You always hear the phrase “count your blessings”. But have you ever really sat down and counted them? I did just that this morning. It’s Thanksgiving in the United States and I have so much to be grateful for. So, I set my phone alarm for 5 minutes and started writing my blessings. I was using the computer so I didn’t get as many down as if I had just scribbled with pen and paper but I still listed 61 items in just 5 minutes.

Can you imagine what your life would look like and how it would change to you if you took 5 minutes EVERY DAY to list what you’re grateful for? They can be big or small. No one is grading your papers  – the Universe is just happy you’re doing your “homework” so to speak.

Your perspective on your life will change dramatically if you start doing this. Remember that little quip I wrote about the other day where I almost walked out of the hospital without my phone. That’s one tiny thing in the grand scheme of world politics but it’s something I’m extremely grateful for. Small scale gratitude by a lot of people can add up to a very large impact in the world. You really can do your part. But even if you’re not in the mood to try to save the world (or thing it’s baloney), it will change your life. Gratitude is the most powerful force there is and the more you use it, the more blessings will come into your life.

Pay more attention to what’s going on in your life by remembering to use gratitude. Check things off mentally. When you just make it through a green (or yellow) light, remember that event so that you can write it in your gratitude journal. When you get in a short line at the store, put that on a list to record as a gratitude. There are so many little things to be grateful for.

I am so grateful to the folks that have signed up and begun my “Eat, Drink & Be Really Merry This Holiday Season” course – we’re learning how to get through the holidays with love, gratitude and celebration – eliminating guilt, deprivation and indecision. You can enjoy your holiday food without gaining any weight and perhaps even starting to lose some. If you’re interested and want to join us this coming Sunday for class #2 (or want to be in the class but can’t make it [there are replays]) just send me an email through the contact page or even put it in the comments and I’ll contact you.

Take 5 minutes today and just write continuously the things you’re grateful for – you can always start with the fact that you woke up and that you are able to read this post (meaning you have internet access and eyesight) and that you can write (meaning you’re not paralyzed or have incapacitating pain in your hand/arm etc – you get the idea).

I am grateful for all of you and the fact that you are in my life! Please stay healthy and happy. Increase your happiness using this 5 minute technique. Remember that you can get the Gratitude Journal and use that too if you want.

Be safe and enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Terrie

The post Have You Ever Really Counted Your Blessings? first appeared on Getting Unstuck, LLC.

Lately I have repeatedly asked myself “did I make a mistake?”

Have I changed the course of my life? To what good?

No matter what good came out of the run across Tennessee, I’m not really sure it was worth it if I can’t ever run again. It’s been almost 4 months since the event and I am just starting to walk again but still with a fair amount of pain in all areas of my feet.

But trying not to be a hypocrite, I try to practice what I “preach” here and not just write Pollyanna type stuff.  So, before I decided to write this post I thought a great deal about it.

You can ask yourself if you made a mistake, but, the truth is, what are you going to do about it now? You can lament the decision(s) you made. You can be upset and regret the outcomes. You can wish you had done things differently. You can be angry, depressed, resentful or anything you want to be.  However, none of those questions  or emotions can change the way things are right now, can they?

Why would you want to sit around and mope about it? Perhaps because you are grieving a loss. I know I am. And that’s OK, too. But, it’s so very easy to get wrapped up on that grieving process and to go deeper and deeper into the quicksand. At some point, you just sink and don’t want to come  back up for air. What good does that do? None whatsoever.

It becomes your job to ask for help from your friends if you can’t do it on your own or sometimes it might even require professional help.

The whole point, though, is to realize that you can’t do diddly squat about what has happened. You made a decision at the time and now you have to live the life you have right now. Move forward. Remind yourself why you did what you did, be happy that you did it and open your mind to figure out what it is you’re supposed to have learned from that event.

