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.
It would be nice if the planet - like so... Read More
Far to many people have become "followers" rather than BEING... Read More
No, I have never seen a fairy, an angel, nor... Read More
Celebrities and common people all over the world are known... Read More
(Channelled)The greatest gift you can give me, is to acknowledge... Read More
The tongue is such a tiny little organ. Yet, it... Read More
Be still, and know that I am God; I will... Read More
Sometimes, in traveling a path, we discover a short-cut, and... Read More
My thoughts can get a little edgy at night. Possibly... Read More
In the golfing world, yesterday may have been one of... Read More
Actually, loving does not take any great effort on our... Read More
One of the "loopholes" in my philosophical belief system when... Read More
An Introduction to MatthewSETTINGHave you ever been promised something wonderful,... Read More
I once read a story about a Catholic priest who... Read More
I would like to tell you the story of a... Read More
"Spirit is beyond the void of space. This realm, beyond... Read More
Ever wonder what happened to the family dinner hour? Or... Read More
Forget what you have read or seen about vampires. The... Read More
Some people go to physics and spiritual readers for advice... Read More
I don't know of anyone who really liked taking tests... Read More
The first gospel written by Matthew,who is Levi, is the... Read More
Have you ever wondered how much faith you really have?... Read More
Many look outside of themselves for an experience of the... Read More
The spiritually dead church. Now, I am not talking about... Read More
For me, the best poetry stirs my soul; it awakens... Read More
Lately In my email newsletters (available for FREE at http://www.ChristThroughMe.com... Read More
Irish myth has the power to transform your life into... Read More
We know that David did much to stabilize the Kingdom... Read More
It is life, time for breathing deep, sighs and touching... Read More
Action dakini gets everything done. When wanting and grasping hold... Read More
WOW ... what a question. But today, while I was... Read More
I am often asked to explain what I mean by... Read More
His name sounds as Finn. He has beautiful blue eyes... Read More
The earth is wrapped in a thin, loose shell of... Read More
Were you lied to as newborn Christian? I was...let me... Read More
Prayer from a child's simple bedtime prayer, to the prayers... Read More
Getting the most from a Tarot card reading relies on... Read More
What is the true nature of any illness? Research in... Read More
I am sure many of you reading this article have... Read More
Not a Failure!Those of you who are unemployed, or desire... Read More
Recently I was watching a re-run of "Everybody Loves Raymond".... Read More
There's nothing wrong with wanting to improve ourselves either outwardly... Read More
I had visions of my daughter for about five years... Read More
Even though our lives progressively moves forward on occasion it... Read More
INTRODUCTIONSpiritual affirmations are positive, statements of intention, that facilitate manifestation.... Read More
Paul's encouragement to the Philippians is also our encouragement. Consider... Read More
WHAT IS E.V.P.?EVP stands for electronic voice phenomena, some believe... Read More
There is an inherent generosity in the human spirit to... Read More
In my life, I have tried... Read More
On reading Susan Cato's Time Magazine Canada piece titled, "In... Read More
Spirituality |