Kind Promise: I will appreciate blessings.

PaintingEntering into this month and looking for a deeper way to practice gratitude, I Google “deeper gratitude,” and BOOM find a wonderful article, 4 Steps to a Deeper Gratitude by JOHN AMODEO, PHD. I love the Internet.

I immediately have my assignments for the month:

  1. Recognizing: I want to notice and hold the moments of blessing. My Delights of the Day practice will come in handy here. This is a call to slow down and breathe them in.
  2. Relaxing and receiving seem more of the same. Rather than a quick nod to these blessings, I am called to breathe them in, use the breath to relax my body and focus my mind.

    Disallowing reception of blessings and complements as a form of narcissism struck me immediately as a Great Truth. I am astonishingly self-centered and yet astonishingly self-critical. Perhaps they go together.] When I receive a compliment, I shrug it off, which is an odd way of thinking that I am so wonderful. I don’t need blessing. Amodeo calls me back to my body open and receive.

  3. Relishing: Amodeo slows me down once again, inviting me to roll the blessing around in my soul in the same way as I savor a piece of dark chocolate.
  4. Responding as though I’ve been genuinely affected. If I have successfully participated in steps one through three, I will have been genuinely affected, and there won’t be any “as though” about it.

This month, it seems I have decided to copy from the smart kid next to me. Thank you, John Amodeo!