Turn complaining into gratitude in one sentence

May 19, 2015

It’s a national way of thinking in our country – to complain. Complain about the weather, complain about the price of things, complain about the food.

I’ve done my fair share of complaining.

The thing with complaining though – it takes us further away from happiness…the one thing we want most in life.

As Jack Canfield says, “Remember, you and you alone are responsible for maintaining your energy. Give up blaming, complaining and excuse making, and keep taking action in the direction of your goals – however mundane or lofty they may be.”

Today is the day you can set an intention to give up complaining.

Be clear on your WHY of why you want to do this. Is it to be happy? To be content? To be free from suffering? To be more loving and accepting?

Once you’re clear on your WHY, say this phrase at the end of every complaint that goes through your mind, whether unsaid, or said out loud:

…and I am blessed.

Let’s say you just ordered dinner at your favorite restaurant, and the waiter excitedly brings out the food, places it on your table and turns away.

You look down at your plate and see they gave you white bread instead of wheat, as you had ordered. When the mind says, “no one listens to me” or “why can’t they get this right?” etc., finish the sentence with “…and I am blessed.”

In that moment you’re changing the neuro-pathways of the brain to go a different route. Every time you do this, you’re training your brain to think in a new, and more positive way.

Here’s another example. You come home to find that your partner didn’t mow the lawn as they had said they were going to do, or didn’t clean up his/her mess in the kitchen, and your mind goes into, “they never do what they say they’re going to do” or “now I have to do it,” finish the sentence with “….and I am blessed.”

We are showered with blessings every day. It only takes a moment of realization, a moment of awareness to wake us up to this miracle.

Every step we take, every bite of food we eat, every conversation we have, every sunrise and sunset we see, every drop of water we drink or use, are all blessings. It’s only the mind that keeps us from seeing and knowing this.

The great news is we can train our minds to think differently.

Of the 21,000 breaths we take a day, notice one of them and say, “…and I am blessed.”

What you’ll notice from doing this is a how you feel inside. Watch what happens to your own joy and happiness from doing this practice for one week and share it with me. I’d love to hear from you.

What are you blessed with today dear friend?

This idea shared from Awakening Joy by James Baraz.

Categories: Gratitude, Health & Happiness, Heart Centered Living

My passion, my calling, is for you to be totally you. Through private coaching, in-depth retreats, and online group coaching programs, I help you tap into your intuition and clarify your desires and vision, I guide you to take active steps toward making your desires a reality.

2 comments to “Turn complaining into gratitude in one sentence”

Robin
June 13, 2015 at 1:10 am

Angela ~
What a simple, but powerful notion, to turn what would be a complaint into a blessing. I am going to practice that simple tool of substituting a complaint or feeling frustrated with the phrase…”and I am blessed” and see what unfolds. Having some pain issues resurface has me looking deeper at how I am going about life so I appreciate your wisdom. I have felt my “ego” resurface a lot lately, feeling easily hurt or offended, and am not sure why but I think it’s related to daily pain issues so I need to get to the bottom of it. Focusing on blessings will redirect my attention so thank you for that suggestion. As always, Angela, your simple bits of wisdom shared are more powerful than you know. Thanks for sharing.
Robin

Reply
1. Angela Patnode
  June 21, 2015 at 4:14 pm
  
  Have kindness and compassion for the ego/reactive self as well Robin. She needs your love as much as any other part of you :).
  Notice any resistance to the pain and use that as a doorway of acceptance and being with what is. That is where the healing begins. Wishing you a wonderful journey of blessings!
  
  Reply

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