Even though in our human mindset it’s likely we want to complain about the decision and call it a mistake, if we look at it as a gift and a new door opening, I think we’ll be amazed at what will pour through that door. You can make this a good thing or continue to wallow in self-pity. But you’re not going to change what happened. You are only going to change what happens in the NOW. That is completely dependent on how you look at “it” and the “results”. I am always reminded of the Prisoners of War who survived by living in their minds. They visualized beautiful things, being with family and whatever other positive things they could fill up their minds and imagination with. That is what you have to do. Come up with a new plan of action.

This is easier, of course, if you have many different activities and can now choose from something else. But if you’ve put your eggs in one basket all this time, it’s going to be harder. It can be done, though.

Each day make yourself write down 3-5 things you are grateful for – that have happened as a result of your “mistake”. They may be small things or maybe big ones, but reach deep to find at least 3. You can also use things that you want to happen in the future as part of your gratitude list.

This is your only homework. However, you have to make a commitment to say you’re going to look at this event, this “mistake” in a positive way and as an open door for you. If you don’t make that commitment, you’ll be much more likely to sink into the quagmire and forget about your gratitude list.

Promise me you’ll do the list – at least 3 things each day that have happened or will happen as a result of your “mistake”. Do it every day for at least 2 weeks, then revisit the situation. Embrace what happened to you and see it as a message even if you’re still seeking a translation for it.

Terrie

The post Did I Make A Mistake? first appeared on Getting Unstuck, LLC.

I simply have the urge to shout this from the rooftop…I am so very grateful for the life I have.

I had parents who loved me and cared for me and ensured that I got to go to medical school despite having to sacrifice so much. Even if I didn’t understand at the time how much they loved me, I surely do now.

I have a great brother who has come back into my life and I finally feel that connection again. After all, I would have quit pursuing my goal of becoming a doctor had he not talked some sense into me (probably the only time anyone else did).

I have had a great career and “by chance” ended up in the Navy – the best decision of my life – even if my choice was based on the fact they had the nicest uniforms of the services (hey, what did I know and the recruiters never tell you the whole story). My 30 year career in the Navy shaped my life and provided me with friends and leaders and experiences I would never had had in the civilian world. And that career enabled me to have the job I have now.

I have terrific friends and have had many others that someday I might hook up with again.

I have had great health. And the infirmities that I possess have taught me tolerance and understanding for others who might need my help and guidance some day. For that I can’t thank the universe enough.

I have lived in terrific places and currently have the best neighbors anyone could ever ask for! How wonderful is that.

I have been blessed with 4 siberian huskies over the past 26 years and have loved them and been loved by them in ways only a pet lover can understand. They were my children.

I have a hobby that I love (running – even though I can’t right now) and through that hobby I have met so many wonderful people and done things I didn’t think I could do.

I was exposed to metaphysics in 1985 or 1986 and realized that all I believed in had a name (metaphysics) and since then I have explored it in so many ways.

I have had prosperity and abundance in my own way and as such have been able to help others and for that I am immensely grateful.

This past year I have had the pleasure of working for a boss who taught me more than anyone else in my 66 years. For that I cannot thank her enough.

I am not poetic but I wanted to publicly proclaim my gratitude. The Law of Attraction has been very good to me even when I didn’t know what it was – ha! Life has been good to me and all of you who are reading this have been really, really good to me and I thank you all for being in my life!

Terrie

The post I Just Have To Say This…. first appeared on Getting Unstuck, LLC.

I talk about gratitude frequently but in our hectic day and age, it always is good to be reminded of the benefits of gratitude.

What you give out comes back 10 fold – this can also be regarding “bad” stuff (however you define “bad”) so make sure you’re not sending out vibrations for the Universe to return 10 fold.

If you develop only one metaphysical habit, it should be to list your gratitudes every single day. I recommend you use the free software I offer – the Gratitude Journal. But if you don’t choose to use a software program that’s fine too. You can use a notepad (electronic or paper) but the important thing is to do it every day. At the end of each day you should list 3-5 things you’re grateful for that have happened in your life. Also make it a habit to express gratitude for 3-5 things you “know” are going to come your way in the future. This is one of the fastest ways to make things happen.

