Life is like Photography!!

Posted on June 15, 2017 by Rod's World

Crystals, Meditation, Flower essences, Essential oils, Sacred geometry, Mudras, Mantras, Incantations, Vision boards…

They are all metaphysical technologies, and like any technology, if you don’t know how to use it , your motherboard could get fried, Danielle LaPorte writes in her latest book White Hot Truth: Danielle’s website.

Trying to activate the Kundalini because you read a book somewhere is like starting to build a nuclear reactor in your home because you read how to do it on the internet – Sadhguru.

Danielle goes on to say Once you find your God/Goddess, He/She may turn your life inside out and you’ll be called to reorganize your plans, your mind, and your body. You will finally understand the “work” in “Light worker”.

So what do you hold to be your awareness level, let’s take a journey to the stars:

1. Eckhart Tolle talks about the power of the Now to exist in the silence of pure presence, seems to be another way of illustrating awareness.

2. My mentor Arion Light through his Activation work has us be in contact with our essence in our bodies not our mind. The awareness this provides is phenomenal: What is Activation?

3. A + C = R.

4. Babies lie in their cradles watching the world in awe because they are not yet aware that things are labelled, perhaps it is the purest form of awareness: Cats in the Cradle.

5. What does awareness give us, shitloads apparently

6. How well do you accept your life, I feel I spend a lot of time being unaware what is going on, it’s just a haze so acceptance could be a long way off: Suddenly I See.

7. Lao Tzu is one of my top ten. You can read one sentence and study it for the next week.

8. Be aware that self love is your greatest growth seed. Water it and you will transform: Born this Way.

9. They say the best way to learn something is to teach it, do you have the gonads to do that.

10. Heroism is always available. Through ordinary experience the ordinary man can become extraordinary: Heroes.

11. So is mine, I love Google Images, It’s part of my blogging necessities.

12. Another essential, Trust has to be included in living a truly aware life: Trust.

13. My friend Emeli’s life was transformed when Jim Stynes, head of the Reach Foundation asked her What are you going to do with your life when she was fighting with grief in an unsustainable way She now runs this: Collective Potential

14. A West African shaman by the name of Dr. Malidoma Patrice Somé has a different view of mental illness compared to that of people in the western world, where we focus on pathology and the idea that the behavior exhibited by those diagnosed with the condition is something that needs to stop.

Dr. Somé proposes that what we call depression, bipolar, psychosis and schizophrenia may perhaps be a remarkable transformation in consciousness and an inevitable step towards human development.

Dr. Somé and the Dagara people support the shamanic view that signals mental illness as “the birth of a healer.” They believe that this person has been selected as a medium for a message to the community. What Westerners view as “mental illness”, the Dagara people view as “good news from the other world.”: Healing Song.

15. Then, finally it’s your awareness that matters in the end, do the best you can for you.

Should we avoid esoteric practices and teachers altogether and take the path of total self-reliance? We can’t. And we shouldn’t-this is part of our awakening. What we should do, at many stops along the way, is recommit to our spiritual education. We should scrutinize every class, every sermon, every theory, with the respect our soul – and our greatest teachers deserve.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

How to walk on Water?

Posted on June 12, 2017 by Rod's World

Cleaning up I found Marc and Angel Chernoff’s great so not little book 1000+ Little Things Happy Successful People Do Differently. I flipped it open and the tale was How to Walk on Water. The premise was there was a child running into the shallows and Marc asked him what was he doing? Trying to walk on water he replied.

Marc gave him 9 pieces of advice, here’s the list

1. Make sure you were born to walk on water

2. Decide that nothing can stop you

3. Work on it for real

4. Let the whole world know what you’re up to

5. Value the people who value your ambitions

6. Ignore the negative naysayers

7. Prepare your self for the pain

8. Enjoy the pain of your greatest challenges

9. Never give up! Never Quit!

Each have a vignette of words underneath them , I especially liked number five, so today we discuss being valued. I hold the work of Marc and Angel as being value so here is the link to their webpage www.marcandangel.com

1. Everybody who has ever lost someone at an early age before their time was expected to end knows the effect of this quote, love and hugs your way.

