Future Gratefuls!

Being grateful for things that haven't happened yet...2018 is going to be the best year ever!

1. I am so grateful for the three new books I have published this year and the three new coloring books I released. I am a successful author and I earn a living sharing my stories and showing people how to live their best lives possible.

2. I am grateful for all the extra space in my new home! My old one-bedroom apartment was amazing and served my needs perfectly, and now I have a two bedroom home to spread out in. My backyard is amazing and lush with plenty of greenery and a vegetable garden. I am grateful for all the natural light in my home, and for a large office to write my books, and for a large kitchen to express my love of cooking and baking for friends and family.

3. I am grateful for my trip to New Orleans in the Spring. The beignets at Cafe du Monde were worth the wait! And their chickory coffee...phenomenal....I was in heaven! I went there every day for coffee and beignets and I even lost weight on this trip from walking the city and from all the fun I had exploring.

4. I am so grateful for new opportunities and experiences to express my true self. I choose to be the best version of myself in every moment, and I am no longer afraid to share who I am with the world. I engage with people in my Facebook groups and pages where fans of my books can see me speak and expand on the knowledge I wrote about.
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5. I am so grateful for a loving and supportive partner to share my journey with. He supports my writing career and encourages me to dig deep and share even more of myself. I also love how affectionate and loving he is. We go on adventures together and he makes me laugh all the time. It truly is a joy to be with him and to have him in my life.

I was challenged to write 5 things I am grateful for and why, each day for one week. Sharing my lists. What are you grateful for?
Day 7
1. I am grateful for another day of life! The dog didn't want to do a long walk this morning so I went by myself and enjoyed the trees in the park just for me. I get another day to enjoy life.

2. I am grateful for cat snuggles as I'm trying to type up my gratitudes. Baby cat's showing me how to slow down this morning. Also morning biscuit-making (cat kneading) helps blood flow, or so I choose to think.

3. I am grateful for second chances and the unlimited patience of the Universe. I guess every new day is a second chance but I'm talking about second chances in the little things, the little encounters, the little conversations, and the little tasks in the whole scheme of things.

4. I am grateful for warm, fuzzy socks in the cool morning. There are plenty of people who don't have one pair of socks, let alone a selection of different kinds for different occasions in their closet....a closet! Not many people that either. I am very blessed.
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5. I am grateful for bandaids when biscuit-making turns to blood-letting...my baby cat can get a little intense showing me her love sometimes...and I'm grateful for reminders and cat-nail-clippers...I have something to go do right now

I was challenged to write 5 things I am grateful for and why, each day for one week. Sharing my lists. What are you grateful for?

Day 6
1. I am grateful for good music in the morning. Also really grateful for Facebook again as it brings me new things I'd never search for on my own. A friend of mine shared a video of this young kid as a guitar God prodigy...I keep listening to his performance on repeat because it's so amazing.

2. I am grateful for Creativity and Epiphany... they go by many names in the lore of the world but they are Gods to me none the less. I have written 21 poems in two days. I've cried for no reason...just releasing decades of stuck energy. Very grateful for Inspiration and Love.

3. I am grateful for the book "Conversations with God" by Neale Donald Walsh. Apparently the Divine is my theme this morning. I'm not religious and I'd say I was more spiritual but I am starting to reconnect to my God-self in my own way, as Source. I am grateful for the spiritual experiences I am having in my life right now.

4. I am grateful for salt lamps. They are just so cool to stare at. I know they work on an energetic level too but their physical presense is pretty amazing. Also grateful for incense and sage to burn. I love the scents and I love playing with the smoke trails.
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5. I am grateful for Me! My ability to pick myself up and keep going...my ability to go in a new direction even if I start by dragging my feet...my love of knowledge and always searching for more answers...my desire to be better and no longer for anyone else, but just for me and my own journey. I love myself, truly.

I was challenged to write 5 things I am grateful for and why, each day for one week. Sharing my lists. What are you grateful for?

Day 5
1. I am grateful for morning sunrises that spring me out of bed and out the door. The sky was a perfect golden red this morning and I just had to be outside in it. Awe moments in the morning are amazing.

2. I am grateful for my car which allows me to go to the store when I need to and to get away when I need to. Not many people have this luxury and I am so appreciative of a car that runs and runs well.

3. I am grateful for YouTube and motivational videos in the morning. I've found a good channel of inspirational and motivational pep talks to get me going in the morning. I don't really need these videos, but sometimes I let them run in the background when I'm doing my work.

4. I am grateful for coffee....coffee is good....coffee is God...another thing I could do without but on a beautiful morning with an awesome sunrise, a cup of coffee just brings the entire scene together. Enjoying life this morning.
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5. I am grateful for the many people who invented the various writing instruments I use every day. I like to take notes with pen and paper, especially for my books as I feel more connected to what I'm writing. I also use special fine-tip markers to draw my coloring books and they make it so much easier. I am very grateful for these experiences.

