I’ve been a bit of hermit lately, listening to audiobooks like mad whenever the opportunity arises – while doing dishes, bathing the kids, making dinner, and while playing Lego for the thousandth time on the floor.  It’s the norm for my kids to be listening to the audible app for hours as mommy quenches her thirst for anything and everything she can use break herself wide open.

Lately I’ve been devouring everything I can by Esther Hicks and the collective consciousness known as Abraham.  Esther is the vessel through which the law of attraction has become mainstream.  She is a phenomenal woman who has the amazing ability to push her own consciousness aside as she lets “Abraham” enter in her place and provide the physical world with a wealth of knowledge from the spiritual realms.

As the New Year has fallen upon us once again, I’ve been looking back to where I was exactly one year ago today.  I was spiritual even then, but my mind was predominantly riddled with negativity, fear, and lack.  I was open to spirituality and growth, but I was so bogged down by self imposed limitations and daily strife that I couldn’t see myself surmounting them any time soon.

One year ago today I was one week away from my life completely ending as I had known it.  One week away from the end of my relationship. It was by far the worst moment of my life.  I felt extreme powerlessness – but – it was for the last time.  I just knew I was worthy of greatness.  In the depths of my despair I chose to focus on gratitude, appreciation, and connecting to Source because I finally realized that nothing in life was more important than that I feel good.  I became driven to create my life as I had always desired to to be, yet free of attachment to the outcome because the Universe has bigger plans for us than we can even imagine.  I knew I was at the point of no return, and that life was about to get really, really good!  My vibration rose considerably just by focusing on making myself happy, and the dominoes of delicious goodness have been dropping ever since.  I had followed the law of attraction without even known that’s what I was doing.  For once, I was following my bliss and it gave me the incredible power of manifestation.  I now have the most amazing partnership that I could ever imagine, and it’s getting better and better every day.  The best part is that there is much more to come, and I look forward to the journey!

Looking back can give you gratitude for where you currently are.  It lets you admire your mountains and the growth they have spurred in you.  And while I certainly have gratitude for where I currently am, looking back doesn’t feel good to me.  Having gratitude isn’t the same as completely appreciating where you are.  Practicing gratitude is a start, but it means that you have to remember your hardships in order to appreciate your current situation.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t necessarily feel like reliving my past.  I don’t want to tell myself that story any more.  I would rather focus on the now and cultivate the feelings that I want to feel in the present moment.  This is where flat out appreciation trumps gratitude.  When you are in a state of appreciation, it means that you are tuned in to Source energy.  You’re a live wire, completely turned on and passionate about all of the good in your life.  And when you appreciate everything that you have and all that you are, you are opening the floodgates to Universal abundance.  You are saying “I like to feel good,” and so the Universe will match the vibration you are offering by offering you more good things.

There is no truer, more fair law than the law of attraction.  You attract more of the same.  If you are focused on fear and lack, you will bring more fear and lack into your life.  Have you ever caught yourself thinking about something in the past, replaying the hurt over and over again, just for more feelings of hurt and pain to piggyback onto the previous thoughts?  It’s a slippery slope with one negative thought attracting the next.  You build up momentum and before you’re even aware of what’s happening you’re having what we call “a bad day.”

The quickest way out of one of these self dug pits of despair is to focus on something you appreciate in the now.  It can be anything at all.  It can even be the fact that you don’t have to remember to breathe since your body does it for you automatically!  Turn to any good feeling thought and start the momentum in the opposite direction.  When you start appreciating what you have, you immediately tune yourself to a higher vibration.  And it is from this higher vibration that you will begin to transform your life.

When you view the world through eyes of appreciation, you are viewing the world through the eyes of Source energy.  You are tuned in to love and who you really are.  When you are appreciative, there is no perception of lack; there is no fear – only joy for the moment and all that it encompasses.  True appreciation is true love.  When you are aligned with who you really are, you stop resisting.  You stop limiting yourself and open up the door for the Universe to deliver all that it has been trying to deliver unto you.  All you have to do is align with love, align your vibration with Source energy and align yourself with happiness, and focus on where you want to go.

In a nutshell: Think, do and be all that makes you happy!  Offer love and kindness and you will see more love and kindness being offered to you in return.  Pay attention to how you feel.  If you’re feeling despair, revenge, hatred, anger, or frustration, it’s time to turn inward and start telling yourself a new story.  These feelings are red flags that you are disconnected from Source energy and that you need to start filling your journal with a list of all that you appreciate.  When you tap into this energy and turn yourself on, you will have more to offer to those around you, and the joy dominoes will start to fall all around.