2. HHDL says we are making a big mistake these days, we value things, not people and it should be the other way around. Reverse that car, baby: Diamonds

3. My friend Yoko runs a natural food cafe and recently started charging 50 cents for takeaway containers. She posted that only one person had abused her for it and that other people were starting to bring their own containers. the feedback of support she got was amazing. Don’t give in ot the one.

4. Oscar wrote this some time in the 19th century, do you think we have listened to him, Not: Love doesn’t cost a Thing.

5. No words needed really.

6. Translates to self love , really: Roar.

7. You cannot take your assets with you, your actions are what remains in the conversations of those left behind.

8. it’s often when we face loss that this quote hits home: Thanks for the Memories.

9. Can’t take it with you again.

10. Buffett is a notable philanthropist, having pledged to give away 99 percent of his fortune to philanthropic causes, primarily via the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2009, with Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, Warren founded The Giving Pledge, whereby billionaires pledge to give away at least half of their fortunes. I like this value: Give it Away.

11. You get the final say, everything else is dross.

12. Remember your worth, It’s time to say goodbye to that someone: Beautiful.

13. If they only fit you in when it suits them, It’s time to move on.

14. What will they think, what if……., etc. etc. Value yourself and this goes away: Closer.

15. And for the final point, always value kindness, spread some of its magic value today.

I love the lists of Marc and Angel Chernoff, they are in my top ten on the net, I recommend you check them out.

Namaste until next time , my dear friends

You so have what it Takes!!

Posted on June 6, 2017 by Rod's World

I began the six week journey again that we take on Arion Light’s Activation Program: Activation School. In the first week we look at what it truly takes to come home to one’s self, the heart, your soul. We do a beautiful practice with a partner receiving the beloved from them. We also discuss our intentions for the course, mine is to give strength to the love and the purpose of my life and for the planet.

So what do sages and visionaries and your ordinary joe say about coming home, lets have a look:

1. F. Scott, big time author pointing out its inner work not the colour of your drapes that has you come home.

2. Insert your name in place of someone’s and I reckon this quote hits a home run: I’m Going Home.

3. Byron and Arion’s work attest to this. Do the work and it becomes easier to come home.

4. The story you tell yourself creates how your home looks, what do you put on your welcome mat: Home is where the Heart Is.

5. We have journeyed so far from our hearts spaces, it’s time to take up the challenge and return to that beautiful, beautiful oasis.

6. I met a person recently, she is from a different generation, but the moment I began to speak with her I knew I had found another of my anam cara, Irish for soul friend, you normally have known each other for lifetimes: Make You Feel Your Love.

7. There are people I miss in my life, so it’s wonderful when you hear they are going to drop into town for a visit, include yourself on this.

8. Doesn’t your heart feel so much lighter and open when you come home to it? They say that love has come to town: Uh-oh, Love has come to Town

9. To be thrilled all of the time, that’s what coming home to yourself truly is, the ability to live it moment to moment.

10. Do you ever go and stand in a rain storm hoping it will wash away the pain and hurt that is real or imagined. In coming home the heart can heal them as well: Cleansing Rain Song.

11. I live alone, can’t have pets so I get these in other places in my community where I am coming home.

12. Haven’t your wildest dreams come from your heart not your head? If your home address resides above your neck it’s time to move: The Dream of Life.

13. What would you include in your favourite coming home experiences?

14. When travelling one may find many new temporary homes, but there’s a pillow waiting for you in your heart: Home is where the Heart Is.

15. Old souls, young souls – our country has a 60,000 year soul to come home to, we just have to have the courage to find it.

I did get a little bit off track on the way through, but I suppose that is one of the variances of the journey to coming home, it never follows the route you hope ot will.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Small dreams have no Magic!!

Posted on June 1, 2017 by Rod's World

Question: Will you still do it if your dreams might not come true? If the payoff doesn’t come in this lifetime? Would you still work to accrue beautiful karma and positive thought-forms.

