“Black Friday”. I don’t like that phrase – period. It has many connotations to me – what about you?

Anyway, though, it’s a day when everyone is out at the stores trying to get bargains on their Christmas (holiday) shopping. And they are not always very friendly when they are trying to get as many bargains in as many places as possible. People push and shove and aren’t very friendly – it’s all about them it seems. Sure, they couch it in “I’m trying to get gifts for my family” but it’s all about them – there’s nothing about the other folks in line.

Now is when you MUST practice gratitude/thanksgiving and do it pretty continuously if you’re out there with them. If you forgot to get your weekly supplies at the store and have to go today, practice your Rampage of Appreciation technique (I’ll talk about that in a minute) and see if that helps make your day go better. Although we only officially celebrate gratitude on one day (yesterday) we should be practicing gratitude EVERY DAY! Do you have your copy of the Gratitude Journal? Are you using it?

Did you know that gratitude is the quickest way to achieving all you want in life – the Universe responds to gratitude and appreciation more than it does to anything. The vibrations associated with gratitude are amongst the highest. And when you have high vibrations, you will attract the best to you. Make a practice of using your Gratitude Journal every day from now until Christmas and see if a) you’ve established a habit that will stick with you and b) what have you attracted in that time period – the more you record the better – it will also become your success journal. You’ll see the successes you have because you will be grateful for them and will write them down every day. That way, all you have to do is read through the journal to see how far you’ve come.

Now for the “Rampage of Appreciation” – this is a great process from Abraham-Hicks! Try this as you are standing in line at a store (you can use it any time, any place though). Look around you and find something you like. Then start talking (to yourself) about how beautiful it is and how great the improvements or changes are in the store etc. For example: “I really like the way they have decorated this year. That shelf is so neat and the surrounding area is really clean. Look at how they have matched the colors and put them in a cool green and red pattern for Christmas. Oh, and I really like the friendliness of that woman behind the register – no matter what is said to her, she’s always smiling and has a pleasant word. There are a ton of people in line and she’s not fazed in the least. She’s just so happy and friendly and seems to put everyone at ease. I notice a beautiful change in all the people in line as they get close to her. It’s as if she’s radiating the spirit of Christmas and happiness and joy. How could anyone NOT absorb that attitude. And the managers – how cool is it that they have Christmas badges and hats and don’t seem to be bothered by them – it helps them stand out for those needing their services but not appearing ostentatious…..” and you just go on and on and see how it changes the way you feel. The Rampage of Appreciation is something really fun to do and will change how you feel about things in your life!

So now – no matter where you are today, make sure you do at least one Rampage of Appreciation – comment below on how you did with it and what happened!

Terrie

p.s. I find it hard to understand why the made “Small Business Saturday” the day after Black Friday when people will have spent much (if not most) of their allotted money the day before. Does that indicate lack of real support for Small Businesses and just giving it lip service? Something to think about.