Stillness & Gratitude

"Stillness", I hear you say.... "When would I have time to do that?"

I’m talking about mental, emotional and physical stillness. Meditation is just that. The amount of proper rest and healing is just priceless. You’ve probably heard that 20 minutes of meditation can be the equivalent to a few hours of deep, rejuvenating sleep.

So, in knowing this is really beneficial for us, why do we continue to go so fast and not take heed to simply just be...?

Everywhere we look we are stimulated visually, auditory, physically and physiologically. I recognise this more so when I take a step back from my life and look at the canvas before me. I’ve just returned from being in the heat and humidity of Bali - the key visitation to this busy island was for a dear friend’s wedding, yet funnily if I thought of going on a holiday for a real break, Bali is just way too busy for me.

However, I managed to remove myself from the congestion. Not physically, but in shifting my perspective. My holiday started in Ubud and the pollution, zoom zooming of traffic, clanging of pots, people coming and going, horns tooting, dogs barking, children playing and just the general on-goings of the locals and tourist’s life became too much. I was not there to listen to the mayhem, I was there to switch off from my full life back home.

I recognised that if I was to switch off, it was completely up to me. I’d booked for 3 nights accommodation and was committed to staying, but I needed to rest well. I did this by making the decision to be still in the mind, still with my emotions and still my body. I practiced staring at the sky. I practiced staring at the trees and I practiced emptying my mind. And empty my mind I did.

I also took a big metaphoric step back from the canvas of my life and looked at the marvel I’d been so busy creating. Head down, bum up, committed to outcomes for months on end. And during this trip when I stepped back in my stillness and looked at the work of art of life, I was so pleased as to the colorful piece that lay before me.

A rush of warmth crept over my body and I saw the choices I’d made that served my purpose, that warmed my soul as I recognised that even though my creations in life were not conventional and looked nothing like 9-5 and security, I was indeed feeding and filling the bucket of fulfillment.

I recognised that the warm experience filling every crevice of my body was indeed a huge sense of gratitude. I reflected and was grateful for all of my mistakes that got me to grow and learn. I was grateful for the things I didn’t have and the space that that created. I became grateful for everything that was good, bad and indifferent. Ha! Who would have thought!

So, today I’m simply sharing with you this one simple concept that elaborates on my article from 12.6.17, titled “The GIFT of Adversity. Loving life whether it’s good, bad, or indifferent”...

When you look at your life and love everything that you have and don’t have. Accept the pain and suffering as a form of richness rather than a lack of, a point of growth, surrender and accept, life simply sparkles for you.

By being still for just one moment, in the midst of the kaffufle of life, acknowledging all that you are grateful for, you are feeding your cells peace and putting in an order for more of the 'good' stuff.

Aha, it’s as easy as that. You decide the perspective you have, the twist you wish to have on your opinion. Look at it without judgment and pure unconditional love and voila, you are now the master creator of your peaceful, humble life.

Choose to see the gift in the richness of experience. Choose to focus on the things you are grateful for and know how this resonates and feels in your body. Choose to let go of thoughts

and negative emotions that don’t serve you. Just choose to let go.

And here’s the biggest thing you need to know today.

The more you are in a state of gratitude, the more of that wonderful deliciousness you will keep creating in your life.

APPLY TOOL; Every time you feel out of sorts, whether it be in relation to a person or an event, ask yourself, “what is the gift in this? And second to that, instead of spending your time focusing on the problem or the lack of, go into the things you are grateful for. As you think of the things that make your heart sing and that that you are grateful for, check in to see where in your body you feel this warm emotion.... Is it in your tummy, your throat, your arms, your legs... Wherever it is, be still for that moment and just bask in the warmth of that gratitude.

Every night before you sleep and every morning that you wake, run through the things you are grateful for. Also place in there things that you would like to have in your life that you don’t currently have and give thanks for that also.