Appreciation For A Joy-Filled Life

Big Push, painting of a woman swinging in the clouds with white doves

Image used with permission from Big Push by Paul Bond Fine Art

The Energy Of Appreciation And Gratitude.

With every thought we have, an emotional response will follow. Thoughts ALWAYS precede emotions. So every thought impacts our emotional state. Moment by moment we choose which thoughts to entertain and invest energy in – and predictable emotions always follow.

The psychiatrist, physician and researcher, Dr. David Hawkins, measured through kinesiology that every emotion vibrates at a certain frequency. Emotions at the higher end of the scale, such as love, peace and joy, are what we are all seeking. When we’re in love and playful joy, we feel lighter, uplifted, filled with clarity and inspiration. Things go our way. New opportunities and possibilities arise. We’re in the flow. In what Abraham calls “The Vortex.” And all that you desire to be, do and have resides in this vortex.

One of the quickest, most powerful ways to raise into the higher emotional realms is through appreciation. It is different than gratitude, which usually has a feeling of having overcome something negative associated with it. Appreciation is a higher vibration and is being thankful for something as it is. It is pure. Appreciation is on the same level as love. Appreciation is everywhere we want to be.

It’s not always easy to maintain a sustained level of love and joy, but we can ALWAYS find things to appreciate in our lives.

Appreciation is intentionally guiding thoughts to raise our emotional vibration. Lifting us to where love, joy and peace also reside. Practicing appreciation daily places us in the stream of goodness. The more time we spend appreciating, the more we’ll experience those positive emotions and experiences that go along with it.

We always choose which thoughts to entertain and invest energy.

When we observe a negative thought we can choose to interrupt it. In doing so we can bypass the resulting negative emotion and the potential physical experience. By momentarily stopping and appreciation something, anything, in that moment it can be an effective tool to shift negative thinking.

By accessing more of these higher emotions we also leverage the law of attraction, which like the law of gravity is always at work. It operates equally with both negative and positive emotions. The law of attraction states that like attracts like. Therefore, if we want to attract love, joy, happiness and peace we need to be in or near those emotional states. Whatever emotional state is most dominant becomes a beacon for bringing forth those things that reflect that state.

Accept this opportunity.

Create a list of “Things I Appreciation” and write at least one thing every morning for 30 days. It can be journal by your bed or on a sheet. My husband and I taped a piece of paper to the bathroom mirror. Everyday we write something we’re appreciating. For me sometimes it was high thread count, a butterfly going by, my amazing clients and the fact that they chose me, my kitty cats, the silver in my hair and the money I am learning how to make in a new way as a solopreneur. For my husband it’s our garden, great surf, a good hair day, listening to music and creating in his art studio.

What are you appreciating?

Wherever there is something good, notice it. Look at your money, relationships, health, family, career, beloved pets, your surroundings – notice all of the good. Be in a state of appreciation for all of the many blessings that surround you. They are everywhere. You just need to slightly shift your attention to notice them.

Ponder and savor what you place your attention on. Revel in the many wonderful things you have going on around you at any moment. Slow down. Take a deep breath and look. They are there. This simple practice can transform your life. Joy is all around, hidden in the things we are appreciating and thankful for.