365 Days of Gratitude and Simplicity Day 42

December 21,  2010

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

Divine Discontent: Learning to Live by Your Own Lights

Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlesness. . . . Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness and it is as though a voice were saying : "You are accepted." ~ Paul Johannes Tillich

When we practice switching on our "spiritual electricity" we should expect more energy, more amazing and delightful coincidences and the ability to accomplish goals with grace. 

The one thing you might not anticipate is the dissatisfied feeling you have when a Higher Power isn't present. It can manifest itself in different ways. Suddenly you don't like a particular room in your house. Your clothes don't fit or look right on you anymore. You're bored with your meals and sick of opening that certain closet and have everything piled up at your feet. Your gratitude becomes restless discontent. You begin to think that simple abundance isn't working for you. 

This is called Divine Discontent. It is the grit in the oyster before the pearl. 

Today's challenge: Learn to spin straw into gold. Realize that this is the turning point. Be grateful. 

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

365 Days of Gratitude and Simplicity Day 41

December 20,  2010

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

Creating an Authentic Lifestyle for Yourself and Those You Love

It's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it. ~Somerset Maugham

It's far easier to live an elegant, beautiful life when you're not on a budget. When cash is readily available, you don't have to learn the lessons that delayed gratification teaches us.

Though, having money doesn't guarantee that we live authentically. Nor does being surrrounded by beautiful things guarantee a lifetime of happiness. If you receive heartbreaking news, it's not more comforting to sob into a damask and silk-tasseled cushion.   

When you begin to wean yourself from worldly distractions , especially not shopping with the exception of groceries and kids essentials, you might begin to experience something similar to withdrawal pains. Truly what this is that you're experiencing is a deep inner sift in reality. 

You are learning to differentiate between what you need and what you want. Mastering this lesson is a must before being able to move forward. 

Today's challenge: Begin today to only shop for groceries and necessities. Begin to teach yourself to differentiate between what you need and what you want. 

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

365 Days of Gratitude and Simplicity Day 40

December 19,  2010

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

A Fresh Canvas Every 24 Hours

Another real thing! I am not dead yet! I can still call forth a piece of soul and set it down in color, fixed forever. ~Keri Hulme

Before a painter begins a new work, she takes preparatory steps to get ready. She has probably made preliminary sketches of the scene she is trying to capture. She mixes her pigments to achieve the right colors. She prepares the canvas. All of this takes time. You cannot see the preparations when you see the completed work. 

Preparation is necessary in all the arts. It is also necessary in life if we want to live authentically. Every 24 hours we are given a fresh canvas to prime, to make ready for our vision.  

Today's challenge: Quiet your mind, carve out time to dream and express yourself with your daily dialogue and illustrated journal. Become aware of your true preferences. Savor the moments. 

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

365 Days of Gratitude and Simplicity Day 39

December 18,  2010

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

You Are an Artist

Inside you there's an artist you don't know about. . . Say yes quickly, if you know, if you've known it from the beginning of the universe. ~ Jalai Un-Din Rumi

An artist is merely someone with good listening skills who accesses the creative energy of the Universe to bring forth something on the material plane that wasn't here before. 

So it is with creating an authentic life. With every choice, every day, you are creating a unique work of art. Something that only you can do. 

The reason you were born was to leave your own indelible mark on your personal world. This is your authenticity. 

Today's challenge: Accept that you are creating a work of art by making big and little choices between playing it safe and taking risks. Order an espresso at lunch, if you've never tried one. Visit the perfume counter and try on a new scent. Find a new ingredient to use in your kitchen that you've never tried. Find a new radio station to listen to on the drive home from work.  Be receptive to inspiration and trying something new. 

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

365 Days of Gratitude and Simplicity Day 38

December 17, 2010

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

An Artist is Someone Who Creates

Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. . . The artist never entiredly knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark. ~Agnes de Mille

Most of us feel more secure when we play it safe. 

We wear a string of pearls, for example, instead of the hand painted glass beads we glimpsed and passed up at the craft fair, yet, those red and purple glass beads on another woman are the ones that stop us in our tracks. 

Take a risk a day. Maybe it's beads today and writing a book the next. 

Today's challenge: You are an artist and your life is a work in progress. Works in progress are never perfect. Changes can be made, edits and rewrites. Art evolves. So does life. Art is never stagnant. Neither is life. 

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

365 Days of Gratitude and Simplicity Day 37

December 16, 2010

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

Remaking Your Own World

I have made my world and it is a much better world than I ever saw outside. ~ Louise Nevelson

It took 6 days to make the world. It will take a little longer to remake our own. 


The Quaker tradition teaches us that Light is within each of us. The Quakers, or members of the Religious Society of Friends, are a perfect example of individuals who manage the delicate balance of living in the world but not belonging to it. 


They believe that all of life's daily experiences are spiritual in nature, from preparing a family meal to protesting political policy. It is not cutting ourselves off from life but entering deeply and fully into it. 


Simplicity is the common thread that stitches together Quaker lives, homes, dress. 

Today's challenge: Restore a sense of rhythm to your life. Children are not the only ones that need regular bedtimes, mealtimes, and quiet times. Rhythm needs to be the cornerstone in our personal world. Learn where to draw the line and say "no." 

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