Tapping into ADVANCED Gratitude

So maybe you think you have a pretty solid gratitude practice. You spend time each day giving thanks for the good stuff in your life. Maybe you even keep a journal that you write in each morning or evening. You say “thank you” often to express your gratitude to others. In general, you are a grateful person.

There is, however, a Next Level that you can achieve in the world of gratitude that will even more dramatically change your life. In fact, this practice of Advanced Gratitude, or as I like to call it “As if” Gratitude, will turn you into a MASSIVE MANIFESTOR!

You’ve probably heard me say a time or two that our human brain is wired for negativity. It’s our default setting and part of our basic survival instinct. But, now that we don’t run from sabertooth tigers every day, it tends to spend its time fixating on our mental stressors - one of which is a feeling of lack, or “not enough” syndrome.

Research has proven that a daily gratitude practice lifts us out of the survival or limbic brain and shifts us into our intuitive, higher level thinking brain. Simply put it turns a feeling of lack into a feeling of abundance.

I’m sure you’ve experienced this in your own life. You are feeling down, crappy, and like nothing is going your way and then you pause and think about a person, a pet, or something that happened in your life that was a blessing. Immediately, feel good hormones like dopamine and serotonin are released into the body creating an overall feeling of happiness and suddenly the world doesn’t seem like such a dark and depressing place.

When practiced regularly, gratitude has been clinically proven to improve overall happiness levels and so much more. Click HERE to read some really interesting research findings on practicing gratitude (I love brain research!).

So how do you become a Massive Manifestor?
This next level of “As If” Gratitude taps into that creative, higher thinking brain of yours to bring into your energetic space the feeling of already having the things that you are desiring. 

Wishing for a new job? Rather than spending your days mucking about in the feelings of how much you can’t stand your current job, take time each day to sit with the feeling you are seeking in a new job. Create such a powerful mental visualization that you can actually feel it. Do this every single day. Live “as if” the new job is already yours.

Seeking your perfect partner? Again, instead of giving in to the woe-is-me, I’m not good enough, blah blah blah in your limbic brain, spend time each day creating that super powerful mental visualization of how you want to feel in your perfect relationship. Who do you want to be in this relationship? Find it right now with YOU and call up that feeling every single day.

Feeling unhappy with your weight or lack of fitness? Rather than allowing your negative brain to feed you self-defeating thoughts, cultivate that “as if” feeling for how you want to look and feel about yourself. Create a powerful mantra such as “I am healthy and active and feel good in my body”. Repeat it every time your self-defeating thought pops into your head. Then, put on your walking shoes and go move your body while you listen to an inspiring podcast! One I am LOVING is “Earn Your Happy” by Lori Harder. You can find her on Spotify.

I’m currently putting my Advanced Gratitude into practice with the upcoming 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training I’m launching this spring with my friend and fellow yoga teacher, Geanette Floyd. A 200-hour training is no joke! It’s a lot of work and a huge time commitment. Rather than letting my limbic brain come up with all the reasons and ways things could go wrong, I’m “as if” manifesting a full and successful training with amazing yogis who not only develop into terrific teachers, but who also form deep and meaningful connections with each other and a much deeper connection with themselves, too!

You ready to turn up that gratitude dial? Give my “As if” practice a try and let me know how it works for you!