Have you ever been on an elliptical machine? The first time I tried it, things started off well. But then the momentum just kept building and building, and soon I was going so fast I could not keep up with myself. Arms and legs where flying every which way, my face got more and more red, and the sweat began to hit my neighbors.
I thought the machine sped up, but it turns out (as it was explained to me later), that it was my own momentum speeding things up, and I was in control of the speed all the while. Duh!
Well “Thank You’s” are a little like that elliptical machine, they can build momentum all on their own. (Or not, it’s up to you.)
There are a couple of ways that your “Thank You’s” can build momentum:
1. Thanking & acknowledging those around you.
People crave acknowledgement. This is natural; we all want to love and be loved back. Thanking can be a great way to say, “I see you. I see the difference you make. I appreciate you and all that you do.”
In all your activities, look for reasons to say “Thank you!” When you do so, you will really be looking, seeing, and acknowledging others. What a wonderful free gift you can give another. Once people feel appreciated, they naturally want to contribute more. This is not necessarily the end you are looking for, but what a nice bonus, huh?
The more you thank, the more things you will find to be thankful for. It’s a natural human cycle.
2. Thanking the Universe.
So what about thanking God? Does God really hear us, and does it even make a difference to God? I often think about this when I see football players thanking God after a big play and I have to wonder. Does God really care that much about the outcome of a football game? Perhaps, but I doubt it. I seriously doubt that God would feel slighted in the least. I think he has a lot more going on than worrying about that.
In the case of thanking God, let’s look at this quote:
“Will God be disturbed if you do not return thanks? Will God say, ‘Such an ingrate!’ The fact is, it does not make any difference to God whether you give thanks or not. But it makes a lot of difference to you. God is too universal, too almighty, to be dependent on your thanksgiving… You are not obligated to thank God for your life, for your job, for your prosperity. However, giving thanks is an important state of your consciousness that keeps you in an awareness of oneness with divine flow…”
“So you give thanks, not FOR these things, but FROM the awareness that there is always an all-sufficiency even within the insufficiency.”
Eric Butterworth, Spiritual Economics
You can not offend God. The Universe is all accepting. Accepting both the saint and the sinner, the thankful and the unthankful.
But thanking the Divine can have a huge impact on you, because the act of thanking helps to shift your internal consciousness. (Out of which all things are co-created in your life.)
Our thoughts become our mind’s habits. Our habits help create our consciousness. If you keep thanking and looking for ways to be thankful, your core being will just start to radiate thankfulness. Can you imagine the kind of energy you will project? Can you imagine the positive people you will attract? Can you imagine the opportunities? The possible new solutions to fulfill your desires?
So either way – by thanking the individuals around you or by thanking the divine – it is only natural that the more you thank, the more momentum you will build and the more you will find to be thankful for. It is only natural.
Takeaway: The more you thank, the more you will find to be thankful for. (Even if you don’t thank God.)
(And the next time you see a football player thanking God, perhaps use it as a signal to take a moment and identify something you can be thankful for too. That’s a much better reaction than throwing your popcorn at the TV because he just scored against your team. ;o) )
 |
 |
unscribbling.com 