The Gratitude List

Manifestation Exercise # 1 – The Gratitude List
by The Very Happy Human

I guess it was about 10 years ago when I had hit one of the greatest “funks” in my lifetime.

It was right after Thanksgiving. My husband had been let go from his job because of an untrue rumor someone had spread about him, and we lost a major Christmas bonus we had been counting on. My online business was doing poorly because people were saving their money for holiday purchases. We were behind in all of our bills, creditors were calling constantly and of coarse Christmas was on its way and we didn’t have an extra dollar to spend on it. My husband and I were taking the stress we were both going through out on each other, and the guilt we felt over our sons growing Christmas list made us feel even worse.

It was about this time that I came across the Gratitude List suggestion.

I had already been studying the Law of Attraction principles for quite some time, but hadn’t quite mastered it yet. I was still at a point where my current “reality” problems took up more of my thoughts than the new reality I wanted to focus on. I had learned, however, about synchronicity (the coincidences Universe or your higher self keeps bringing to you when it really wants you to notice something.)

In one weeks time I had come across the Gratitude list idea in three different places. In an online article, in a book I was reading and then I heard it on television.

Anyway I got the hint. Obviously, this was something I was supposed to do.

Like I said, this was a really bad time for me. So trying to focus on good things at this point was extremely difficult. But then I figured who am I to argue with what the Universe was clearly trying to tell me? I decided to follow some of the examples I had heard in the three places mentioned above; and regardless of my current circumstances at the time, tried to look for things to be grateful for.

It seemed tough at first. My negative thoughts kept trying to come through – but I was determined. I would find even the smallest things to be grateful for.

I found it to be much easier than I ever thought it could be.

While I can’t find my original list (I believe it was on my old computer) I do remember most of what I wrote those first couple of days.

Things I Am Grateful For:

I am grateful I am alive today to give this life thing another shot (that is still one of my favorites)

I am grateful I am healthy and pain free

I am grateful I have my freedom (I mean I could’ve been in jail or a hospital bed – so things weren’t that bad)

I am grateful for my healthy family and friends.

Even though I don’t have a lot of money right now- I am grateful I will spend the holidays with all of my friends and family. It was my favorite time of year.

I am grateful that we live in a nice, safe, clean apartment.

I am grateful we have enough money to eat today.

I am grateful that while behind in my utilities, I still have my heat and electricity and cable today.

I am grateful for my clean water to drink and shower with (think how many people in the world don’t have even those basic things)

I am grateful for my pets who love me so much

I am grateful for the funny emails my friends who care about me send to me.

I am grateful for this computer to receive them on.

I am grateful for the internet that brings me all the answers I want in less than 5 minutes time (remember how long it used to take just to try to find information before the internet?)

Anyway I came up with a bunch of other things in those first few days. I would spend my first 15 minutes of the morning with my cup of coffee typing out my list.

While at first I was just going through the motions I found I did feel a little better each morning after I was done. What was more surprising to me however, was the lasting effects it was having without my even being aware of it.

Around the third day, I remember waking up feeling “lighter“ somehow. Before I started my lists I had been waking every morning with a knot in my stomach and a feeling of dread about all of the things I was going to have to unwillingly deal with that day. By the third day however, I found myself waking feeling a little calmer. A little happier. A little bit more confident that I could deal with whatever came my way, even though none of my outside circumstances had changed yet.

Seeing as that I wasn’t doing anything different other than my grateful list I realized that it had to be the reason. This got me excited and I decided to really go to town on my list.

I started looking for even the smallest things to be grateful for.

The laugh I had the day before hearing a funny story.

An unexpected gift from a neighbor.

My mom’s chocolate chip cookies

Decorating my apartment with my well loved holiday decorations that I kept in storage (and it didn’t cost me a cent).

The wonderful cards arriving in the mail from my friends and family with pictures of their healthy growing children.

The holiday decorations going up around the neighborhood making everything more festive.

Sure enough I found the more I did the list every day, the better I felt right after I did it as well as generally throughout the day. I also found myself taking note of little things to be grateful for all day long so I could add them to the next mornings list.

With Law of Attraction being what it is, sure enough my outside circumstances started to change as well. My husband found another job through an unexpected connection, we received a check from his old company from an account that we had forgotten he had, my mother surprised us by purchasing almost all of the items on my sons Christmas list as a gift to us and I found myself having one of the warmest Christmas’ I could ever remembering having. Simply because for the first time I truly appreciated all that I had.

If you want to attract wonderful things into your life, one of the fastest ways to do it is to start being grateful for what you have right now. And I don’t mean by just giving it lip service. I mean really feel the gratefulness as you write your list. Truly imagine what it would be like to not have so many of those things you take for granted in your life.

The Law of Attraction brings to you what you focus on, think about and the vibrational frequency you are working from. If you are spending your time thinking about all of the wonderful things you can be happy about – the universe will naturally respond to that vibration and bring you even more.

It is a simple 15 minute exercise that costs you nothing but can make an incredible difference in your entire life!

So start today! You have absolutely nothing to lose but everything to gain!

Happy Creating!