Day 9: The Gratitude Practice

So far you have learned a few basic magic tricks (harnessing synchronicity, paying sacred attention, accessing dream wisdom, stocktaking as spell-making) and yesterday you set an inspired intention (or a soul-centric wish) for what you want to this 40 Day Challenge to support in your life.

Now comes the key piece for everything that will follow in the next 31 days. None of these magic tricks will support your intention if your emotional climate is negative. I don’t mean the occasional grumpy-ness, irritation, frustration–those fleeting states, when allowed to pass through, are low voltage.

It’s the high negative voltage states such as despair, rage, pessimism, fear, anxiety, futility, overwhelm and doubt that will sabotage your joyful engagement in not only this experiment, but in the game of life you came here to play with delight and abandon.

The antidote to negative emotions is gratitude.The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means among other things grace. The word is embedded with what it provides when we actually engage in the act of gratitude.

Gratitude allows you to love your life now, as it is, for what it is. You might not love all of your life, but you can love aspects of it. It’s no different than any human relationship, where you can choose to focus on what you cherish in a person rather than what you dislike.

Positive psychology studies have long demonstrated that a gratitude practice increases happiness. It also increases your ability to allow the magic in your life to show up in remarkably wondrous ways. When we are happy, we are magical. When we are magical, we are happy. It’s one of those positive feedback loops that gathers incredible momentum around it.

So today’s homework is NOT JUST FOR TODAY. It’s for the remainder of this experiment, and ideally, your life.

HOMEWORK: Before bed write down at least three things you are grateful for in your day. If it was the day from hell, find the parts of hell that were less hellish! When you look for the good, you find it. When you look for the bad, you find it. Take the time to change your emotional state by consciously and consistently choosing to focus on what goodness happened in your day. It is a practice and it takes practice, especially if your mind is in the habit of seeing what is wrong instead of what is right in your life.

TIP: There is a great phone APP called The 5 Minute Journal that prompts you at the end of the day to enter the three great things that happened or inspired you. I love it! But I also love my leather bound journal. Either works!

PS: Want to share your magic stories with others taking this challenge? We have a private FB group HERE.

PPS: And if you prefer to get these daily assignments directly to your email box, just click here.