Daily Muse

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.”~Melody Beattie

Gratitude is a powerful energy. Having gratitude and appreciating all that you have and all that you are is the first step toward creating space for more happiness, joy and increased abundance. Gratitude shifts your awareness from negative to positive. Gratitude gives you hope. Putting it out there by writing a few things each day will change your life in ways you can’t imagine!

Gratitude for what you already have helps bring your energy into present time and unlocks the potential for bringing in MORE! A daily practice or “gratitude journal” is a powerful tool for change. You may already have “lists” of what you’re grateful for but when you begin each day by stating and writing down what you are grateful for you put a chain of energy events in motion. Think of it this way; Gratitude is you seeing the glass 1/2 full instead of 1/2 empty.

Are you validating or invalidating what you already have?

“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.”~John Milton

Having gratitude for what you already have validates that you can (and are) having what you have. How can you possibly make space for more if you are not grateful for that which you already have? In fact if you are not grateful for what you already have you are invalidating the gifts of abundance which already exist in your life. Having what you already have validates and honors you as a creator. Invalidating or thinking “it’s not enough” or it’s “not good enough” keeps you in a state of lack. The truth of the matter is that if you aren’t grateful for what you already have it will never be enough or good enough!

Gratitude is an inside job!

“Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.”~Eileen Caddy

Growing and expanding is always done from the inside out. Gratitude is about seeing the positive and the more grateful you are the more positives you will see. The more positive you see, the more positive, happy and empowered you feel! The more empowered, happy and positive you feel the more you give and share. The more you give and share the more blessed and abundant you feel which leads to even more abundance and gratitude. This chain of events begins the moment you put the energy of gratitude into play. Gratitude not only has a direct effect on your life but the lives of those around you. In essence it turns what “you have into enough” and turns “enough” into more!

30 Days of Gratitude Challenge

It’s important to give gratitude every day and there’s a way to start! I’ve created a Facebook Event so we can all work the energy of gratitude together. There IS power in numbers after all! The beautiful daily status posts are inspiring and give you even more to be grateful for in your own life! To join the 30 Days of Gratitude Status-A-Day click here. You don’t have to “like” the page to join in (although I would certainly be grateful if you did 😉 ) Just join the event and start posting at least one Facebook status every day stating something you are grateful for. If you are not on Facebook, please post your 30 days of gratitude in the comments on this blog or on Twitter tag @spiritlightmuse and use the hashtag #30daysofgratitude. Feel free to share and add friends. Join me for 30 Days of Gratitude status-a-day!

So to you my beautiful friends I want you to know how much I appreciate each and every one of you. I’m grateful and blessed to have you in my personal and virtual life! I’m grateful you read, share and support my work. May each of your journeys be filled with an infinite abundance of gratitude, love, joy and happiness! GRATITUDE ROCKS (see the picture on this post)!! ~Shine Your Light Debbie

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There are some people in this world who suck the life right out of you! You know the ones I’m talking about. The energy vampires! These are the “friends”, colleagues or family members who demand your attention and don’t respect your time, energy or space. They test your patience, tax your last nerve and leave you drained and exhausted when you’re around them. Energy vampires are very real and once they’ve gotten their fangs into you it is not only exhausting but the encounter can literally haunt you for days, months or in some cases even years!

Energy vampires don’t always know they are sucking the life out of you. They walk around like zombies full of negativity, drama and pain which they pass around until someone (who is usually trying to help them) becomes the dumping ground. The more you try to help by giving them advice, giving them your valuable time & energy and giving them a forum to vent, the more you give away. That’s a lot of giving! Not to sound like Dr. Phil but what are you receiving from this relationship?

Yes, there are energy vampires out there but it is beneficial to look at your part in the relationship. What generally happens is you’ve given them permission to do this. You’ve given up your space to them. You are healing them and allowing solving their problems and their life process to become more important than your own. When dealing with energy vampires as well as being exhausted, you are probably thinking about them and how to ‘help’ but you can’t solve someone else’s problems or take on their pain. Knowingly, why would you want to? It’s fine to want to help someone but if they can’t “have” the help you are giving and don’t take steps to heal themselves you might want to re-evaluate your relationship with them.

At some point after they’ve sucked the life out of you time and time again your awareness will kick in and you get angry. The funny (not haha funny) thing about an energy vampire is they’ve learned to do what they do much like Armand taught Lestat how to be a vampire in Anne Rice’s Vampire chronicles. If you continue to allow them to suck you dry, you have taught them it’s OK to do so. When dealing with energy vampires you will notice that most everything in the vampire’s life including friends, family and work relationships involve some sort of drama and if it’s not their personal drama they are probably complaining, blaming others or gossiping about someone else.

One reason you get sucked in to someone else’s drama is because you are sensitive to others pain because you’ve experienced it in one form or another. You’ll notice that you are most vulnerable when you are happy. It is said that misery loves company and energy vampires tend to bring you down to their level if you allow it. It should be mentioned that dealing with energy vampires is not easy. If you are highly sensitive, have health issues and/or challenges of your own it is best to care for yourself first and you might have to end the relationship with your vampire friend. It’s never easy to sever a relationship of any kind but sometimes it must be done for your own health and well-being.

Here are a few things to do when there’s an energy vampire on the loose:

Forgive yourself! This is important. You were in a sense ‘sucked in’ to the negative vortex. Now that you recognize what’s happening you can effectively take your course of action.
Forgive them and clear the resistance! Forgiveness is a powerful way to clear energy. Energy vampires have probably been sucking people dry for a very long time and don’t realize it. Forgiving doesn’t mean allowing them to do it. It means forgiving them and sending them on their way.
Set boundaries and own your space! Do this from a non-effort, neutral place. Owning your space is the best way to set boundaries.
Value your loving nature, time & energy! What you have to give has value. Your time & energy has value. Think of it as if it were money. How much would you give to others at the cost of your own needs?
Cut the cords and raise your vibration! If necessary, you may need to end the relationship. No one can take your energy or drag you down without your permission at some level. I know that’s hard to hear but it really is up to you.

It is your right and within your power to say no and stop the energy vampire dead in their tracks! Call back your energy from the takers! Your happy life blood is yours to infuse into YOUR life! Help those who can receive your gifts and move on from those who suck you dry!~Shine Your Light Debbie

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