Make a commitment to do your gratitudes every day for the next 30 days just to see if there is a difference in your life. I bet there will be. Your vibration will be so much higher and it won’t take hardly any effort to get back up to a high vibration should things start to turn the wrong way. Sitting at a very long traffic light? Starting to get irritated because “you’ve got places to go and things to do”? Start saying your gratitudes and concentrate on the things that are going to come to you. Before you know it, the light will change and you’ll be on your way feeling much happier.

Things not going well at work? Start your gratitudes. It’s amazing what a calming power saying your gratitudes has. It turned my life around 10 years ago when I was getting ready to retire from the Navy and move to San Antonio. I was experiencing such anxiety and couldn’t find a house and was so scared. I was to the point where I was going to give up and not retire at that point even though it was what I really wanted. So, on my next to last night, as I lay down to go to sleep, I decided to say my gratitudes and just started with being grateful for my parents, my brother even though estranged, my health etc. And when I ran out of them, I just started over. The next morning I woke up calmer than I think I ever had been. The result – I found a house that was totally perfect and was essentially filled with the components I had either had in my other houses (the components that I loved) or that I had envisioned. The funny part is that for “normal” people, the layout of this house would most likely have been a turn off. But to me, it had everything set the exact way I wanted it. Totally amazing. But what I do know is that the Universe heard me being grateful for everything I had and it gave me back all of that many times more than 10 fold.

Try it, I promise you’ll see a difference!

Terrie

The post Gratitude Leads To Gold first appeared on Getting Unstuck, LLC.

“Most who are looking for mates that they haven’t quite found yet are so interested in getting to where they’re going that they’re missing the fun of going there.

—Abraham

Excerpted from the workshop: San Francisco, CA on March 02, 1997”

Although this quote is referencing looking for a relationship/partner, the concept behind it applies to every aspect of life.

I experienced this and missed so much of my childhood and young adulthood because I was driven with a singular goal in mind – to be a doctor. Everything I did was aimed toward that one goal. I never paid attention to anything that was going on around me whether that be people or events or nature or anything. I simply wanted to become a doctor.

The day I graduated from medical school, the one thought that went through my head was “What now?”. There was only a few fleeting moments of joy at having achieved my goal but then I realized that life had to go on and I had no idea what life really was all about. This is so applicable to making sure that your goals do not overtake you and keep you from enjoying the journey to the finish line. It’s also about making sure you have created another goal for when you’ve accomplished this one.

It’s so essential that we enjoy every day and do something meaningful every day. Learn and do something new, go somewhere new or special. Most of all, though, I feel that living every day to the fullest is about giving something to someone every single day. That may be just a smile or a compliment or it may be a dollar to someone on the corner. I don’t know but I do know that at this time of year, there are a great many people in need. The obvious ones are those in need of financial support especially if they have children. But the ones that I think are more important and unfortunately not obvious are those that are sad and depressed and have significant problems with the holidays. There are so many suicides during this time and if you’ve ever been depressed or just down, you know the pain of watching others be so joyful and having others to love and be loved by when you feel you have nothing.

Reach out to at least one person a day. Even if it’s just to ask “Hey, how are you doing? You are such a valuable person that I wanted you to know how much you mean to me.” Something like that. Write an email to an old friend to see how they are doing. Join a forum and see what you can do to help others. I want to start that type of forum here so that others have a place to go where there are like minded people and the price of membership would be to do something good for someone (either in the forum/membership) or not.

What can you do today? Who can you touch today? Make a decision that you will NOT continue to miss another day along the wonderful path you are on. Stop and really smell the roses – the roses are euphemisms for whatever glory you might see along the way.

Be in the present but most of all do something for another person today!

Terrie

The post Momentum Monday first appeared on Getting Unstuck, LLC.

This wonderful graphic is courtesy of Mind Valley Academy.

The post Gratitude Infographic first appeared on Getting Unstuck, LLC.

These words are not really secret but occasionally it seems they are secret. People don’t say “thank you” enough in my opinion.

You can say thank you to another person for small things or for big things. Or, you can say thank you to the Universe for anything and everything!

This simple expression is so easy to say and takes no effort at all. Challenge yourself to say thank you at least 10 times a day AND Then write in your gratitude journal every day.

