What are you grateful for this year? Have you taken time to think about and be thankful for all the positive things that have happened in the last 12 months? Or, have you been busy just trying to survive and focusing on the negative, creating your own world of more stress. When you pursue this line of thought by focusing only on the negative, you tend to miss the good things that occur daily in your life e.g. the smile of a child, the long-distance hug of a parent or a friend encouraging you.

Should creating balance during such chaotic and difficult economic times be high on your priority list? Are you looking for something that will be a neutralizer for all the anxiety and stress you have allowed to creep, jog or race into your life? Just how do you keep all those daily stressors associated with normal activities of work and family plus the added impact of the down economy from eroding your well-being?

The answer...GRATITUDE. A grateful heart and a grateful mind leave no room for unwanted negative energy and chaos to enter your life. Being grateful for all you have, for your family, friends and the family pet that is always delighted to see you; for having food to eat and most of all, for the gift of another day. Since every day of your life is a gift you exchange for what you do that day, be grateful for your gift and use it wisely. Gratitude not only reduces stress, it adds wonderful new positive energy to your life.

The Gratitude Season is Here

In the US, we set aside one specific day per year for giving thanks. Thanksgiving, our day of gratitude, has also become a holiday of family gatherings, overeating, parades and football games. There are so very many things to be grateful for in a free society like ours we often overlook. Simply the fact that we are free with the right to go anywhere we please, do anything we wish as long as long as it is legal, wear the clothes we choose, eat what we want and spend time with those we love is a minor miracle compared to millions of others in countries without our rights or freedom.

Gratitude is simply an acknowledgement or giving thanks for something or someone good in your life. When you focus on gratitude, you attract positive energy into your life. When you focus on everything that has gone wrong this past year, you attract additional negative energy and will continue to receive more of what you do not want. When you regularly express thankfulness or appreciation, you will notice an incredible increase in your personal energy and an uplifting of your spirits. Remember, Feng Shui is all about surrounding yourself with positive energy on the outside and positive thinking on the inside. There is no better way to create great positive energy within than with gratitude.

• To help remind you to maintain positive gratitude energy, place an item that is symbolic for you of gratitude in the south area of your living room. Use things like a gift from a treasured friend, a small framed hand written note of appreciation from someone that was grateful for your kindness or a picture of someone who was always there for you. Make a point to look at your symbolic gratitude reminder on a daily basis. It will not only bring a smile to your face but will also remind you to be grateful for something right at that moment.

• Next, place a candle (neutral earth tone colors would be great) in the southwest area of your bedroom or family room in a safe container. Light that candle at least once a week before bedtime. It will not only serve to help you relax before going to sleep but will allow you a few quiet minutes to reflect on your past week and give thanks. Remember to give thanks for yourself too, if you do not appreciate you, who will?

• Last but not least, once a week tell a friend or loved one how grateful you are just for them being part of your life. Far too often, we never say thank you to those nearest to us. It is so easy to take loved ones and good friends for granted. Alternatively, thank a harried clerk in a grocery or department store for taking good care of you, knowing that they have also had a hectic day. It is so easy to give others a positive energy boost by simply saying "thank you".

"Gratitude creates great attitude" is a lifestyle choice that you need to practice 365 days per year, not just Thanksgiving. Gratitude makes others feel better and puts a smile on their face as well as your own. Gratitude for even the smallest of things in your life sets a positive mood for your entire day. Anytime you are in the "gratitude attitude" your cup is always half full instead of half empty. Sometimes, if you are in a constant state of gratitude, your cup is running over the brim, not just half-full.

When your life is out of balance, you are living to some degree, in the uncertain overwhelming unstable state of chaos. Today, the outside world around you is filled with lots of chaos and negative energy. You don't need to allow it to enter into your own life and create more personal chaos as well as let it control you. With Thanksgiving almost here, Hanukkah, Christmas and the New Year ahead, by being grateful for the small things, you will find the holiday season filled with more hope, peace and joy within instead of anxiety, stress and chaos while creating a better tomorrow.

© Pat Heydlauff, all rights reserved 2009