I was challenged to write 5 things I am grateful for and why, each day for one week. Sharing my lists. What are you grateful for?

Day 4
1. I am grateful for books that inspire me to change my life. Along the lines of the law of attraction, you can only give what you have and you can only keep what you give. I also learned to give yourself what appears to be missing. My boyfriend isn't the romantic type so I've started writing love letters to myself (literally just started this at 10pm last night and this morning). Will see how this works in my life soon enough

2. I am grateful for inspirations and creativity. I've been trying so hard to write a book, 'trying' being the key word, and yesterday I spent the whole day reading this book I received in the mail. Divine timing and all... now i'm writing a whole different book and going with the flow of this creative inspiration this morning. Surrending is pretty cool after all.

3. I am so grateful for this freakin book! "Emergence: Seven Steps for Radical Life Change" by Derek Rydall. We don't need to attract anything as we aren't lacking anything. We are already whole and have everything we need within us from the very beginning. I read this book in a day because it's so fascinating. It feels like I'm plugged into an electrical socket this morning.

4. I am grateful for the memo app on my cell phone. Inspiration came while walking the dog around the park and thankfully I had my cell phone to take notes. I could have repeated everything I was thinking over and over again so I wouldn't forget, but that would have prevented new stuff to flow in, so I am very grateful for being able to take notes on the go.
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5. I am so grateful for my blog! My human was like "eh, why do we have to share what we're grateful for today. Just don't post today." And I'm like no, we're gonna post! And here I am buzzing with excitement and creative flow. I'm ready to keep these writing going on my new book now.

I was challenged to write 5 things I am grateful for and why, each day for one week. Sharing my lists. What are you grateful for?

Day 3
1. I am grateful for a good pair of walking shoes. They've assisted in my fitness program as I want to go walking more because they are comfortable. My old shoes were uncomfortable and I only walked when I had to. I can explore more now.

2. I am grateful for a printer and printer ink to print out my vision board to post on the wall over my desk so I can stare at it every day. I can look at this piece of paper even when I'm not on technology which is good.

3. I am grateful for my boyfriend Lee. We've been together for 9.5 years now and it's been quite the journey. I don't know where we're going but I am grateful for everything he's taught me over the years as I grow into the woman I was always meant to be.

4. I am grateful for morning sunrises and sunbeams through the trees. The world is beautiful and amazing and magical in the mornings. I would also like to thank my dog for understanding when I stop to stare or when I accidentally run into her on our walks when I'm walking and trying to look at the beauty.
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5. I am grateful for fuzzy blankets. Not only are they nice in the winter for myself but my cat also likes being stuffed in them during the day. When I need a moment with my laptop without a cat on it I can shove him in the blanket and he'll settle down.

I was challenged to write 5 things I am grateful for and why, each day for one week. Sharing my lists. What are you grateful for?

Day 2
1. I am grateful for the strength of my body. I've maintained a 200+ weight for over a decade now and I am now committed to exercising and eating well. My body is stronger and more capable than I thought and we're working together to achieve a healthy body weight.

2. I am grateful for dog walks in the morning. My dog is 16 years old and you never know when a walk will be your last one together. She wants to go to the park more often and I have to make extra time before work so we can have our park time together as much as possible.

3. I am grateful for journals and notepads to write down my story ideas and inspiration wherever I go. If I don't get my ideas down on paper right away I tend to forget them so having portable note-taking abilities is a blessing for me.
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4. I am grateful to the person who invented earphones/headphones as my boyfriend and I are on two different work schedules and I need to be able to listen to things while he's sleeping. They are such a (literally) tiny convenience that is often overlooked.

5. I am grateful for a roof over my head and a working heater. It may not be winter cold yet but the nights are pretty chill and having a heater available to keep me warm is amazing. I know many people don't have working heat this winter and I am very grateful having it when I need it and I'm grateful for the ability to pay the heating bill as well.

I was challenged to write 5 things I am grateful for and why, each day for one week. Sharing my lists. What are you grateful for?

