When I was growing up, I was fortunate to have a loving father\u00a0\u00a0who 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\u2019t even realize it.\u00a0\u00a0Much of the time I was pretending I was okay.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t respond in kind, all other acknowledgement meant nothing to me. I focused on the fear of not being loved and not being good enough.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until much later that I realized, feeling Self deserving is the source of being appreciated. Acknowledgement and appreciation doesn\u2019t come from the outside. It comes from knowing who I am. Without\u00a0\u00a0feeling deserving and loving my Self unconditionally, my ego had to be fed and it\u2019s starvation was never ending.<\/p>\n
Without a strong center, it was hard for me to accept and appreciate acknowledgement.\u00a0\u00a0As long as I doubted my Self worth and I didn\u2019t feel deserving, no matter how much my father acknowledged me, it never was enough.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Then, when I was complimented, instead of finding reasons not to accept it, I thought about it, allowed myself to deserve, and said \u201cthank you,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
It starts with trusting my Being, loving the person I am, my joyful authentic Self. I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m grateful for my relationships with my family and friends who create a supportive environment around me.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m grateful for my surroundings and the beauty I see around me every day.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m grateful for my home and the joy I feel living in it.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m grateful for what I do each day in sharing my joy with others.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m grateful for not getting caught up in other people\u2019s worry, concerns and reactions.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m grateful that rather than being bogged down with problems, I have the clarity to create solutions.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m grateful to understand the real difference between\u00a0\u00a0ego and genuine gratitude.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m so grateful for the love that comes from within me so I can share my love and appreciation with others.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m grateful I choose to live a life of substance rather than one that\u2019s superficial.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m grateful I know the difference between talking the talk and walking the walk and living it.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m grateful I\u2019ve chosen to live and share my magical life.<\/p>\n
Gratitude is one of the most powerful ways to express love. It shows others how much we appreciate them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn choosing to Love what IS, and go forward with Gratitude, we are creating new patterns, new possibilities … New Realities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stacey Robyn (Go Gratitude)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Take some time and tell your family and friends how much appreciation you have for them and why you\u2019re grateful for them being in your life.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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\u2019re willing to share. It creates peace from within and it moves out into the world.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an amazing opportunity to make a difference.<\/p>\n I\u2019m especially grateful for allowing my Self to experience my own true unconditional love and choosing to live a magical life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 … Continue reading