Count Your Blessings

From the book, The Magic

"When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around."
Willie Nelson (b. 1933)
singer-songwriter

You will have heard people say to count your blessings, and when you think about the things you're grateful for, that's exactly what you're doing. But what you may not have realized is that counting your blessings is one of the most powerful practices you can ever do, and it will magically turn your whole life around!

When you're grateful for the things you have, no matter how small they may be, you will see those things instantly increase. If you're grateful for the money you have, however little, you will see your money magically grow. If you're grateful for a relationship, even if it's not perfect, you will see it miraculously get even better. If you're grateful for the job that you have, even if it's not your dream job, things will begin to change so that you enjoy your job more, and all kinds of opportunities for your work will suddenly appear.

The flipside is that when we're not counting our blessings, we can fall into the trap of unintentionally counting negative things. We count negative things when we talk about the things we don't have. We count negative things when we criticize or find fault with other people, when we complain about traffic, waiting in lines, delays, the government, not enough money, or the weather. When we count negative things they increase too, but on top of that, with every negative thing we count, we cancel out blessings that were on their way. I have tried both - counting my blessings and counting negative things - and I can assure you that counting your blessings is the only way to have abundance in your life.

"Better to lose count while naming your blessings than to lose your
blessings to counting your troubles."
Maltbie D. Babcock (1858-1901)
writer and clergyman

First thing in the morning, or as early in the day as you can, Count Your Blessings. You can write out your list by hand, type it on a computer, or use a special book or journal and keep all of your gratitude in one place. Today, you are going to make a simple list of ten blessings in your life you are grateful for.

When Einstein gave thanks, he thought about why he was grateful. When you think about the reason why you're grateful for a particular thing, person, or situation, you will feel gratitude more deeply. Remember that the magic of gratitude happens according to the degree of your feeling! So with each item on your list write the reason why you're grateful for it.

Here are some ideas for writing your list:

* I am truly blessed to have what? ,
because why? .
* I am so happy and grateful for what? ,
because why? .
* I am truly grateful for what? ,
because why? .
* With all my heart, thank you for what? ,
because why? .

After you've finished making your list of ten blessings, go back and read each one, either in your mind or out loud. When you get to the end of each blessing, say the magic words three times, thank you, thank you, thank you, and feel the gratitude for that blessing as much as you possibly can.

To help you feel more gratitude, you can be grateful to the Universe, God, Spirit, goodness, life, your greater self, or any other concept you are drawn to. When you direct gratitude toward something or someone, you will feel it even more, and your gratitude will have even more power, and create even more magic! It's the reason why indigenous and ancient cultures chose symbols like the sun to direct their gratitude toward. They were simply using physical symbols to represent the universal source of all goodness, and in focusing on that symbol they felt more gratitude.

The practice of counting your blessings is so simple and so powerful in altering your life, that I want you to continue to add ten more blessings to your list every day for the next 27 days. You might think it could be difficult to find ten things you're grateful for every day, but the more you think about it, the more you will realize how much you have to be grateful for. Look closely at your life; you have received, and are continuing to receive so much each and every day. There is really so much to give thanks for!

You could be grateful for your home, your family, your friends, your work, and your pets. You could be thankful for the sun, the water that you drink, the food that you eat, and the air that you breathe; without any of them you wouldn't be alive. You could be grateful for the trees, the animals, the oceans, the birds, the flowers, the plants, blue skies, rain, the stars, the moon, and our beautiful planet Earth.

You could be grateful for your senses: your eyes that see, your ears that hear, your mouth that tastes, your nose that smells, and your skin that enables you to feel. You could be grateful for the legs you walk on, your hands that you use to do almost everything, your voice that enables you to express yourself and communicate with others. You could give thanks for your amazing immune system that keeps you well, and all of your organs that maintain your body so that you can live. And what about the magnificence of your human mind, which no computer technology in the world can duplicate?

Here is a list of subjects that will remind you of the major areas you can look for blessings to be grateful for. You can also add any subject you want depending on what is important to you at any time.

* Magic Gratitude Subjects:
* Health and body
* Work and success
* Money
* Relationships
* Passions
* Happiness
* Love
* Life
* Nature: planet Earth, air, water, and the sun
* Material goods and services
* Any subject of your choosing

You should feel significantly better and happier after each time you Count Your Blessings, and how good you feel is your measure of how much gratitude you felt. The more gratitude you felt, the happier you will feel, and the faster your life will change. Some days you will feel happy really quickly, and other days it may take a little longer. But as you continue to Count Your Blessings every day, you will notice a bigger and bigger difference in the way you feel each time, and you will see your blessings magically multiply!


Magic Practice Number 1

Count Your Blessings

1. First thing in the morning, make a list of ten blessings in your life you are grateful for.
2. Write why you're grateful for each blessing.
3. Go back and read your list, either in your mind or out loud. When you get to the end of each one, say the magic words, thank you, thank you, thank you, and feel the gratitude for that blessing as much as you possibly can.
4. Repeat the first three steps of this magical practice every morning for the next 27 days.