Have you taken inventory of the blessings in your life lately?
When we “count our blessings,†this practice often means listing everything for which we are grateful. It’s easy, however, to fall into the perspective that our blessings have come from somewhere outside of ourselves.
When we count our blessings, where do we direct our gratitude?
We may thank God, Creator or Spirit. But we also ARE God, Creator and Spirit, aren’t we? Can we direct gratitude for our blessings to the Divine Creator that lies within?
What if we powerfully took ownership of all the amazing things that we ourselves have attracted into our life? Because, after all, we create all of it, all the time!
One might think that such a practice is not humble … as if we’re taking credit where credit is not truly due. But I encourage you to try it, and witness not only the profound sense of gratitude and power, but also the overwhelming humility that arises when we acknowledge ourselves as Divine and as Creators. I find that the more we claim our own Divinity, the more humble we become – because when we see ourselves as Divine, we see the Divinity in everyone else, as well.
Try it … make a list of things you are grateful for. For each item on your list, say out loud:
“I acknowledge the blessing of _____ , present in my life through the Divine Creator that resides within me, surrounds me, and with which I am One.â€
We can take this even further. Your blessings are not only the life circumstances you are grateful for. They are also the gifts, the talents and the brilliance that resides within you. Not only are these gifts YOUR blessings – they are the blessings that you are here to share with the world.
For every item on your gratitude list, can you think of a quality you possess that made this circumstance possible?
For example, you might be very grateful for your loving marriage. You might then say: “I acknowledge my ability to love, which is a reflection of my Divinity†or “I acknowledge my communication skills, which are a reflection of my Divinity.â€
In this way, we acknowledge the brilliance of our Divine gifts.
It’s not something we’re taught to do much in our society – to acknowledge ourselves for being brilliantly talented, highly gifted, or incredibly competent. And yet, each of us has truly amazing gifts! We only need to stand in our greatness,  and utilize the Divine gifts we are so blessed with.
I’ve been writing quite a bit lately about abundance that comes from within, and owning our value. In the end, abundance cannot come from anywhere but the innate blessings that we already have … and sharing them with the world. The first step, however, is to discover these blessings, and claim them as the Divine aspects we are here to abundantly express.
To all your many blessings,
Andrea
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I think the word “appreciation” is better than “gratitude”. This word better fits your idea here, if one thinks of it in the sense of, say, “art appreciation”. Umm…the acknowledgement of the goodness we have wrought.
Another bold and beautiful insight, Andrea: the unparalleled humility that comes from recognizing the divine within others as we honor the divinity that we ourselves represent. What a wonderful New Year we are stepping into together with the knowledge of who we truly are!
Michael, “appreciation” seems to be a bit too mild for me on this one! I dunno, when I did this exercise, I was overwhelmed and in tears. It’s really acknowledging and OWNING the goodness that we ARE.
Thanks, Ken! To me, 2010 is all about owning our blessings and brilliance.
Blessings,
Andrea
This is an absolutely beautiful message. When I was saying the statements you suggested, it was very moving. I will begin making use of these, as they resonate as Truth for me. Thank you for bringing this new way of ackowledging my/our own Oness with the divine.
Great stuff, Andrea. Stuff that I have been thinking about lately. So much guilt that we bear believing we cannot be grateful for our gifts, our results, our talents. Who said it is all about others all of the time? As you know, we first have to honor ourselves, love ourselves before we can love another.
I realized that this year is the year I must focus on falling in love with me. I must find my “no’s”, my boundaries and when others say I have to do this or that, I say to myself, “what will make me happy?”
If I do not honor and appreciate myself, I cannot fuel my life with enough self love to overcome deeply distressing and difficult challenges. When I appreciate and nuture myself, I fill up my tank with happy energy to see the future, abundance, love I have so long waited to have. This appreciation gives me positive juice to continue on the journey when the view outside of my eyes would tell me things are bad or scary.
Thank you, Andrea.
Diana
I never actually thought about counting my blessings in such way,Andrea, even though it does make tons of sense. Interesting how a little angle, little shift in how you do things can make a huge difference in our ability to create. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Andrea,
You said it! It’s something we so easily forget and yet is so true! Appreciating our own greatness within. It reminds me a lot of the adorable ‘our greatest fear’ quote by MW.
Lovely article! x
Andrea,
I believe we are called to share our gifts, our blessings, with others. It is in the sharing of these gifts that we are most open to receive the gifts from others and then be filled-up by their power.
Appreciating the blessings we own while appreciating the blessings of others gives all of us incredible energy to go forth and live an exceptional life.
Best always,
Alex