I am grateful for all that I have and for all that I am able to do but more than that I am so thankful, appreciative and grateful for who I truly am.
When I was growing up, I was fortunate to have a loving father who I believed was there for me. I mostly never doubted his love. Yet, as much as he acknowledged me, it was never enough because I never felt I really deserved it. I was filled with self doubt and didn’t even realize it. Much of the time I was pretending I was okay.
I had such a lack of self appreciation and low self judgement, the experience of true acknowledgement eluded me and my attempts at gratitude were superficial.
As a child I looked for love and attention everywhere. Whenever I was reciting or performing I wanted everyone to love me and think I was excellent. No matter how much applause I received, if one person didn’t respond in kind, all other acknowledgement meant nothing to me. I focused on the fear of not being loved and not being good enough.
It wasn’t until much later that I realized, feeling Self deserving is the source of being appreciated. Acknowledgement and appreciation doesn’t come from the outside. It comes from knowing who I am. Without feeling deserving and loving my Self unconditionally, my ego had to be fed and it’s starvation was never ending.
Without a strong center, it was hard for me to accept and appreciate acknowledgement. As long as I doubted my Self worth and I didn’t feel deserving, no matter how much my father acknowledged me, it never was enough.
When I had this realization, I began to have a deeper appreciation for who I am and I had less of a need for acknowledgement from others.
Then, when I was complimented, instead of finding reasons not to accept it, I thought about it, allowed myself to deserve, and said “thank you,” which is the appropriate response. Now, I love my Self enough to acknowledge and be grateful for who I am, and my gratitude is limitless.
It starts with trusting my Being, loving the person I am, my joyful authentic Self. I’m so grateful that I experience my true magnificence and feel worthy of loving myself without any reasons or excuses so I can appreciate who I am.
I’m grateful for my relationships with my family and friends who create a supportive environment around me.
I’m grateful for my surroundings and the beauty I see around me every day.
I’m grateful for my home and the joy I feel living in it.
I’m grateful for what I do each day in sharing my joy with others.
I’m grateful for not getting caught up in other people’s worry, concerns and reactions.
I’m grateful that rather than being bogged down with problems, I have the clarity to create solutions.
I’m grateful to understand the real difference between ego and genuine gratitude.
I’m so grateful for the love that comes from within me so I can share my love and appreciation with others.
I’m grateful I choose to live a life of substance rather than one that’s superficial.
I’m grateful I know the difference between talking the talk and walking the walk and living it.
I’m grateful I’ve chosen to live and share my magical life.
Gratitude is one of the most powerful ways to express love. It shows others how much we appreciate them.
“In choosing to Love what IS, and go forward with Gratitude, we are creating new patterns, new possibilities … New Realities.”
Stacey Robyn (Go Gratitude)
Take some time and tell your family and friends how much appreciation you have for them and why you’re grateful for them being in your life.
Sharing gratitude with others and letting them know how much we appreciate them is a great way to inspire and make a difference in people’s lives. The gift of gratitude is a flow of energy that comes back to us immediately in the form of appreciation. The gift is given and received and returned as an acknowledgement of the unconditional love we’re willing to share. It creates peace from within and it moves out into the world.
It’s an amazing opportunity to make a difference.
I’m especially grateful for allowing my Self to experience my own true unconditional love and choosing to live a magical life.
