EzraGardener.net

Being in a constant state of appreciation is a surefire way to receive all that one desires out of life. The concept of being appreciative has been talked about in nearly every culture and religion. But it’s ironic — when it comes to manifesting one’s true desires, being thankful is often overlooked. Furthermore, the mental mindset of being appreciative has several biological effects on the human body. Lastly, I’ve come to find from personal experience that not only does being in a state of appreciation bring me what I want, but also a whole lot of other things I didn’t know I wanted, but loved it even more once I received it. All in all I can’t stress enough of the importance of being in a state of appreciation.

Appreciation Used Throughout the Times…
I find it amazing how nearly every religious text, and great avatar there ever was has mentioned the power of appreciation. It really does go to show that great minds often think alike. (Though creativity often makes it seem different, their core values are usually 100% the same. ) Don’t believe me? Here are some quotes you may find rather interesting:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; -The Bible Phil 4:6 NKJV

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” -Buddha

“Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic” -John Henry Jowett

“To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kind that will stand behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.” -Albert Schweitzer

I could go on and on with these quotes. How is it that all of these people from different walks of life mention the power of appreciation? Well, the idea of appreciation which is an emotion that belongs to the love family has been around since the beginning of time. This is because appreciation is one of the highest honoring types of emotions there is. When we honor someone or something we are in direct alignment with what it is we are honoring and our Higher Power. ( Whatever you call your higher power. ) This energy causes us to expand and have more energy to have all that we want. Often times with little effort. Without this ability to appreciate we would be unable to attract what brings joy to us.

The Basic Building Blocks
When a person appreciates what they have in there here and now its like they are giving their left brain a starting point. Science has taught us that the left brain measures. It measures everything like time, space, distance, weight, and everything else in between. When a person says, “I love the fact that I have this or that right now.” In that very moment they are registering a positive place they are in and from that moment they can move from that positive place to another positive moment if they choose. The left brain won’t allow a person to instantly jump from place to place without first acknowledging where they are at. If you wanted to take a trip to Japan, but didn’t know the location you were in at this moment, you wouldn’t know what direction to go in because you don’t know where you are! By first defining the place your in through appreciation, this will allow you to move to an even more optimal place. This is why in “The Secret” movie an attitude of gratitude is talked about. A word of caution: When defining the spot your in now its best to look for the positive. If you happen to define your place as bad I guarantee you when you take steps to move out of it you will only find yourself in another bad situation or worst.

Overlooking Appreciation
I’ve seen many people do this. I’ve seen it done by poor people, and I’ve even seen it done be rich people. That’s right. I’ve seen millionaires do it. I use to coach a multi-millionaire in my practice a little while back, and he use to complain to me about the emptiness he was feeling. He had everything most people could only dream of. He traveled, enjoyed luxurious cars, the best hotels and $400 dollar massages. Yet he was also left with a feeling of boredom and un satisfaction. I told him that the cure for the emptiness he was feeling was appreciation. I further explained that it wasn’t an emotion that was just going to pop out of thin air. He would have to make a conscious choice to slow down and appreciate all the things and people that mattered most to him in the here and now. From that place he would go on to get all the things out of his life that really brought him a whole lot of joy. He followed my advice and has been deeply fulfilled with purpose, and most of all appreciation ever since.

I would go as far as to say that all of us have come here to enjoy the emotion of appreciation in one form or another. It is an emotion that is relative to love after all, and isn’t love the greatest thing we can have in our lives? Weather its love for our family, success or dog. It is a wonderful emotion to experience. All that sounds so basic but many times this can be forgotten. Once forgotten the choices a person makes in life are no longer driven by love, but become fear based. If you can consciously make a choice to appreciate what you do have in your life, and know that you’re here for the experience of love. You will always find yourself prospering.