Day 1
1. I am grateful for this laptop I am writing this post on. I didn't have to create this laptop in order to benefit from it. I don't know computers or electronics and I wouldn't be able to gift this technology to the world in my lifetime if it was just up to me. Thank you to those people who do know how to put a laptop together and to do it so well that they're pretty affordable these days.
2. I am grateful for my three furballs (2 cats and 1 dog) for making me laugh. My cat Monty doesn't know what to do with me now that I've started exercising. I've turned into his human playground. He'll jump on my back when I'm trying to hold myself up or headbutt me when I'm on the floor doing yoga. I could get upset but I choose to laugh and laugh well every time he "assists" me in my exercises.
3. I am grateful for this little stuffed Llama on my desk. I've stopped buying so many trinkets as I have too many things but this little llama called to me. It's just a stuffed animal but, again, I didn't have to make it in order to benefit from it. It makes me smile and it keeps me motivated when I'm writing my book I've wanted to write for over 7 years now. I am grateful for the inspiration in the little things in life.
4. I am grateful for email. I got an email from my Dad wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving. It was a nice surprise as we haven't spoken in years after a falling out. I am glad he is doing well and I am very grateful for surprise communications in the moment that bring a smile to my face.
5. I am grateful for food in the fridge this holiday. I "lost" my job two weeks ago and that is when I seriously decided to just write my book. I have a little savings to get me to January but I know the universe will bring me what I need as long as I'm following my dream and staying true to myself. I have organic veggies to eat today and I'm going to share a wonderful vegan meal with my boyfriend of 9 years for the holiday. Food is fuel and I am filling up with some premium fuel today as I deserve it.

If everything is energy and the universe responds to your energy, then continuing to “Try” to do things will only bring more “Try”ing experiences. It's like waiting. If we get continue waiting for things to happen, then we will continue to wait for things to happen. If we keep trying to succeed, we are not actually succeeding. In trying we are focusing on the feeling of trying. We bring more experiences, more feelings, that just make us try and try and try some more.

So how do you “Do” instead of try? It sounds easy, and it can be if you understand easy doesn't mean quick. It takes energy to stop trying and to start doing. It takes energy to stop waiting and to start doing. It takes a choice and a conscious decision to move out of that energy of TRY and WAIT and into an energy of making things happen.

Like attracts like. Try attracts try. Wait attracts wait. Doing attracts doing (more motivation and willpower). We can each create the energy of attraction that we want in life and we can choose to change our energy in any moment if we're not getting what we want in life. We can create our own vortex of energy that pulls to us what we want instead of what we don't want. I know I need to practice this myself. My default setting is to try to do things, to try to be successful, to try to fulfill my life purpose. This is a reminder for me to change my habits. I want different and in order to get different something different has to happen! It's an interesting word game if you think about it.

And yes I just watched another video on the Law of Attraction....which explains this post/reminder!

I am grateful for a full time job. I am getting into a rhythm and it's getting easier. I am having more free time and time to finish my next coloring book and work on my next book. I have decided to take care of my physical body first though in the morning. I started exercising yesterday. This is a choice I am making to feel better about myself and my life in general. Next will come my creative passions and hobbies and pretty soon my paid employment will be important but third on the list of priorities as I learn to balance all aspects of my life. It's a process, a journey, and if you're reading this and struggling with your own life and balancing it, take it one moment at a time...one choice, one decision at a time. You will get to where you want to go. Have patience and love for yourself.

Remember to attract what you want and not what you don't want. What are you really saying about yourself and your life? Pay attention to the words you use. These will tell you what your underlying beliefs and overall energy are. And don't get trapped thinking you can't change your beliefs because you can. Just take the next step, make a new choice, and decide if you want to be the same/get the same or do something different to get something different.

In gratitude, Elizabeth

p.s. I am also getting better at forgiveness but some days are harder than others. I've learned not to give myself a hard time. If my ego wants to rant and rage I let it for a moment to get that energy out. Once the dam breaks the world shifts and everything gets easier again. I don't see this as giving in or doing something wrong. I just break the energy myself or let it break itself so I can rebuild it the way I want to. Hope this assists someone. Namaste.

So I have a solid 45 hours a week with paid work for someone else. On top of that I have side projects and creative projects for money and overall fulfillment too. I've been going going going that I completely forgot the most important thing....my Self. I have not been putting myself first lately. I'm not talking about being selfish and screwing everybody else...I am talking about loving my body, mind, and soul and taking care of it properly.

I have decades of life left and what am I going to show for it? That I paid my bills on time by sacrificing my own needs? That I spent years of my life staring at a computer screen in a small room instead of enjoying the nature/sun outside? That I ate crap food because I didn't have time to cook a healthy meal for myself? That I spend the best years of my life not doing what I love?

I forgot what life means. I forgot the purpose of life. I am very grateful for my body, mind, and soul carrying me through this learning experience. I am very grateful that I can make a new choice and go in a new direction in any moment. I am very grateful that I have the resources to improve my life and all I need to do is take a step in a new direction where I can have it all....health, love, life, money, happiness. I am learning balance and I am grateful my universe is patient with me as I grow and evolve.

Thank you to those who support me and to those who remind me to take it easy. I love you all. Remember to take care of yourself too along your own journey. What it means to take care of ourselves means something different to each and every one of us. We each have to find our own truth and figure out what is best for us. Remember to think about each aspect of yourself: body, mind, soul/heart, and figure out if you're neglecting taking care of one or the other. Life is a balancing act and we are all pretty agile if we just realize we are.

In gratitude, Elizabeth