirit says, “Find your peace and then everything will fall into place.” – Marianne Williamson
Pretty powerful stuff! Marianne drives home the concept of finding gratitude and ditching the need for gratification. When you make this trade, your life begins to unfold the way it was meant to. Gratitude is the foundation of my own personal journey. Until I understood the power behind a gratitude practice, I was simply surviving.
I was coasting through life on the wings of gratification. You see, I thought that the more things I had, the better I would feel. I was always reaching for the next thing, thinking that once I had this or achieved that, I would be happy. The problem was, it never happened. Instead, I became more miserable! And I never allowed myself the opportunity to celebrate my accomplishments. I worried that if I celebrated my success, it would be taken away from me and that there would never be more. While on my quest for eternal gratification, I slowly began to realize that I denied myself the real gift in life, the present moment.
Once I understood the power of gratitude, I realized that there is always enough, in fact, there is more than enough. I became more intent on opening my eyes and my heart to experience the moments as they happened.
My worries began to subside, no longer trapping me in the future or the past. I made friends with the robin who came to my deck every afternoon to sit in the sun. I watched the deer playfully eat the apples from my neighbor’s tree and marveled at the strong, powerful lines in their body. Sunsets became crisper and more vibrant. I listened more closely to the sounds of my boys laughter and conversation, deepening my love for them beyond what I thought I already held. I found the power of my voice and communicated my needs rather than holding them in and living in resentment.
I was finally happy and at peace with life. By recognizing the simple things right before me, I no longer craved objects to feed my gratification. I was finally at peace with my decisions, a luxury I have never allowed myself to feel. Peace allowed me to become whole and start my internal healing process.
And so began my journey of learning; to trust in myself and in the Universe, to accept myself for who I am, to acknowledge I am enough. I am able to accept compliments and can recognize and celebrate my successes rather than brush them off. I also recognize that success comes in many forms and the little ones are just as important as the big ones. Although my healing process continues, gratitude remains at the foundation on which I am building my new habits, thoughts and actions. I look forward to writing in my journal before bed, it always puts a smile on my face as I recall each event throughout the day. What a great way to fall asleep!
Each day, I wake up energized and state my intentions, how I want to show up for me and the world. It’s another way of incorporating gratitude into my day before it even starts and invokes peace and harmony rather than fear and dread of what might come.
I know that I am taking passionate action towards creating the life of my dreams! It’s been a long time since I have felt this way. I owe it all to awakening to the peace that is found inside of me rather than through the gratification I thought was necessary to build a happy life.
Are you ready to allow peace and gratitude into your life and experience your dreams and desires?
