Daily Gratitude: Sometimes an affirmation will show up and I think it’s worth sharing. This is one of those times.

When we’re trying hard to change and want to see evidence of it and nothing happens, what do we usually do?

We think “nothing’s working” and frequently that’s followed by “why bother anymore?”

I know I’ve felt like that and gotten myself all depressed and discouraged. At this point in my life I usually am able to remind myself that thinking that way and allowing my emotions to get so strong is negative and will repel the growth I’m looking for.

Then I remember one of my favorite songs – the Rose. And the concept behind it. Or I can remember the bamboo story. So much is happening behind the scenes or underground but we won’t see evidence of it until gestation is complete and evidence above the surface appears.

Once you’ve planted the seed, follow up with proper watering and sunlight and whatever else is needed for its care (what parts of your growth plan fit in that category?).

Then remind yourself that we don’t have to be like everyone else and demand instant gratification. If you’re following your plan, the growth will occur and results will appear. Mothers want to have their babies “right now” so they can begin to care for them and so they aren’t miserable. But that’s just not the way it works. So think of your growth and change as your baby. It will be delivered when it’s time.

Daily Gratitude: This quote doesn’t need much explanation. But I thought it was cute and oh so true.

It’s the best way to explain why your gratitude practice needs to be consistent. There is always something, no matter how little, you can be grateful for. If you can’t think of anything at all, you can always be grateful that you’re still breathing. And go from there.

Make it a practice to write your love letter – to your life or to the universe – every day. Have fun with it. It’s not a chore.

It really is a love letter!

Daily Gratitude: When you’re feeling down or as if you’re up against an unbeatable obstacle and just don’t know what to do….
Say this “let me be water”

Why?

Think of the power of water
All you have to do is think of what you’ve seen in the aftermath of hurricanes or floods.

But if you want to really draw on the power of the universe you could say “let me be a tsunami” or “let me be as powerful as a tsunami”

Some people could interpret that in the negative since tsunamis like the one in 2006 killed so many people and damaged so much property. But the water isn’t malevolent. Neither it nor the universe set out to find one hundred thousand people to harm. It was the result of the forces of nature.

The point and the plea here is that you want to have the force and the passion of a tsunami to conquer your fear and make it past that thing in your way. That thing may be external, or it may just as likely be internal.

If you choose to be more gentle, then think of a stream. It’s seemingly without force but what it does have is persistence. That stream just keeps flowing and finds its way around all the debris, all the rocks, anything in its way. You definitely want persistence so you can wear a path around, under, or through your problem. If you’re having a visceral reaction right now, take the day or two and think about it.

I’ve shared this poem before but not as part of the Daily Gratitude it has really touched me. It’s by John Roedel. I think you’ll agree that we all should want to be water.

When I am caught between a rock and a hard place ~
Let me be water.

When the path ahead is blocked ~
Let me be water.

When pressure builds from every side ~
Let me be water.

When fear hardens my heart ~
Let me be water.

When I am demanded to break or to run ~
Let me be water.

When I cannot see a way through ~
Let me be water.

Until at last, even the oldest stone in me remembers ~
water always finds a way.

Let me be water.
Let me be water.
Let me be water.

(John Roedel from “anoint this threshold”)