Devotion to truth seeking takes something. You may have to let people go, walk the path alone, ask for help on the way, not know what the fuck is going on and all these things may happen within one day.

Danielle LaPorte states that devotion is the bridge to your soul and joy is your soul’s reflection. Happiness comes and goes but joy is ever present.

So what are your truths on the way to devotion, what does society say about them:

1. To walk the path of your truth is to lead a moral life, not a life of morality where rules are used to belittle how you show up in life.

2. Mark Twain once said it’s easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled, the mainstream media has a lot to answer for, do not buy their bullshit: It’s a Family Affair

3. Mahatma held high standards, devotion to truth being one of them.

4. Sometimes what actually happens is more bizarre than anything that could have been imagined. For me this happened when I ran down the main street of Leningrad at 5.30 one afternoon in the name of ending world hunger: Far from Any Road.

5. A Facebook friend posted Should we tell white lies, I’m not for them, we have a new generation that lacks strength because of them.

6. Love this quote, it has some great practices contained in it to empower your life: The Greatest.

7. Author of the inspirational book The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying Sogyal Rinpoche places devotion squarely in the area of gratitude, have you been grateful today? Have you acknowledged anyone for it?

8. Grover Cleveland, born March 18, 1837, was a tough opponent of political corruption who fiercely guarded the integrity of the offices in which he served. He lost a second term as incumbent but won back the presidency four years later. He earned the nickname ”guardian president” for his record-breaking use of veto power and strengthened the executive branch, ushering in the modern presidential era. A certain D. J. Trump would love him for this: Doing It Right.

9. Grace is so wonderful, it is hard to

find the words to describe her.

She is to be truly beautiful reflecting

an unparallel sense of eternity.

This Amazing Grace

Amazing grace.

10. How did they know 2,000 years ago what state mainstream media would end up in: Why would I tell you the Truth?

11. Most governments in the world seem to have got part of this wrong, the little bit at the end.

12. Truth resides within your inner journey, outside is the playing pieces: The Truth.

13. Nicholas Charles Sparks is an American novelist, screenwriter and producer. He has published eighteen novels and two non-fiction books. Several of his novels have become international bestsellers, and eleven of his romantic-drama novels have been adapted to film with multimillion-dollar box office grosses. In his spare time, Sparks volunteers at his local retirement home.

14. He didn’t say it, she did. Audrey Hepburn said this magnificent quote of belief:

I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles: You Sexy Thing.

15. We go back to Jim Carrey’s great line, all there is is a choice between Fear and Love, why would you not choose the latter.

I wanted you to see what real courage is instead of getting the idea that courage os a man with a gun in his hand. It is when you know you’re licked before you begin. But you begin anyway and see it through no matter what: Atticus Finch, in To Kill a Mockingbird

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

I will face whatever Comes!!

Posted on May 29, 2017 by Rod's World

What does the following question raise for you – What if I didn’t have to prepare to be present? Danielle LaPorte also suggests to do these three things in her book White HOt truth:

Identify where you are already meeting with spirit in your life
It’s important what you call your practice
There is no competition
Remember , it’s about ongoing practice , not permanency

Over my years I have meditated, taken a Buddhist name, done Landmark for seven years, ran marathons in Australia and Russia, but I like this summation by Danielle:

Even with steady devotion to your growth, your practices will ebb and flow. Some days you’re going to be riding high, dancing to merge with Shiva himself, or fasting to feel the pulse of the higher realms. other days , you’re just doing what it takes to not feel like shit.

So what are your life affirming practicing and what do the wise ones say about it, Lets have a look:

1. I once wrote the statement that we all have the same 24 hours in the day as Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa. Some people thanked me and others went apeshit. Where do you hold the truth in the above quote?

2. If you have had a bad day, you always have the opportunity to rise afresh: All I Ask.

3. Beauty is not attained by outer work like plastic surgery, it is purely inner work.

4. Who and What and Where you are is exactly where you are meant to be, how could it be different. Accept this and your life will become a whole lot easier: Who You Are.

