It is far too easy to be judgmental of others. I know, I struggle with this every day. Who cut me off on the highway? Fellows co-workers beliefs about God? Even how I look in the mirror after a shower can be judgmental. However, there is a way out of this trap.

Simply pay attention to your thoughts, all of your thoughts, and you will see how often you are critical (and downright unkind) to yourself and others. It is not pretty to witness, but awareness is always the first step.

It is empowering when you readily see the best in yourself and others. You do this by cultivating an attitude of generosity, gratefulness and appreciation. This is how you learn to keep your heart open and bring out the best in us all.

A local radio station here in the Twin Cities (KTIS 98.5 FM) has this cool thing they do to pay it forward. They call it the drive thru difference. Simply put, next time you are out and about simply how a stranger a random act of generosity. Pay for their meal, buy their gas, give them a grocery gift card, volunteer or shovel a neighbors walk.  Just show them your gratefulness for being here on this planet with you. Generosity is contagious! Plus, notice how good you feel when you pay it forward to someone else.

Here are a few steps to make life just a little more fun and increase your overall happiness:

• Start by being aware of your critical thoughts
• Next, positively redirect those thoughts  immediately
• When possible, pay it forward. Spread contagious generosity!!
• Finally, pay attention to how good it feels to cultivate a kind heart

Simply put, FEAR breaks down to False Energy Against Reality! False beliefs!

Do you ever feel stuck in a rut of unhelpful beliefs, leading to unhealthy habits causing unconscious actions?

This checklist may give you an idea of what beliefs need updating!

Step 1 is to complete these sentences:

For example:

When under pressure I ……….……………………….

I often feel guilty about ...........……………………….

When ………………………. happens I stress out and feel like ………………………....

My Achilles' heel (greatest weakness) is ..………….

I am always trying to stop  …..…………. from happening.

When the unexpected happens I ……………………..

I always try to ...………………………………………..

The biggest obstacle that stops me loving and approving of myself is ……………….......

What drives most of my behavior is ………………….

I am afraid of ..…………………………………………..

I seek my ……………'s approval
(always / mostly / usually / occasionally)

My most frequent negative and uncomfortable emotion is feeling  …………………......

The feeling I dislike the most is ……………………….

I need to learn to ………………………………………..

Congratulations - that took courage!

Step 2 - Now you have identified your false beliefs, go back and re-do the exercise writing how you would like to be.

For example:

When under pressure I … suffer great anxiety

becomes

When under pressure I … think about the situation calmly and ask for support as needed.

i am gr8ful for life, by Kim Serafini, is more than a book, it is a CELEBRATION of your life. It is an opportunity to raise the vibration of the world by looking at your life in a new way and being gratitude with what you have and those you LOVE! 

Take the challenge! There is someone in your life right now that deserves your gratitude and with a couple of keystrokes and the click of a button you can immediately show it to them! It is not about whether you want to, it is about do they deserve it. Just as there is great power in forgiveness, there are also huge benefits to showing gratitude to people who deserve it.

The power of gratitude is INFINITE!

Thank you for reading each week! It is you who is special and you who are infinitely blessed!
 
With gratitude,
Dr. Rob

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