365 Days of Gratitude and Simplicity Day 21

November 30, 2010

*All content has been taken from SImple Abundance. Some content has been shortened for the purpose of 365 Days of Gratitude. 

Letting Go of Limiting Illusions

I like living. I have sometimes bee wildly, desperately, acutely miserable, racked with soorow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing. ~Agatha Christie

Many of us go through life trapped by illusions. We buy into illusions that are distorted about external events and in turn deny ourselves the power of knowing that just to be alive is a GREAT THING. 

Today's challenge: Be willing to accept love from others; generosity of others; the idea that the most grand things can happen when you least expect it. 

Today's exercise: Write down 10 things you are grateful for in this moment

365 Days of Gratitude and Simplicity Day 20

November 29, 2010

*All content has been taken from SImple Abundance. Some content has been shortened for the purpose of 365 Days of Gratitude. 

Acres of Diamonds

Your diamonds are not in far distant mountains or in yonder seas; they ar in your own backyard, if you but dig for them. ~Russell H Conwell

The grass isn't always greener. 


Take the parable that Russell Conwell told: 


A persian farmer, Ali Hafed, sold his farm and left his family to travel the world in search of wealth. He looked everywhere but could not find the diamonds he lusted after. Finally, alone and in despair, he ended his own life. 


In the meantime, the man who bought the land from Hafed was grateful for every blade of grass and lavished love and hard work into his farm. At night, surrounded by family and eating the fruits of his labor, he was content. 


One day he made a remarkable discovery in his backyard - a diamond mine. Literally an acre of diamonds. 


Within each of us lies a wellspring of abundance and the seeds of opportunity. 
When we invest love, gratitude, energy, and passion in ourselves, our dreams, and our lives at this moment, will will achieve authentic success. 

Today's challenge: Where is your acre of diamonds? If you could do anything in the world, what would it be? Write down the very thing that you believe is impossible. 

Today's exercise: Write down 10 things you are grateful for in this moment. 

365 Days of Gratitude and Simplicity Day 19

November 28, 2010

*All content has been taken from SImple Abundance. Some content has been shortened for the purpose of 365 Days of Gratitude. 

Joy: Learning Life's Lessons with a Light Heart

I cannot believe that the inscrutable universe turns on an axis of suffering; surely the strange beauty of the world must somewhere rest on pure joy. ~Louise Bogan

Learning to live in the present moment is part of the path of pure joy. Being present in the moment helps you to begin to see into the life of things. (William Wordsworth) 

Many of us unconsciously create dramas in our minds, expecting the worst from a situation only to have our expectations become a self-fulfilling prophecy.  So we struggle from day to day, from crisis to crisis, bruised and a "victim" without remember that WE HAVE A CHOICE. 

What if you begin to expect the best from every situation? What if you start to trust that flow of life and the good stuff? What have you got to lose but misery and lack? 

Today's challenge: Take a leap of faith. Begin today. Declare out loud to yourself that you will let go of the struggle.  

Today's exercise: Write down 10 things you are grateful for in this moment. 

365 Days of Gratitude and Simplicity Day 18

November 27, 2010

*All content has been taken from SImple Abundance. Some content has been shortened for the purpose of 365 Days of Gratitude. 

Beauty: Opening Our Eyes to the Beauty That Surrounds Us

You agree - I'm sure you agree, that beauty is the only thing worth living for. ~Agatha Christie

As we go on our gratitude and simplicity journey, we learn to be grateful no matter what circumstances my arise in our day. As we become grateful for the lives we have now, we begin to discover how to change them for the better. 

Soon you may feel a deep awareness that creating a beautiful, thankful life is our highest calling.  

Today's challenge: See the world differently. Take 5 seconds to light candles, take in a sunrise or sunset, pour wine, take an extra 5 seconds to gaze at someone you love. 

Today's exercise: Write down 10 things you are grateful for in this moment. 

365 Days of Gratitude and Simplicity Day 17

November 26, 2010

*All content has been taken from SImple Abundance. Some content has been shortened for the purpose of 365 Days of Gratitude. 

Harmony: Achieving Balance in Our Lives

The notes I handle no better than many pianists. But the pauses between the notes - ah, that is where the art resides. ~Arthur Schnabel

Learn how to pause. 