5. This image seems to be of someone walking on water, rise up and you can do that.

6. Some people say we choose our parents before we start to live our lives, if this is true we are definitely strong enough to get through the bit after birth: Strong Enough.

7. That simple smile, thank you or words of gratitude can change a life, and you may never know.

8. With a heart to inspire single women to live their best lives and to never, ever settle, Mandy cuts to the heart of the matter with her inspirational, straight-talking, witty, and often wildly humorous take on life and love. She’s also not afraid to talk about the many realities of being single in a world that still asks “And WHY are you still single: Happiness is an Inside Job.

9. When I was a child I loved my magical friends, the education told me they weren’t real. Now I’m discovering that probably this was not true.

10. They say that when it becomes too hard, the place to go to heal, is the music that enlivens us, I agree: I’ve got the Music in Me.

11. Worship what you love and Love the way you worship. Failure does not mean your dreams are dead.

12. Quite a life affirming belief from Kanye West. Could you think this, or even say it. Mohammed Ali, move over: Stronger.

13. let go of the non life affirming things in your life, you will feel like you have lost kilograms of weight.

14. The affirmation queen, Louise Hay began her literary career at the age of 50. So do not give up on what affirms you in your life just because it hasn’t happened yet: Flowing Life.

15. Remember in life affirming practices laughter is the best medicine.

Womens circles have existed for millennia, mens circles similar to King Arthur’s Round Table are returning. We find it impossible to be aware all the time, be your kind of devotee, your light chaser.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

You are my greatest Adventure!!

Posted on May 15, 2017 by Rod's World

I am re-reading Brene Browns great book, Daring Greatly. I must admit I haven’t completed it in three tries because I get so much out of it each time I put it down and reflect on the wisdom received before I get to the end. The latest is a line: It’s not what you do, Its why you do it that makes the difference. It’s in the section about The care and feeding of our spirits. In it Brene talks about a distinction called shadow comforts – the difference between doing something to empower ourselves versus numbing behaviour.

What does life do to empower our spirits and what does it say about it, time to journey:

1. From one of the greats comes advice to believe our intuition first over others words.

2. When you behold a guru in action, passion grabs a hold of your spine and begins a kind of erotic pole dance and strip tease upon it, revealing more and more of itself in you, until you too become fully aroused to live. It’s your soul speaking: Soul Kind of Feeling.

3. Meher Baba said – There are two types of ego. The false ego has innumerable wants and desires. It says, I am a man, I want this; I am a woman, I want that; I am sick; I want to be happy; I am rich; I am very poor…. It is always “I.”

But when this ego is annihilated a transformation takes place: the false “I” is replaced by the real “I,” and the experience, “I am free from desires and wanting, I am infinite, I am one with God” is gained. That is the Real Ego.

4. Explains itself, really: Teardrops.

5. I went to a church service last Sunday for the first time in maybe twenty years. I loved the way they were so positive and spoke about faith and Love and not having to believe in the fire and brimstone God of my early religious days.

6. We have all seen those pictures of idyllic African children in circumstances we would not survive with our instant gratification upbringings: sage advice I say: Move On Up.

7. One of the great free spirits who fought against the bubble of the Royal Family she was placed in when she married Prince Charles. Sad ending!!

8: What’s your favourite song that touches you where words alone can’t: I’ve got the Music in Me.

9. “If you love a flower, don’t pick it up.
Because if you pick it up it dies and it ceases to be what you love.
So if you love a flower, let it be.
Love is not about possession.
Love is about appreciation.” – Osho

10. My essence is that of curiosity, that each moment occur as something brand spanking new: Curious.

11. Anger is very much a shadow comfort in that you are the one it hurts.

12. When you know everything about your life, you may have reached the last two words of this quote: Bad Habit.

13. To me this is the most essential part of our daily diet.

14. From little things, big things grow, start right now: From Little Things Big Things Grow.

15. And finally, Pastor Bob Marvel, what a name sums it up so coolly, put the cream in your spirit first, the rest will handle itself after that.

