Giving thanks when all you see is darkness ahead. October is the month that we in Canada celebrate Thanksgiving. Families and friends gather to eat together. This is a huge time that focuses on family, friendship, togetherness and giving thanks. It is the dream holiday for the greeting card and travel industries. The reality is that many people are not feeling the gratitude. They may be standing in a hallway that is not feeling too cheerful. Some may be in the hallway alienated from family, experiencing job loss or financial difficulties. This may be the first major holiday without a loved one. When I have been standing in a dark hallway, my thought might be why bother? Why bother to give thanks if I am not feeling like anything I have asked for, attempted to manifest or dreamed about is here? Have you ever felt that way too? The hallway of no thanks is one I like to exit quickly. Just as I have experienced the feeling of no gratitude, I have also had the joy in what is created when I am feeling thankful. Making a slight pivot can create the energy of seeing more in my life to be thankful for than what I first thought. I use the time in the hallway for some reflection. Let’s face it when you are in the hallway you aren’t really not moving, so might as well use the downtime for some good old pondering as to the why. Right? One way to reflect is to see how areas of your life can be impacted with gratitude. In your emotional body gratitude helps you to be more relaxed. You begin to feel much better and more hopeful. Your resilience becomes stronger to see that you have the stamina to walk through your hallway. Self-esteem builds with strength and often just taking the breath to make a tiny step will lead to larger steps. Your health will improve with gratitude. Your sleep improves, your mood is elevated and of course, your energy is higher. You find that you are not becoming ill as often and can actually fulfill your daily duties with more grace and ease. With your vitality supercharged you will see improvements in your career and relationships. Your confidence will be aligned to make clear, focused decisions that will improve your managing of projects or co-working in a team. The first small step is to reach out to a hallway partner. The secret to that is to choose only the people who will be your cheerleader. A close friend, a family member, or mentor who is not trying to “fix” anything but is going to be holding space for as you get your bearings. Holding space can mean just listening, being a sounding board and will only provide advice or comments when asked. When we give thanks to those people in our life our relationships deepen. They are thankful to be able to be of support and you are thankful that you have someone in the hallway with you. Yes, it may be that you cannot actually see the gratitude in all of your life areas at the moment. The consideration is then to observe if there is even one area in your life that gratitude may be applied and give thanks for it. It may be as simple as “I am grateful for each breath I take”. Another technique I have used during my most challenging time in the hallway of no thanks is to get my energy moving. As my energy starts to move, I begin to gain stamina and calmness that allows me to pay attention to the positive actions in my life. I am happy to help! I can’t help you with your Thanksgiving turkey. I can help you step out of the hallway of no thanks, with a positive energy flow that you can be thankful for. As my personal thank you, I have made a little something to help you get your energy moving. Go ahead and watch no opt-in is required. Until next time,
Barbara Your Guide Through Life Transitions
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