Aspire Magazine: Inspiration for a Woman's Soul.(TM) Aug/Sept 2016 Aspire Mag Full Issue | Page 66
both at the same time. Gratefulness drives
out alienation; there is not room for both
in the same heart. When you are grateful
you know that you belong to a network of
give-and-take and you say, “yes” to that
belonging. This “yes” is the essence of love,
knowing we are all connected.
Gratitude is a shift in focus. When you
recognize that gratitude is not simply an
emotional response, but also a choice you
make (no matter how life is treating you),
it awakens another way of being in the
world, one that nurtures the heart and helps
create a life of meaning and purpose. With
gratitude comes acceptance and letting go
of things beyond our control; something we
all struggle with if we are feeling challenged
by life events or people around us. It takes
courage to let go and accept what-is and
ourselves.
Start by claiming your life, your ‘mistakes,’
your choices, and what you’ve chosen to
do with that which has shown up in your
experience. Start embracing everything
that comes into the circle of your existence.
Everything can be a teacher, if we choose
to take on life in that way and shift out of our
ego.
From that perspective, there’s room for a
lot of courageous gratitude–courageous
because it’s scary to say thank you in the
middle of things falling apart. It’s scary,
yet it’s enlivening, because it’s a way of
meeting our fear. Courage is: feeling the
fear, diving in anyway (meeting the fear),
and transforming. Acknowledging and being
with our fear transforms us
When you appreciate whom you are and
what you have, you become unstoppable.
You see the changes and you aim even
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higher with another step. What you do
matters. Once you appreciate your abilities
and potential, you can recognize that even
the smallest of behaviours can breed positive
results and create long-term positive effects.
Every time you catch yourself succeeding,
stop, acknowledge where you are at and
appreciate yourself for a moment. This is an
act of self-love.
Being thankful every day, even when it’s not
easy, has improved my overall attitude and
led the way to great things. Being open to
what comes has made this whole process
seem easy. Letting go of old patterns and
ideas has allowed me to be unburdened by
fear. I also realized that gratitude can boost
courage. Courage to step in the direction
we want to go. Courage to make ourselves
vulnerable. Courage to put ourselves out
there. We become courageous by being
courageous
The act and power of adopting an attitude of
gratitude has a direct effect on our lives on
a physical, spiritual, mental and emotional
level. Studies have shown that living life
with appreciation leads to a greater sense
of well-being and happiness. The secret to
living a courageous life may rely on focusing
on the good, rather than what is
lacking or not going well at the
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Di Riseborough - Di Riseborough is a Best Selling Author,
Transformational Speaker, Intuitive Life Strategist and ‘F-Word’
(Forgiveness) Specialist featured on the Oprah Winfrey Network. As
a Fear & Forgiveness specialist, she helps you become consciously
aware of what fears are driving your decisions in life, and assists
you in making positive changes and better choices. She is the author
of the #1 Best-selling book Forgiveness: How to Let Go When It
Still Hurts. Visit www.diriseborough.com and download your
complimentary 12 Faces of Fear Assessment.
www.AspireMAG.net | August / September 2016