So a question from Brene – Are my choices comforting and nourishing my spirit, or are they temporary reprieves from vulnerability and difficult emotions ultimately diminishing my spirit? Are my choices leading to my Wholeheartedness, or do they feel me leaving empty and searching? It’s up to us to live a life that fulfils the former.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Why don’t you Understand?

Posted on May 1, 2017 by Rod's World

One of the most obscure and funny workshops I have done is a jargon workshop. Each person had to do a five minute talk using the jargon of their profession and the other participants had to guess what their profession or career was. The one profession nobody could guess was aeronautical engineer. It made me realise that jargon can be very costly when dealing with people who do not work in your industry. Little wonder that you see a lot of blank stares from people at shops, online and in government institutions.

So what has been said about the cost of using jargon over the centuries, let’s have a look:

1. While wading through the whimsies, the puerilities and unintelligent words of many documents to apply for most legal actions we know why lawyers are one of the highest paid professions.

2. Chesterton is often referred to as the “prince of paradox”. Time magazine has observed of his writing style: “Whenever possible Chesterton made his points with popular sayings, proverbs, allegories—first carefully turning them inside out: Perfect Illusion.

3. What words does your profession confuse people with?

4. The curly haired genius , Albert points out why using jargon is not the way to go: One Little Finger.

5. Mason Cooley (1927 – July 25, 2002) was an American aphorist known for his witty aphorisms. Perhaps he was using some of his own when he wrote this quote.

6. I think I know what two of these words mean, not sure about the others though: So What.

7. I am a one on one English tutor to three Chinese mothers, I would not dare do this to them.

8.I didn’t know Helena began her cosmetic empire in my country. She migrated to Australia at the age of 30 and began her empire in Melbourne before moving to London: Lay me Down.

9. Don’t know about this, at least books you can usually understand the words contained in them.

10. The Irish have a term Anam Cara, it means soul friend, I have the honour of being declared one by a dear friend: Anam Cara.

11. the dumbing down of society, methinks.

12. What culture are these words from, do they relate to yours: Instant Karma.

13. Katherine Anne Porter (May 15, 1890 – September 18, 1980) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, and political activist. Her 1962 novel Ship of Fools was the best-selling novel in America that year, but her short stories received much more critical acclaim. She is known for her penetrating insight; her work deals with dark themes such as betrayal, death and the origin of human evil.

14. The recommendation these days is to write blogs, because they personalise events, even for businesses, they are fascinating stories: Amazing Grace story.

15. The jargon of twenty years ago is now obsolete, if we used it how would we explain the Iphone?

Jargon may be costing you meeting your Anam Cara, cut it out of your arsenal of words.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Nature is pleased with Simplicity!

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Rod's World

Sometimes we feel that we have just reconnected with a truth we’ve always known and that if we could just know more about it, our life would be delightful and rich. I call it reconnection with your soul. It takes letting go of many of the things that clutter our lives in the hectic busyness of the modern world.

How do you reconnect with those simple things that used to please you as a child? Let’s have a look at what the world has to say about it:

1. One way I find works is to reconnect and recommit to my core values, as Zig Ziglar, the iconic business coach says we can begin again and make a new ending.

2. I ran into a friend I had not seen for five years in a hat shop in Leningrad. What reconnection brownie points were taking place for this to happen: Fate.

3. From one of the world’s greatest philosophers, Master Unknown comes a beautiful quote about how and why we reconnect.

4. Throw out those judgments and the chance of reconnection being able to come to the fore is much more prevalent: Connection.

5. Laurie Colwin (June 14, 1944 – October 24, 1992) was an American writer who wrote five novels, three collections of short stories and two volumes of essays and recipes. She was known for her portrayals of New York society and her food columns in Gourmet magazine. This is great advice she is offering.

6. This quote is a recipe for reconnection with our souls, I think it is essential: One Human Race.

7. I have a special one of these, a mate I met at a retreat four years ago, Michael, you rock my soul.

8. Beautiful image for a beautiful practice: The Best of Me.

9. How did we survive with these relatively new words that have been added to our dictionaries? What’s a dictionary, is that spellcheck or google it?

