SOS Monthly

November 2004

Those of you who’ve known me for a while know that I have an overabundance of ‘tude—attitude, that is. Well, this month I’m talking about a different kind of ‘tude—gratitude.

Copping Some 'Tude

Do you express your gratitude enough? I know I don’t. And I don’t mean whether you write your thank-you notes on time. Do you take some time every day to feel fully grateful for what you receive? Think of it as writing a thank-you note to the universe (or God, or your higher power) for looking out for you.

Thanksgiving obviously creates the perfect opportunity to cop some ‘tude. It’s easy to feel grateful at this time of year. So I’m not going to talk about family holiday traditions—you can get that out of any magazine in the supermarket checkout line.

I am going to encourage you to take a few minutes every day to be grateful. Being grateful sets the stage for receiving more of what you want. Being grateful also lets the universe know you are appreciative of what comes your way—even when you feel like you’ve worked really hard for it, and the universe didn’t really help at all.

Sound a bit too esoteric for you? Let’s bring it down to earth. Here are some of the ‘tude-building activities that work for me.

1. My gratitude practice includes taking time each day to write down five things I'm grateful for that day. Some days I go over the limit; other days two of my items are "breathing out" and "breathing in". I learned this practice many years ago, when I read Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach. This list takes 2 minutes each day.
   
2. Another gratitude reinforcement comes during my meditations. After manifesting using my virtual crystal ball, I take a minute to express gratitude to the universe for listening to me, and for whatever I may receive. These meditations take 5-10 minutes a day.
   
3. Finally, I just found out about a great little site, where you can light a virtual candle in gratitude (or for whatever reason you wish). It's at www.gratefulness.org. The site walks you through the process, and you get a tiny window of your candle burning on your computer when you're done. You can shut the window if you want to, your candle burns for 48 hours whether you display it or not. Lighting a candle takes another 2 minutes of my day.

Now you may be saying, “But I’ve had a horrible day (week, year, whatever)! What do I possibly have to be grateful for?” Here are some of my gratitude journal entries from the last few months:

A great new client.

Mom’s doing well.

Reading by the beach.

Early to bed.

Great workshop response.

Michael arrived safely.

Reconnecting with old friend.

Little tulips at the end of the road.

My heat works.

Elisabeth’s sense of humor.

See, it’s not that hard. As a recognized expert at copping an attitude, let me tell you that copping some gratitude is much, much easier.

Give it a try yourself. Go ahead, cop some 'tude!

Looking for Two More Stories

In last month’s SOS Monthly, I told you about the book I’m working on. Thanks to a terrific response, I’ve got just two contributor slots left. If you’d like to share your own story, or know of someone whose story would make a great addition to this book, please let me know.

Get Involved, Get In Touch

Join me and the SOS Community as we expand our practice of gratitude. Here are all the ways you can participate!

Visit my blog, Creating An Ideal Life While Wearing a Tiara, and check it out. You'll find some more of my musings on gratitude, and on practically everything else!

The SOS Forum is a terrific place to listen to post some gratitude lists of your own.

Check out the full range of life transformation services available at Seasons of Success.

The mission of SOS Monthly is to inspire and empower you to lead the big life you deserve. Comments, feedback and ideas for stories are always welcome.  Also, please feel free to forward this along to anyone who might be interested and/or benefit from its contents. All story ideas, comments and suggestions are most welcome.  Send me your input!

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Barbara Bellissimo

Life Transformation Agent

Seasons of Success

P.O. Box 1303

West Tisbury, MA   02575

1.508.696.4647

©2004 by Barbara Bellissimo. All rights reserved.