The Power of Appreciation
It may seem like an insignificant part of life, but being able to appreciate what you have is incredibly powerful.It will fast track you on your way to manifesting the life you want. To creating the reality you have always dreamed of.I used to wonder, how does appreciating what I have, get me to what I don't currently have? It seemed very backwards to me.That if I appreciate the fact that I didn't have my dream job or partner, that I would never manifest into being.But the truth is, appreciation is such a strong emotion that it will catapult you to feeling good.You will see life with new pair of eyes, feel with new senses, and love everything you have taken the time to build for yourself.When you are feeling joy, bliss, and happiness (all things that appreciation evokes) you are telling the universe you want more of this. That you already feel happy so you can let the good rush in.Now humans aren't wired to feel this way, the brain is prepped to look out for danger, as a survival mechanism for our ancestors.So it is pretty standard that most humans are walking around feeling fearful, looking for lack, think of what they don't have.I get it, I used to constantly be in a state of lack. And guess what, I would attract more experiences that made me feel less than and inadequate, just because my brain was used to feeling it.
Now let's dive deeper into what the opposite of appreciation looks like. Because in any given moment you can feel appreciative or you can feel defensive.
Being defensive stems from fear, but also from feelings of loneliness, scarcity, and low self worth.For someone that is not self-aware, their go to reaction is defense. Whether that is pushing people away, overly explaining or apologizing for their actions, and judging other people all stems from this place.Think about it for a second. When life hands you a challenging situation or person, what is your automatic response? Is it appreciation for the lesson to be learned, or is it feeling sorry for yourself, fighting against the situation, etc?When you push away the challenge, you are really dissolving yourself of all responsibility in the situation. Even if you feel someone has done you wrong, you have a part in it.But coming from this place of no responsibility on your end is really doing a disservice to you. You are preventing yourself from up-leveling your life to a higher version of yourself.And in turn, you are attracting more unwanted situations and people into your life. The brain doesn't know the difference between reality and perception.So if you choosing to hang onto thoughts of lack, fear, hate, your brain will go to work to create that.But since you are here to empower yourself, let's look back to the opposite end of the spectrum and how you can manifest the good stuff.On the other side of defensive behavior is appreciation.
Learning to love what is, and attract more of it. Learning lessons along the way to your best self.
Being appreciative will feel uncomfortable at first, like you are stretching yourself. But this is good. This is how you grow.You are literally re-wiring your brain to see the good in life. To look for the light and see the best in people.This will require you to be the bigger person in most situations. But trust me, it will make you incredibly powerful. And not a greedy or malicious power, but the kind of power that attracts magic.My advice for feeling more powerful is to start small, you can't get stronger muscles in one day and the brain is no different. It takes time to exist in a new space.The first step for anyone is to sit down every night and write out what you appreciate for 10 minutes. Everything from the food you ate, to the outfit you wore. The person that smiled at you, someone that held the door for you.It sounds silly, but I promise this is how you foster this skill more. Especially for those of you dealing with anxiety, creating more appreciation and love will create less fear and anxiety.After you start your ten minute daily exercise for the brain, you can gradually move up to spending more of the day in that place.But what does living your life from a constant state of appreciation look like?
- It is reaching out to friends to ask how they are doing
- Accepting your body for what it is, wearing what is flattering on you
- Eating foods that make you feel good and caring what you put in your body
- Doing something small for a loved one, writing a thoughtful note or making them a meal
- Fully trusting yourself and not being afraid to fail
- Treating everyone with respect and always taking the high road
- Making time for adventure, hobbies, and new experiences
- Voicing your needs and feelings in a relationship
- Creating a safe space for people to be themselves and be vulnerable
- Accepting where you are in life, everyday, and knowing that you are actively dreaming big about your future
- Leaning into the tougher moments in life and fully learning the lessons
- Always thinking of how you can be in service to others, coming from a place of love
Living like this takes daily practice and commitment. I still find myself going to defensive mode but I am able to move back into gratitude and acceptance easily.And you can get to that place to, and feel freedom and lightness more regularly.Happiness will be your default, appreciation your constant state of mind.Remember to start small and then spend more and more time in this elevate state.Now it's your turn, what is one area in your life you can start appreciating more and fearing less?