alt= "A couple feeling gratitude and appreciation for a sunset"

Image by Michael Schwarzenberger from Pixabay

Having a gratitude practice is a great way to get into a positive feeling state.  We know that feeling good equals allowing the things we want to create into our lives.  We have to be a vibrational match to let them in.  

I’m a proponent of the idea that you can always find something to be grateful for. For example, if you’re reading this you are able to see.  You can make a statement, “I’m grateful for my eyesight.” But think about this. Being able to see allows you to read books, watch movies, look at the beauty of art and nature and see the faces of people you love.  

So, rather than simply saying, “I’m grateful for…”  see if you can keep it going with all the ways in which having or experiencing the thing you’re grateful for positively affects other areas of your life.

Many people think gratitude and appreciation are the same thing.

While they are very similar, there’s a difference. Abraham-Hicks teaches that appreciation is actually an even higher vibe than gratitude.  Gratitude often includes the vibration of having gotten over something unwanted. For example, “I’m grateful I found a new job with a supervisor that is nice to me.”   That still includes a bit of the “bad supervisor” vibration.  It’s a good statement of gratitude, but not as high a vibration as appreciation.

Appreciation is about being in the present moment.  It’s looking around you, wherever you are, and finding something that feels pleasing or uplifting.  Hold your attention on this object and consider how beautiful, useful or wonderful it is. Abraham-Hicks suggest a “Rampage of Appreciation”  to really get yourself into a state of receiving.

The great thing about appreciation is that it can be done anywhere—at home, standing in a line at the grocery store or driving.  It’s best done when you are already feeling at least optimistic.  Appreciation is great for ramping up your good feelings even more.  

When to use appreciation

It’s also a great tool for when:

  • You observe something that could potentially take you to a place of negative emotion.
  • You notice your own thoughts have become negative.
  • When you or someone you’re with starts off with negative words and you want to maintain a good vibe for both of you.
  • When you notice you’re experiencing a negative emotion and want to take control of how you feel before the momentum gets going in a negative direction.

How to do a “Rampage of Appreciation.”

To begin, set aside 10 to 15 minutes a day to practice this.  When you’ve got the idea and the flow going, you’ll be able to apply it whenever you want to.

Start by looking around at what you see and find something you appreciate about it.  Then focus on all the things that you love about it.  You’ll find as you start flowing energy in that direction Universe will bring you more things to appreciate. 

So, for example:

  • I love my home.
  • I’m so happy with all the storage space I have.
  • I love all the windows and skylights that let so much light into my house.
  • I really enjoy looking out of the windows at the many trees that surround the house.
  • I like going outside and smelling the fresh air and oxygen that the trees produce.
  • I love that my outside environment attracts many varieties of birds, which I enjoy watching.
  • I love seeing them splash around in the birdbath!
  • Hearing the songs they sing always brings me joy.
  • I love watching the bluebirds nesting in the nest box and bringing up their families.

You get the idea. One thought of appreciation leads to the next.  You’ll start to find that there are things to appreciate anywhere you go.

The sooner you catch a negative feeling or thought and actively look for something to appreciate, the easier it is to change the direction and build momentum in a way that will support your good feelings and high vibration. Being in a state of appreciation more and more often puts you in a state of less resistance. This puts you in a place of being able to better tune into your inner being

“Because the vibration of appreciation is the most powerful connection between the physical you and the Non-Physical you, this process will also put you in a position to receive even clearer guidance from your Inner Being.“

Abraham-Hicks

Since the Universe brings us more of what we put our attention on, watch the good things that start showing up for you!