Making yourself keep track of these activities increases the power of actually doing them.

Gratitude is what makes the world go round and is really what will change your life completely. Being completely immersed in gratitude will turn your world upside down but in the good way! Try it.

Who can you say thank you to today? Can you try to “best” yourself every day and do more “thank you’s” than you did the day before? Can you write more things in your gratitude journal every day. Start with 2 or 3 and then each day try to beat that.

This is one of the laws of the Universe – the Law of Gratitude!

Let us know what’s happening and how many times you said thank you each day and how many things were you grateful for in your gratitude journal. Remember to download your free gratitude journal (PC only).

Terrie

The post 2 Secret Words That Will Alter Your Life first appeared on Getting Unstuck, LLC.

“I try to be grateful for the abundance of the blessings that I have, for the journey that I’m on and to relish each day as a gift.”

~James McGreevey

I had another post planned for today but then I read this quote and had to use it based on what’s going on in my life right now. 

When you read this,  it’s simple. Applying it every minute of every day requires remembering it and merely looking around you and saying “I am grateful for……”. In our lives it really is pretty easy to fill in the blanks.

Even if you’re hurting or feeling down, there is something to be grateful for, something you have in abundance. It all depends on your definition of abundance I suppose. But most of us experience so much abundance that we then take it for granted. Look around you. Do you have a roof over your head (even if it leaks)? Do you have a refrigerator and is there food/drink in it? Do you have a closet? What’s in it? Do you have heat and/or A/C?

These are things that we take for granted every single day. But when we’re feeling down or not as good as we’d like, then we need to look around and just spotting some of these indicators of abundance and expressing our gratitude to the Universe for them. That will make you feel better if you keep doing it enough. It worked for me.

Try it this week and see what happens.

Terrie

The post Momentum Monday first appeared on Getting Unstuck, LLC.

It’s time to take a different look at your prosperity. We talked about this a few weeks ago when it was time for your taxes. But it’s pertinent all the time. We just need to expand our vision and get a bit out of our own little world.

If you want more prosperity, you have to feel prosperous. The best way to do that is to be thankful and joyful when you are paying your bills. You should write on the envelope “thank you” or “I am grateful for this statement”. If you use the word “bills”, it’s even more important that you feel deep gratitude. Why? Remember that your subconscious does not have a Merriam-Webster dictionary inside of it and does not know the difference between bills and bills – meaning the currency you carry around in your wallet and the pieces of paper that come from companies asking for money. Thus, the more gratitude and joy you bless both types of bills with, the more the Universe will bring prosperity back to you.

If you look beyond your wallet and bank account when you are responding to those statements (paying your bills), you’ll see how many people have been (and will be) positively affected by what you are now paying for. There are the people who worked hard to make the product (or provide the service) you purchased. You have helped them. Maybe this was a single mom who has 3 jobs and just barely making it from paycheck to paycheck. You have helped her and perhaps even bought a meal for her child. Then there are the folks who are sending you the statement. You know they don’t make a lot of money either. You have helped them with their income. And so on down the line. Try to imagine ALL the people you are helping by paying this one bill and be thankful that you are helping other folks even if you don’t know them. Imagine that you do know them and that you are there handing them the payment and seeing the smile and perhaps some tears on their faces.

Frequently we tend to only think of those in “power” who run the corporations that are “charging outrageous prices” etc. All that does is make the process painful for you and increases your despair, disappointment and resentment. I encourage you to look beyond all those “people in power” (PIPs). I don’t know about you but I work for a BIG power corporation (the government) and if people stopped paying what they are supposed to pay, I would not have an income. What about you? If you’re in business for yourself, it’s as bad or worse if others just didn’t want to pay the bills you send because they don’t think they “should”.

Try it for a few months. Bless your bills, write on them “Bless this bill and I’m grateful for this”, and visualize giving someone on the other end their money. Then pay the bill, smile and move on. In a short while this will be contagious and you’ll be blessing everything you pay for and you know what? You’ll start reaping the benefits. Gratitude is the strongest force in the Universe.

