Gratitude Circles

Building gratitude in our lives is not something we do overnight but something that we work on over time. Being thankful isn’t something we can just do occasionally because it would be like driving on a tire that had huge holes in it. November is the month of being thankful. It’s interesting to see so many discuss what they are thankful about for over the next thirty days when this is followed by a wave of what they want. Silly but many don’t realize that be thankful also allows us to get more out of life. Thankfulness is not only a key element to happiness but gratitude is the vehicle that drives us from our past to our future with #easeandgrace. Gratitude is something we should focus on so much more than we do, especially when things aren't going well. Being grateful for our past not only creates contentment in our lives but also fills our happiness bank to move forward. Our past creates who we are and allows us to move forward with knowledge that makes us wiser in our journey. I am thankful for my past the good and the bad. Often the bad became more of a reference or catalyst for positive change than the good or easy. If we salute and show grace when looking back at where we have been then as we move forward with new goals, aspirations and dreams not only are they sweeter upon achievement but they are more visible in our lives thus creating a a circle of gratitude. A gratitude circle enables us to move through life: through the good and bad knowing who we are, where we are going (even in the darkest moments) and to react to the adverse with a sense of well being. All we do starts to become a smooth motion of ease and grace. The more we thank our past for shaping us, the less we need to "try" to be gracious. Gratitude becomes the very core of who we are;

moral fibers of being thankful are woven so strongly in our being that they can ultimately create scaffolding for immense growth in our future. We actually become gracious, thankful humans instead of just going through the motions. We become the very essence of grace and begin to spread this to those around us. The gratitude circle isn’t an instant happy or a sudden acknowledgement of a recent gift. Building a gratitude circle, that is solid and that builds momentum rolling easily through life is the cumulative of hard knocks, gratitude, positive reactions and repeating. Every time we repeat this we make our circle smoother and its circumference and movement becomes “more”. More of what we want need and desire. You see loves if you want more in life, you must acknowledge with a grateful heart not only the amazing but the potholes in life as well. Find a golden nugget even in the low points and attach a lesson or positive to your wheel even from these moments. A child’s fable tells of three pigs that each build a house entirely of a given material. None of these withstand the wolf’s persistence when he shows up at their door. Had they opened their minds to gratitude for what they had, shared their resources and reacted differently sharing what they each had with joyous hearts their homes most certainly would have withstood any storm so much better (even if significant damages had been done). Build your core with all of your resources. Use the good, the bad, the amazing and the events that knock the wind out of you to create a circle of gratitude that cannot be stopped once it is set in motion. There will be speed bumps that slow your wheel down but build graciousness so solid that you can’t be derailed from your dreams! I challenge each of you to acknowledge and show gratitude not for just the good but for the difficult paths you have walked in life that created the person you are today. What journeys have added the most reinforcement to your circle of gratitude? Copyright 2018 Micheline Edwards #coachandafarm #girldropyourcape #simplebalance #momtofive #ridiculouslyamazinglife