This is one of the most difficult challenges for women. It requires a conscious decision to do so and who can balance ourselves when we are busy balancing our families, responsibilities, and homes. 

In the next several months, we will learn together how to pause, how to balance the demands with pleasures, work with play, activity with rest. 

Today's challenge: Pause. Find a song you love and pause. 

Today's exercise: Write down 10 things you are grateful for in this moment. 

365 Days of Gratitude and Simplicity Day 16

November 25, 2010

*All content has been taken from SImple Abundance. Some content has been shortened for the purpose of 365 Days of Gratitude. 

A Sense of Order
Order is the shape upon which beauty depends. ~Pearl Buck

Brother Lawrence, wrote in his devotional classic, Practicing the Presence of God, that frequently he felt the spirit of God among the pots, pans, and potatoes in his kitchen as he was preparing meals for his fellow monks. 


Anytime I'm feeling out of sorts, worrying, concerned, or having anxiety, I immediately turn to homegrown rituals. I work out, I clean and get my house in order and it seems to remind me that I might not be able to control  control things on the outside, but I have control over my own inner resources. 


There is an immediate emotional and psychological connection and payoff to getting our house in order. 


I don't know about you, but I cannot think clearly when surrounded by clutter, chaos, and confusion. Start small. Set the timer for 15 and have everyone in your house take that time to pick up something, organize something, wipe something. 


"It's not the tragedies that kill us, it's the messes." Dorothy Parker

Today's challenge: What needs to have order in your house? Pick one area, one room, one drawer, one cabinet.  

Today's exercise: Write down 10 things you are grateful for in this moment. 

365 Days of Gratitude and Simplicity Day 15

November 24, 2010

*All content has been taken from SImple Abundance. Some content has been shortened for the purpose of 365 Days of Gratitude. 

Simple Gifts: Embracing Simplicity

'Tis a gift to be simple
'Tis a gift to be free, 
'Tis a gift to come down 
Where we out to be 
And when we find ourselves
In the place that's right
'Twill be in the valley
Of love and delight.
~Nineteenth Century Shaker Hymn

I think we all yearn to have a simpler life. Once we begin to take stock in our lives and let the gratitude begin to transform our lives, the next step becomes almost involuntary. 


What's more important: working overtime to buy that new dining room set or attend soccer/football games? Maybe you could add new cushions to your chairs or a new table cloth. 


Many believe that simplifying your life means going and doing without. The truth is that less most likely means more for those of us living in gratitude and simplicity. 


Things do not have to be complicated or expensive to create happiness. The joy that comes from the simple things are usually what draws so many people searching for them.  


I was complimented the other day on a bracelet I wore. It was $1 exactly. :) Who knew? 

Today's challenge: Think of something you've been wanting to replace and find a simple solution for it. Clean with vinegar instead of bleach. Burn essential oil instead of an expensive candle. Write down your simple solution. 

Today's exercise: Write down 10 things you are grateful for in this moment. 

365 Days of Gratitude and Simplicity Day 14

November 23, 2010

*All content has been taken from SImple Abundance. Some content has been shortened for the purpose of 365 Days of Gratitude. 

The Gratitude Journal

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.  ~Melody Beattie

It's been exactly 14 days since we first started this journey. I asked in the beginning that you go out and purchase a journal. My hope is that if you did you took a special trip to find one and that the journal reminds you, pulls you in each day in order to record your thoughts, questions, and gratitudes. 

If you haven't found your journal yet, and your are following along in this extensive part of 365 Days, you must get the journal. It is not an option. It doesn't have to be expensive. Here's mine: 

It cost exactly $2. It's purple and is soft to touch, has a ribbon bookmark and makes me smile because purple is one of my favorite colors.  

The point of the journal is to practice being conscious and writing down specific gratitudes. 

As I've said, I've went on this journey before and the transformation after the first several months is amazing. You will begin to find yourself more content that you ever thought possible. 

"Gratitude is the heart's memory." 

Today's challenge: If you haven't already, GO GET YOUR GRATITUDE JOURNAL! :)  

Today's exercise: Write down 10 things you are grateful for in this moment.