I very often see rants, complaints, wishes and dreams that have a similar theme, and that theme goes something like this:
"Here is my dream and here is what I have been able to do, but I can't seem to get any further and it feels like I've hit a brick wall. No matter what I do, I can't seem to bring more (customers, gigs, sales, days, money, friends, etc.) in to support this dream. I don't want to drop it but I feel I might have to in order to make ends meet (or, conversely, the ends aren't meeting and I can't drop this because this is all I have/know/want to do) and so on. Help!"
This is a wicked bad situation to be in, I know, but I think I may have at least a partial idea on how to move forward. Basically you are hitting a spiritual and emotional brick wall, a very real one, and it is what I call the "Gratitude Toll".
Huh? Yeah, the Gratitude Toll. Read on.
Too many of us set out on a dream and start to do the things we need to do to achieve it. But our first successes, being the anemic weaklings they usually are (and cannot actually be expected not to be, given our inexperienced nature), often do more to antagonize us and torture us when held up to the light of their brilliantly glowing parent-dreams, than to persuade us that we are on our way. We see what little we have accomplished, and how far we have yet to go - not only to make our dreams come true but even just to make the whole process self-supporting and us-supporting. We wail and despair and fling ourselves into the work with desperate abandon - but to no avail. We've hit a wall. Despite our most determined efforts, our most energetic marketing, our perfectly engineered whatzit, our professionally designed website (not to mention our blood, sweat and tears), nothing progresses. We get no further than we already have. WHY????
Simple - because we haven't paid the Gratitude Toll. The universe will give us anything we want (in some measure or another), but it reserves the headiest successes and fortune for those who know to recognize those brick walls for the toll booths that they are - a sign that it is time to pay the toll of appreciation for what we have been given and express our gratitude for our successes, such as they are, before we can move on.
True, we often think that what we do have - a handful of toys that we can't sell, a website that gets less traffic than a dead-end road, an idea that no one is buying into, a passion that is withering on the vine - is hardly worth cheering over. But we must! We must express our thanks for any little bit we have gotten, and we must learn to willingly adopt the attitude that whatever the universe sends our way, however small in our eyes, deserves thanks and celebration. And (this is very important) we must learn to accept the fact that not only may this be all we get, but that we must learn to be happy with it should that be the case.
Oooh. Dead silence. "But, I don't want to be happy with just this," you say. "How can I be? It's not even paying the bill for the brochures I printed to advertise it! It's barely more than nothing!" And that may be true, but you must be grateful for what you have been given and prepared to accept it as your gift, en toto, before the universe will give you more!
You see, like a child who complains about a not-quite-perfect Christmas gift, our Divine Parent is often loathe to squander the Universe's blessings on those who are not capable of being happy with what they already have. I don't blame Him/Her. Do you?
If you offer someone an inch, and they are so unhappy that they bitch and whine about not getting a mile, how likely are you to give them more? NOT! So pay your toll. Be grateful and satisfied with what you have. And it has to be real, too - you can't just go through the motions. Trust me on this folks, if anyone can catch you faking it, God can!
But do it right and before you know it the Universe (being well pleased with your attitude of gratitude) will deem you worthy of even more blessings. And more. And more. And even more, far beyond your wildest dreams of more. Those who get the greatest blessings out of life, if you pay close enough attention to see, are often those who would be - and have been - just as happy with far, far less.
(c) Soni Pitts
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Soni Pitts is the Chief Visionary Butt-Kicker of sonipitts.com. She specializes in helping others reclaim "soul proprietorship" in their lives and to begin living the life their Creator always intended for them.
She is the author of the free e-book "50 Ways To Reach Your Goals" and over 100 self-help and inspirational articles, as well as other products and resources designed to facilitate this process of personal growth and spiritual development.
Chicago limo Skokie ..The fundamental aim of spiritual study is to get facts... Read More
Make no mistake about it, change is challenging whether it... Read More
What is a Christian? According to The American Heritage? Dictionary... Read More
My name is Had. You may know me, but you... Read More
You can't help but feel a sense of electricity in... Read More
Ephesians 4:4-6 indicates that Christians ought to practice one single... Read More
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ... Read More
My favorite scripture is Roman's 8:28. "And we know that... Read More
Is it not true that only after gaining Enlightenment (Self-Realization)... Read More
While it isn't my intention to insult anyone (Alright, for... Read More
There is a specific technique that a Shaman uses to... Read More
'O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom... Read More
What kind of foolishness is astrology? You read about Sun... Read More
I have been thinking about this all night. I am... Read More
Looking for some ways to feed your soul in the... Read More
Over the past years, I have undergone a life-altering transition... Read More
While I do hope to avoid arguing the merits or... Read More
Being critical of Buddhism isn't easy.Buddhism is the most likable... Read More
Freedom....The cherished goal of humanity throughout its history.No society has... Read More
As Mother's day is upon us, Iam moved to express... Read More
We are the beneficiaries of the promise God made to... Read More
With those words recorded in Exodus 15:26, God proclaims to... Read More
If you would like to learn to read tarot cards,... Read More
Spiritual growth is the process of inner awakening, and becoming... Read More
Is your hope in God? Or, is it in people?I... Read More
limo O'Hare Bonfield ..Do you have a servant's heart? Has God blessed you... Read More
We see it all the time in people's lives some... Read More
Have you ever experienced a traumatic event? I'm sure the... Read More
Why Abandon Religion?It is so commonly believed today that religion... Read More
There is light at the end of the tunnel, but... Read More
Karen was the name of the reception person, who sat... Read More
Before Donna was born she took with her a dollar,... Read More
The more that "little me" allows surrender the more is... Read More
After more than three decades of church ministry, I have... Read More
Anything can be used for divination; coins, tea leaves, cards,... Read More
Ok, let's start with the amazing story of Robbie and... Read More
Matthew 3:4-6 John Baptizes the People4 Now John wore a... Read More
Years ago, my minister spoke to us about how you... Read More
Mormons like to give testimonies. Unlike Mormon testimonies, I will... Read More
When I first heard Donnie McClurkin's song, "We Fall Down... Read More
When the body of Christ isn't protected we become vulnerable... Read More
For the past several years I have struggled with getting... Read More
We may sometimes consider the difficulty that occurs with our... Read More
In His graciousness, God has blessed us to enter a... Read More
Everything in the entire universe, big and small, visible and... Read More
I started reading the book "The Purpose Driven Life" about... Read More
After 6 years, I left an abusive relationship with an... Read More
In earlier articles entitled "We Are Not Our Personalities", "Eliminating... Read More
In the movie "A Beautiful Mind" John Nash (played by... Read More
Coming face to face with yourself in the space between... Read More
Spirituality |