Biological Effects
When a human being feels appreciative than that person feels happy, and when a person feels happy all kinds of wonderful things are taking place in that person’s body. Things like lower cholesterol, better rest, and more energy are just a few of the many health benefits that can start taking place when in prolonged states of appreciation. In my opinion the health benefits can be absolutely endless when in this state. Our cells are actually addictive by nature. If you place them in an environment of prolonged stress for long periods of time they will become addicted to it. Why not place them in an environment of appreciation? Your cells will eventually seek out more reasons to be in that state of appreciation.

More on the biological effects of appreciation…

In a broad-based study of adults aged 65 and older, it was shown that positive emotion was a strong predictor of how long people lived. Happy people in the study were half as likely to die and half as likely to become disabled as compared to people who were generally sad.

Studies also suggest that happy people may have stronger immune systems—they’re less likely to get colds and flu viruses. And when they do, their symptoms tend to be mild.

In one study, over 2,200 Mexican-Americans aged 65 and over were tested for positive emotion, another way of indicating happiness, and then tracked for two years. After controlling for other variables, researchers found that happy people were 50% more likely to live and 50% less likely to become disabled.

I know those facts listed above are talking about “happiness” but keep in mind that appreciation is a major form of happiness. When someone is genuinely happy appreciation isn’t to far behind!

My Personal Life Experience with Appreciation
I have to say that ultimately appreciation was a big factor in making my life what it is today. Its through this appreciation that I came to realize all my dreams in my life, and even more than I could possibly imagine. Appreciation has a way of bringing about a lot of unexpected positive results into one’s existence when it really picks up a momentum. I’ve always had a theory that thoughts shoot out of us like waves that attract to us whatever is closest in harmony to the particular thought. So if a person is constantly always talking about how bad things are they will attract more bad things. Maybe not the same experience, but something just as equally bad if not worst. The same rings true with appreciation. If someone is always talking about how thankful they are then they will consequently attract more things to be thankful about or very thankful for.

Like with any other human emotion once a certain momentum is gained than a snowball effect starts to take place. Its like a powerful web of appreciation gets constructed which ultimately leads to more and more appreciation. Take a look at the diagram below:

Appreciation starts a beneficial cycle that eventually leads back to more appreciation, thus enforcing it. I’ll go as far as to say that all emotions cause one cycle or another. If you want to be in a depressed cycle simply look for all the bad things you dislike in your life and complain about it. But who wants to be depressed?

Applying Appreciation
I could write a completely new article about applying appreciation, and I probably will eventually. A lot of people still think that they have to wait for something to show up outside of themselves before they can start appreciating. I know I use to be the same way, but this isn’t the case. Actually it’s the complete opposite. A person must go out in search of things to appreciate both inside themselves and outside in order to really start to cultivating a happy mindset and eventually a happy life. In my article “ Advanced Law of Attraction Manifesting Results in Your Life FASTER “ I talk about the importance of staying focused in a certain direction. When we stay focused on things we appreciate in life we tend to move in that direction through time and space. Its like having the head lights of your car pointed north. If you want to go north than point your headlight north and stay pointed in that direction. Don’t expect do go south if your headlights are pointed north. The same rings true with things that really make us happy. Don’t expect to be happy if your always focused on the things you dislike. Stay focused on what you appreciate.

I know that sounds somewhat over simplified especially with some of you who may be experiencing a life crisis. All I can say is practice, practice, and more practice. If you grow up in a household where your parents were naturally happy and thankful about life than you will find this to be an extremely easy process to do. For most of us this takes ongoing practice, because appreciation is a skill in and of it self. It just doesn’t show up out of no where. So don’t be to discouraged. Take the simple things in life that you just love and build from there.

All in all I can’t stress enough of the idea of having an attitude of gratitude. There is no reason ever big enough to be depressed about for any long period of time. Why put yourself through that kind of pain? Find something that uplifts you and embrace it to the fullest. Allow your heart to love what it wants to love and be thankful that you can experience the emotion of love itself. As you focus more on what you love more love will enter your life in all kinds of ways you once thought were in possible. Try it today.