Gratitude and Love

Whether you are in a committed relationship or not, you deserve love and passion in your life. If this isn't your current experience, a little focused gratitude in this area will unleash miracles in your life. You are worthy and ready to love and be loved deeply.

Feel and express gratitude and thanks as though you are, in this moment, already experiencing deep love, passionate and focused commitment, and marital bliss in your life!

Keep this gratitude with you in every moment, ESPECIALLY in the moments that you might have fleeting doubt or thoughts of loneliness or isolation. Let these feelings be like a rock in your shoe, which reminds you to go immediately to gratitude in your thoughts and energy.

If you are currently IN a relationship that could be better, express gratitude for the ways that your partner is TODAY blessing your life. Express gratitude for the potential that lies within them, and even the things that drive you nuts.

Solutions to current problems often unfold as you trust and even express gratitude for where things are today.

If you are still in waiting for your perfect mate to show up, express gratitude as if they are already in your life. Express gratitude for the person they are, for what you love about them, anything you can think of. Really. See them, be in the emotion of gratitude as if they are already there.

Then express gratitude for the person that YOU are today, and all of the things in YOU that might drive you nuts!

Take some time now, and do it!

Affirmations

Affirmations work very powerfully. In many ways the life that you are now experiencing has been initiated by what you have been affirming to yourself.

If we listen to ourselves talk, we will hear our "limits" and other forms of affirmations come rolling out. Things like...

• "I can't sing,"
• "Making money isn't spiritual,"
• "Women can't compete in a man's world,"
• "I never seem to find the right words," etc.

. . .are affirmations that keep us right where we are. We are using them every minute of the day. They shape our lives because they reflect our beliefs and our attitudes. You are using them right now as you read this. You are consulting your existing affirmations to agree or disagree with what I am saying. Have you found yourself saying, "Yes, but..." while reading this? If so, you are affirming something. Most likely, a limit.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a Child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others." -Marianne Williamson

Thoughts and affirmations that are not working for us can be changed. Consistency is crucial as we begin to take on new ideas. The MP3s on www.mythoughtcoach.com will assist your efforts to initiate new and improved life experiences.

These efforts can be enhanced by gently tapping along some acupressure points in the body. This method is called the EFT, or Emotional Freedom Technique. Essentially it acts as acupuncture for our emotions, and releases resistance to change. They can help release some of the “yes, but. . .” responses that come up with some affirmations. This technique also works well when trying to clear out strong negative emotions that are stored in the body. Try one of the release and let-go scripts while tapping these points.

While saying your affirmations out loud or in your mind, tap the points outlined below using the first and middle fingers of either hand. With a light but firm pressure tap each area 7-10 times as you cover the area where the point is located.

1. Eye Brow - at the beginning of the eyebrow, just above and to one side of the nose.

2. Side of the Eye - on the bone bordering the outside corner of the eye.

3. Under Eye - on the bone under the eye about one inch below and in line with the pupil.

4. Under Nose - in the center of the area between the nose and top lip.

5. Chin - in the center between the bottom lip and bottom (or point) of the chin.

6. Collarbone - the junction where the collarbone, sternum (breastbone) and first rib meet.

7. Under the Arm - on the side of the body approx. 4 inches below the armpit.

9 . Top of Head - the intersection of two lines on the top of your head (the tip of one ear, over your head, to the tip of the other ear; and a line from the tip of your nose, to the base of your skull)

Be Happy

So, yeah. Meditation makes you happy.

When scientists at the University of Wisconsin scanned the brains of practicing Buddhist, they discovered that the part of the brain associated with happiness showed much more activity than that in a control group of people who didn't practice meditation on a regular basis.

Meditation makes you happy in your body by helping you to relax fully and release stress with muscle relaxation and breath control techniques. Meditation eases tension in the mind, too, by taking your focus away from worries and preoccupations. Meditation teaches you effective ways to deal with difficult emotions, such as anger and selfishness, and promotes techniques that develop compassion and love.

Above all, meditation allows you to watch yourself and witness your life evolving. Armed with this self-knowledge, you start to change the way you behave for the better.