Aspire Magazine: Inspiration for a Woman's Soul.(TM) Aug/Sept 2016 Aspire Mag Full Issue | Page 58

your resolve. Ultimately, it’s a small shift in perception. Gratitude is about appreciating your self during a challenge. You recognize that you are utilizing your power of choice to empower yourself through difficult times. Gratitude does not necessarily mean that you feel thankful for someone else’s behavior, which may have been harmful. However, you can be grateful for how you held up and responded in the situation. “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.” – VICTOR FRANKL This year was the most difficult time I have experienced in my life. I was in the process of ending my marriage. In the whirlwind of pain and confusion, I was able to find gratitude. I had set a powerful intention on how I wanted to conduct myself through the process although it was gut wrenching. I wanted to be able to look back on it and know I did everything I could and that I did it with love. Today I am so grateful that I could look beyond my own ego and the wounds I felt so as to bring the situation to closure with grace. I did have to advocate for myself but I did it as a self-loving woman and not as some enraged betrayed and wounded soul. 58 In challenging times, you can choose to react or you can choose to respond. When you react your turning your power over to the other party and your behavior is usually heated, not well planned and ultimately a low vibration. If you choose to respond you have taken time to think about what you want to do. You’ve prepared yourself emotionally and you are in a higher vibration. When you respond you’re staying in your feminine power. When you react your standing in your masculine energy, which is more combative and aggressive. Therefore, what you will get back is also combative and aggressive. Imagine pushing against a wall and you are pushing really, really hard. What does that feel like to your body? It’s exhausting and reacting does the exact same thing to you physically. It drains you of your good energy. It attacks you mentally and emotionally. When you’re in a lower vibration, it will be impossible to see a higher purpose to a situation and to develop gratitude which is so healing. Here are three powerful but easy steps you can utilize to connect you with gratitude. Emotional Freedom Technique: There has been so much conversation the last few years regarding the Emotional Freedom Technique. What you do is tap on specified points on your wrist, head, face and body to shift your emotional state. I must admit I wasn’t a strong believer until I tried it and worked with the technique for several days. It is so easy to do and you script your own statements that you utilize through the process. There are several great resources to help you with this. Go to YouTube and www.AspireMAG.net | August / September 2016