Appreciating all that we have in our life produces harmonious relationships, creative and meaningful work, physical wellness, and genuine, long lasting prosperity. Appreciation validates our worth while affirming we are deserving of having everything our heart desires. And as we relish all the wonderful aspects of our life, more abundance is allowed to pour forth, creating a consistent wellspring of balance, joy and peace.

While teaching, I regularly pose the question, "How abundant do you feel in your life's work? How many of you are allowing your creativity to be your livelihood?" People will often wrinkle their noses for very few feel they are doing what they love to do. Yet, whenever we perceive we're not receiving something it’s usually because we’re failing to appreciate what we already have and blocking the natural flow of abundance. Thus, the most common way to keep a trickle from being a torrent, is to not appreciate what we currently have. For example, a common theme I hear from people who are not experiencing creative, rewarding work is, "I'll be much happier when I'm doing what I love to do," or, "I'll be all set when I get a real career," not realizing their encounters and the quality they put forth in those encounters is their "real" career.

Negating our self, our relationships, or our work, does not bring forth abundance. Focusing on what we already have, that which is good in our life creates abundance. I once read an article on prayer where a Unity minister stated, "Most people pray for what they don't want, not what they want." This observation is indicative of the tremendous resistance we have to staying in the moment and to affirming the beauty presently in our life...

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© Copyright Laura V. Hyde. This article was originally published at our website, SoulfulLiving.com, in Nov. 2000, as part of Soulful Living's "Gratitude & Giving" Issue.

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