10. Co-founder of the online sensation, The Huffington Post. Arianna points to the power of meditation and contemplation in reconnecting with our inner selves: Beautiful.

11. the opening lines from the all-time classic song, The Sounds of Silence. We need to reconnect with all of us for it to truly work out.

12. Go for it, email me the results to rod.williams13 @gmail.com: Never Grow Up.

13. How difficult is this living our distracted lives?

14. Wayne Walter Dyer (May 10, 1940 – August 29, 2015) was an American philosopher, self–help author, and a motivational speaker. His first book, Your Erroneous Zones (1976), is one of the best-selling books of all time, with an estimated 35 million copies sold to date: Make peace with your Ego.

15.And finally, remember to have a healthy relationship with this intrinsic part of your psyche.

It’s time you had an extraordinary relationship with your nature. Inner and outer, we need both.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Being a singer is a natural Gift!!

Posted on March 27, 2017 by Rod's World

What is out natural state? It is said most people are on a search for happiness throughout their lives, yet you cannot find it anywhere because it is located inside of you, it is your natural state from childhood.

Is it something we forget? Are we educated out of this simplicity by others who have forgotten the happiness of childhood? Let’s have a look at what the world has said about the state of being naturally happy:

1. You don’t have to broadcast it on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram that you are a natural being, it shines out from your being!!

2. When you have conquered your inner demons, the outer ones disappear as well: Inner Demons.

3. we go back to the 16th Century for our next quote. François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Prince de Marcillac, 15 September 1613 – 17 March 1680) was a noted French author of maxims and memoirs. It is said that his world-view was clear-eyed and urbane and that he neither condemned human conduct nor sentimentally celebrated it. Born in Paris on the Rue des Petits Champs, at a time when the royal court was vacillating between aiding the nobility and threatening it, he was considered an exemplary of the accomplished 17th-century nobleman. Until 1650, he bore the title of Prince de Marcillac.

4. We have loved the images of the natural world David Attenborough has brought us over the decades: Planet Earth.

5. When you are living in your natural state of being you shine throughout the universe.

6. Maya Angelou was a natural at many things, She became a poet and writer after a series of occupations as a young adult, including fry cook, sex worker, nightclub dancer and performer, cast member of the opera Porgy and Bess, coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and journalist in Egypt and Ghana during the decolonization of Africa. She was an actor, writer, director, and producer of plays, movies, and public television programs. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Beginning in the 1990s, she made around 80 appearances a year on the lecture circuit, something she continued into her eighties. In 1993, Angelou recited her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” (1993) at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration, making her the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961: On the Pulse of the Morning.

7. You can only be different to everybody else because you are unique, giving you your Youness.

8. Christian Dior is actually a business name, so he/she did not say this, it’s very powerful, though: Revolution.

9. Albert Einstein once said, ” once you stop learning you start dying “. Wake up every day in the natural state of learning.

10. Soul harmony, such a beautiful concept, and way to live your life: Love is Soul Harmony.

11. Are all things that are naturally beautiful positive, not in the case of autumn.

12. More and more in this speeded up, instant gratification world we go for processed food and as a race, we get sicker and sicker. We have forgotten the healing power of natural foods and have gone for the easy way out: Healthy Habits Song.

13. Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci 15 April 1452 – 2 May 1519), more commonly Leonardo da Vinci or simply Leonardo, was an Italian polymath whose areas of interest included invention, painting, sculpting, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, writing, history, and cartography. He has been variously called the father of paleontology, ichnology, and architecture, and is widely considered one of the greatest painters of all time. Sometimes credited with the inventions of the parachute, helicopter, and tank, he epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal. Over so many fields he used simplicity to discover things.

14. Remember those shots of running around the backyard pool in the nude with your childhood mates? What happened , a call out to stay in this natural way of being: Shrey Singhai.