Terrie

The post Pay Your Bills With JOY… first appeared on Getting Unstuck, LLC.

As you know all weekend I was writing about Diana Nyad and the many aspects and lessons from her 53 hour swim (and more importantly all that went behind it). And you know what? I’ll continue to write about her (and it) because the number of lessons in this story is amazing – and the lessons about the Law of Attraction in this story are worthy of revisiting for sure.

How do you express gratitude?

Do you keep track of all the “gifts” you receive and have received in your life?

How do you define a “gift” – after all it’s an individual definition.

• Although folks usually think that a gift is something meant directly for them, I look at a gift as being something that was bestowed upon me  – and sometimes even around me but it touches me even if it wasn’t meant directly for me. That’s often the way it works. We do not live in a vacuum and almost everything that happens in our surrounding environment will have some effect on us.
• Often people think that a “gift” as being something positive, like flowers or gift card, etc.
• Also, a gift is commonly considered to be a material object (not always but usually that’s the first thing that people think about)

Let’s take each of these individually.

•  We can learn so much from what goes on around us. Look at the people and circumstances around you. Did someone say something near you that gave you a great idea or that made you smile even though they weren’t directing it to you? That’s a gift! Did a neighbor do something to their house that raised the property value of your house perhaps? That’s a gift to you even though your neighbor did not do it for you. Get the point?
• It happens that our most important and valuable gifts are what we might consider “negative” at the time. But remember the “everything always works out for me” mantra. Look back at your life and see the “bad” things that happened in your life and see the good things that actually came from it. My primary example has to do with medical school and my diagnosis of epilepsy. I did not get into medical school the first two times I applied. I was so depressed because that’s all I  ever wanted since I was 4 years old. Picture this tiny little red headed, freckle faced girl standing with her hands on her hips and proudly announcing to the world at large “I am going to be a doctor”. And I never wavered from that. But then, oh my goodness, what was I going to do – I’ve been “rejected”. I did what any person who didn’t have any alternative goals would do – continue to apply year after year..LOL.  During this dry spell of rejection after rejection, I developed these strange events. To make a long story short – this was diagnosed after a year as epilepsy. About a month after the diagnosis and start of treatment I got into medical school. The gifts here are multiple. I didn’t get into medical school because my epilepsy would have interfered with my studies (and probably would not have been diagnosed much earlier even around a bunch of doctors). By the time I started school, my condition was under control and there was no further problems. It was a gift because it made me understand my patients with chronic disease much better and I could help them more. My understanding of medicine, diagnosing and what people experience with the medical encounter was enhanced (although I didn’t know it at the time) which helped me with others. It was a gift for me to get the diagnosis of epilepsy because my neurologist had said “you either have epilepsy or a brain tumor”. As you can imagine, epilepsy was a much more favorable option for me. There are many other gifts in this experience too but I won’t go into them all. The point is that most people would NOT consider being diagnosed with a chronic, life-long illness as a “gift”. But it was.
• The last point is also exemplified by my epilepsy – it wasn’t an object, it was a diagnosis but it was a “gift”. A smile or laugh or a stimulated thought is also a gift. It does NOT have to be put in a box to be a gift.

Your work is to make a list of all the gifts you’ve received in your life. That will take some time if you do it right and take this seriously. Write down the “bad” things too and see what gifts came from them. Do this in a journal and take your time. Give gratitude for each and every gift and see if you can see what great things came from that gift. Do that this weekend, ok?

When you express your gratitude, you will empower yourself even more because gratitude is the most powerful force in the universe! Diana knew that and when she had been in the water for almost 50 hours she gathered all her boats around her and thanked her entire crew. She was exhausted and hurting and yet she knew how important gratitude is. How classy is that? Can you just express gratitude after looking at your list? Of course you can – you haven’t been swimming for 50 hours, you’ve just been making a list (and checking it twice…LOL).

Enjoy this exercise please – I promise you it will be fun! Let us know in the comments how things turned out.

Terrie

The post Gratitude and Gifts first appeared on Getting Unstuck, LLC.