“When I feel far away from a Higher Power, I have to listen very carefully. I listen at meetings… to music… through our literature… I never know from where a message will come.” – Courage to Change

How do I know I’m far from my personal higher power? Easy. If I’m in self pity, blaming, negative, upset, scared, in a funk, or not taking care of myself or my responsibilities, I’m disconnected.

My old reaction to these feelings is to either confront the thing or person that I feel is responsible for my feelings, and attempt to change it or them. If only it or they would ——, I would feel better. Everything would be better. But that faulty thinking doesn’t work.

Of course, if I’m not taking care of my responsibilities, part of the solution is to step up to the plate and take care of them. And that’s true for any change I want to make in me and my attitudes, words or actions which I feel will help my situation out. However, when it comes to me thinking that I will feel better if I can only get a person, place or thing to be or act differently, that’s when it’s best for me to practice the following tool instead: Gratitude.

Gratitude is the tool I use to plug back in. It takes about 30 seconds of conscious gratitude to re-appreciate life and feel good again. The other stuff outside of me need not change in order to gain peace and get back into a positive place. All I need to do is spend a few seconds or minutes getting myself into the feeling of true gratitude for the amazing life I’ve been given and all the blessings I have.

This knowledge, if I simply use it, is the great gift. ILML!

– JamesQ