15. And to finish, a reminder that flowers do not think about life too much, they just naturally bloom.

So what in life is your natural expression, do not give up until you find it, I hope you already have.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

What a Miracle, What a Blessing!!

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Rod's World

Were you blessed with living in a house where gratitude was a given or was it a premises where put-downs and teasing were more the norms? In these houses, it was often expected that the children growing up were expected to display behaviors, emotions and thinking patterns that had never been modeled. Gratitude is held in high esteem by virtually everyone, at all times, in all places. From ancient religious scriptures through modern social science research, gratitude is advanced as a desirable human characteristic with the capacity for making life better for oneself and for others. Though gratitude is associated with pleasantness and highly desirable life outcomes, it is certainly not an easy or automatic response to life situations. Resentment and entitlement often seem to come naturally. Individual personality flaws such as neuroticism or narcissism make it difficult to recognize the positive contributions of others. The very fact that gratitude is a virtue suggests that it must be deliberately cultivated.

So how has gratitude been expressed over the centuries, let’s go on that journey:

1. Sara Avant Stover, a teacher of feminine spirituality and empowerment and a yoga and meditation instructor, bestselling author, and inspirational speaker, is the founder of The Way of the Happy Woman: a worldwide community based on the teachings and practices in her bestselling books, The Way of the Happy Woman and The Book of SHE. As the creator of the world’s first Women’s Yoga Teacher Training, the online program Reversing Our “Curse,” and The SHE School, Sara has taught tens of thousands of women worldwide. She has been featured in Yoga Journal, the Huffington Post, Newsweek, and Natural Health and on ABC, NBC, and CBS. Sara’s teachings, writings, programs, and communities support women of all ages to place the Heroine’s Journey at the heart of their lives. She teaches on feminine spirituality, lifestyle, healing, relationships, and more. Sara lives, hikes, writes, and dances with mystery in Boulder, Colorado. These thousands of women are very grateful for Sara’s teachings.

2. This beautiful image caught my eye immediately. it reminded me of the facebook group I am a member The Daily Gratitude Space of, where hundreds of people choose to place what they are grateful for over the airwaves: Grateful.

3. I write one thing a day I am grateful for in my Desire Map Planner by Danielle LaPorte. Just one thing a day sees this happen for me.

4. Why you should be grateful fro what you have at this time is that you have worked for it. That’s how to get things, doing the work: Royals.

5. From the greatest quoted philosopher Anonymous comes the above classic pointing to that you need to take the actions of gratitude first.

6. That’s the place gratitude hits home, in our hearts: Beautiful.

7. perform an act of gratitude a day to a stranger and you may just transform the planet.

8. Who is this for you? Your parents, your lover, your children, your boss, your bestie? Go on do it, and make the difference: Stand Up.

9. The author of several transformational books, the latest being The Universe has Your Back, Gabby Bernstein trains people to be grateful for their lives and do great things with them. Read her books and check her website at https://gabbybernstein.com/

10. We all have lots of stuff, but often in this consumer driven society we search of more and forget that what we have has made us what we are. Remember this act of gratitude and you will free your life up expedientially : That’s just the Way It Is.

11. There is a minimalist movement sweeping western society, here’s one thing they could take one.

12. They don’t need to hear that I really appreciate what they did for me. Not!!!!!!!Speak Up.

13. This makes my soul shudder, how beautiful.

14. From Little Things, Big Things Grow, really only one song for this: From Little Things.

15. Melody Beattie is one of America’s most beloved self-help authors and a household name in addiction and recovery circles. Her international bestselling book, Codependent No More, introduced the world to the term “codependency” in 1986. Millions of readers have trusted Melody’s words of wisdom and guidance because she knows firsthand what they’re going through.

In her lifetime, she has survived abandonment, kidnapping, sexual abuse, drug and alcohol addiction, divorce, and the death of a child. “Beattie understands being overboard, which helps her throw bestselling lifelines to those still adrift,” said Time Magazine. This beautiful quote is an example of the power of her work.

So, as you may have picked up, I believe in the power of daily gratitude. I hope from reading this you join our band of merry pranksters.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.