90-Day A Better Me Series

Part II: A Journey of Perspective

What Launches Us Forward: The Stable Foundation

Day 50: Being Grateful for What Makes Us Different

“The miracle of gratitude is that it shifts your perception to such an extent that it changes the world you see.”

-Dr. Robert Holden

Gratitude is the path to finding perspectives of truth you WANT to live by. Gratitude takes us away from being victims of ourselves, victims of what other people think of us, victims of other people’s unintentional actions (meaning we feel hurt by them because of our perception not because they meant to hurt us), and victims of other people’s perspectives of truth.

Gratitude is a way we can shed some light on our own dark corners. It’s not about DEMANDING gratitude from others; it’s about feeling gratitude in our thoughts, actions, and reactions towards others. What other people do is their business. We are only responsible for the light and the dark we put out into the world.

Going back to the Law of Attraction and the ancient religious beliefs, we get back whatever we choose to put out there. We can’t expect to have a positive response if we are using a method of attack (fear-based) to get our way, for others to see our point, or expect others to gain understanding on our perspective of truth. All that does is trigger other people’s darkness. Unless we have engaged with one of the RARE, and I mean RARE, few that have moved past the point where they get triggered at all. We won’t usually get the response we were hoping for when we used fear-based methods.  I know if someone comes at me trying to force their fear-based views down my throat, I can’t tell you I ALWAYS respond from my light. I have to be VERY centered to do that. If I’m hit off-guard, I’m tired, I’m hungry, or I’m in my own dark corner at that moment, I’m not going to make the same choices I would if I was in my light (love) energy. It’s my responsibility to move myself out of the darkness I LET someone trigger inside me. How do I do that? Gratitude!

“The way to move out of judgment is to move into gratitude.”

-Neale Donald Walsch

Everyone is doing exactly what they SHOULD be at this moment in time. Does that stir you up? That’s reality. People are doing what they are doing. We can’t fight the reality of that. My perspective of truth is that it’s happening because we need to learn from the experience. I need to see the person I want be and the person I’m being with whatever is happening in the moment whether I’m apart of it or watching from the outside. Whatever triggers me sends me to a deeper level within myself to heal past wounds from old belief patterns. My path to healing is through gratitude.

When we can look for the lessons in other people’s feelings, thoughts, actions, and reactions, we can move ourselves into gratitude. We may start from a place where we can say to ourselves:

• I’m SOOOOOO grateful I don’t see the world from that place of fear.
• I’m grateful I’ve moved out of us against themfear-based way of thinking.
• I’m grateful I have a perspective of truth that doesn’t inflict intentional pain and suffering on others.
• I’m grateful  that what they believe is a perspective of truth and that I don’t have to buy into it.
• I’m grateful to see the compassion  of others in response to this person’s hurt-filled actions.
• I’m SO grateful for the community gathering around these people who have experienced great pain and loss.
• I’m grateful for the voices that shed light on the dark.
• I’m grateful for my non-reaction at the time I felt attacked, so that I can find a response from a loving place.
• I’m grateful for my reaction at the time I felt attacked, because I can see where I still need to work on my own fear-based thinking.

We are ALL different. We each have our own unique spin on how we view reality because we are seeing the world through our own eyes. Each person is going to have a slightly different view. Even if people grew up in the same household, they are not going to see the world the exact same way. When we are not in a place of gratitude, we can treat people as a group instead of seeing their unique story. I loved studying groups in cultural anthropology and psychology, but what I loved even more is the connections I found in the individuals through love and/or fear. That’s where I found real likeness and understanding. I can find a lot of gratitude in that. I’m so grateful any time I can find love buried under people’s fear-based perspectives of truth. I’m so grateful when I can find my own love when I’m being faced with other’s fears.

We ALL have the ability to shift and change our perspectives of truth. Will we? That decision is up to each individual. We can choose to stay in our own painful stories or we can choose to seek out perspectives of truth that create peace within ourselves. We each get that choice and the circumstances in our lives can guide us to the light or the dark based on our perception of how we interpret what is happening.

When we can be grateful for what makes us different, we start to see how we are each the same. We each get this choice. We each get to choose love or fear in every feeling, thought, action, and reaction. We each get to see the world through our own unique lens. We each have something to offer humanity. Our beliefs (perspectives of truth) on politics, government, religion, economics, spirituality, regions, environment, food, animals, children, families, poverty, homelessness, borders,etc. are paths to see the love and/or fear within each other. They are not the source of who each of us are. They do not define who we can be, because we ALL have the ability to shift and change our perspectives of truth.

We can support each other in seeing more love by finding the gratitude within ourselves, which stimulates our love and peace from within, so we can project that out onto the world. We extend that peace out to the world in the choices we make and how we view others for the choices they are making. When we can see that we are all learning and growing from the love or the fear within us, what does that make you want to contribute to yourself and/or to the world? More love or more fear?

When we start living in gratitude for our differences, we truly change the world we see around us. With that view, we can stimulate changes we WANT to see in the world without that change fueling the energy of hate, fear, against, revenge, and rage. How does that sound to you? Is it worth trying to find gratitude in our differences now?

Sometimes when we see beyond the disagreement through gratitude, we find that both perspectives of truth come from love. We are just seeing it from a different angle. If we are only willing to look from our own angle, fear has crept in. We don’t have to believe someone else’s perspective to see that it comes from love. We can see it as an interesting view without choosing to follow the path of that view. That’s the beauty of this journey of life.

Just for Today

Make a gratitude list for the people who you are in conflict with over your different perspectives of truth. Really pay attention to how your energy shifts as you come up with more and more to be grateful for. See if you can find the love and fear within your and their view. What makes the differences separate you? What makes the difference bring you together?

I use this exercise anytime I’m letting someone else’s fear-based energy effect me. I’ve used it for political perspectives, religious perspectives, life perspectives, victim perspectives, etc. Anything that triggers me is a reason for me to write one of these lists because I don’t want to stay in my dark fear-based way of thinking about a person who is spreading fear and hate. Spreading fear and hate is the choice they are making for themselves. What choice do I want to make for myself? I CHOOSE LOVE.

With Love and Gratitude,

Rachael Wolff ©2019

If you’ve been following along, I’m sure you know by now that you will see a Letter from A Better Me today that reflects today’s message. Check it out here: 90-Day A Better Me Letters Series: Day 50 – Transitioning from Judgment to Gratitude. Those who haven’t been following, I hope you will checkout the 90-Day A Better Me Series and the 90-Day A Better Me Letters Series to see how they work together to help you transform your life. It’s FREE, so all you have to do is explore and read. Thank you for reading today’s installment!