The power of gratitude

Many of us are always living in a state of want: wanting more money, more love, more things, more connection with god, more affection, more fitness, more attractive bodies, and the list goes on and on. That constant desire for more is a double edged sword. It serves us powerfully as well as holds us back. It motivates us to achieve more, become more, and contribute more, but at the same time it also takes us away from the power of now. It removes us from our natural and pure state which is one of gratitude and love. It is incredibly important to take time everyday to be grateful; to review your goals from years past and see what you have accomplished and how far you've come.  It also is a good time to take inventory whether the things that were important to you then are still important to you now.  You can also take this time to recommit to the goals you may have been derailed from but are still top priorities in your life.  

I made it my commitment today to do this exercise and take a look at some of my old goals.  I pulled out my old red notebook that was given to me almost exactly 4 years ago before I set out on my journey to China for my last internship of chiropractic school. I remember sitting in my room on the 16 floor of an apartment building in downtown Zigong in the Szechuan province of China writing my goals for my dream chiropractic practice on the 4th page of my notebook.  I was still a student living off loans with barely a thousand dollars in my bank account and no idea how I was going to make this dream practice a reality.  Even at the time, I did not know if I really even believed it was possible to create what I wanted to create, and I certainly didn't know how I was going to do it, but I was very specific in exactly what I wanted.  I wrote out a detailed, yet concise, 19 word goal statement of exactly what my dream practice would be.  As I look back on that statement today, I am literally living that dream statement.  Every word of the 19 words I wrote down has manifested in my practice.  It has been an intense four years with lots of ups and downs complete with intense victories and punishing disappointments, yet with a compelling vision and a tireless commitment and focused work ethic my dream practice has come true.  I am eternally grateful for all of the amazing people in my life who have made it possible, because without them, not only would this have not been possible but it wouldn't have as much meaning without the people I love to share it with.  I am also beyond grateful for all of the members of my practice who have allowed me into their life and given me the opportunity to touch their lives and contribute my heart and soul into make their lives a little bit better.  It is truly an honor to touch the lives of so many people: 3 generations of families, new borns, kids, teenagers, parents, and the elderly.  

There is so much out there to achieve and to want, but when you put yourself into an intense place of gratitude for all that is, you tend to attract more of that into your life.  The life of your dreams doesn't come without a price however.  It requires an extraordinary commitment and work ethic, a constant process of self introspection, and the discipline to align your actions with your highest values and to remove the things in your life that are not serving you.  You can truly be, do, and have everything that you want in life if you make it a priority and follow these four essential rules: 1 Faith - that everything in your life at every moment is serving you and providing you with the lessons you need to evolve into the person you need to become to live the life of your dreams; 2 Commitment - to doing whatever it takes and taking action to become that person as life is providing you with those lessons; 3 Belief - that you deserve the goals and dreams that you have for yourself; 4 Gratitude - to live in this state always. Are you willing to do what it takes? Are you willing to be thankful for it all, the good and the bad? Are you willing to commit yourself to a life excellence? In the famous words of Rumi, "The garden of the world has no limits except in your mind. It's presence is more beautiful than the stars, with more clarity than the polished mirror of your heart."