Sometimes it is hard to feel grateful.

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There is so much in our lives and the world that causes us pain.

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We fear for what will happen tomorrow or the next day.

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All of our concerns take us out of gratitude and peace.

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Because ultimately they take us out of presence.

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For in the present moment everything is usually okay.

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The fears and concerns we have are all about the past or the future.

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Rarely are they about what is happening right here, right now.

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If we can just stop for a moment and be here in the now, we might find something that surprises us.

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In this present moment there is actually a lot to be grateful for.

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We are alive. we have our breath, we have shelter and food.

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Sometimes it can feel like we do not have much.

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Until we step out of our own life and see that there are others who have so much less.

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When we are called to have gratitude from an external source, we might resist it.

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For it is not something that is coming up naturally for us.

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This is understandable.

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Still, we can cultivate gratitude if we want to.

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We can change how we feel if we are willing to.

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And when we make the decision to find things to be grateful for we can find them.

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Then gratitude become a choice.

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Choosing to find things that we can feel gratitude for is a power within all of us.

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It is our choice to exercise this power or not.

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So if you are not feeling gratitude this moment, perhaps there is a reason.

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What are you focusing on?

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Where is your attention?

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If you want to stay where you, you can just keep focusing on those things.

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Should you want to change that feeling, you can.

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Change your focus, change what you are giving your attention to, and you will change your feelings.

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The choice is your.

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What are you choosing to feel right now?

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Would it feel better to find something else to be grateful for instead?

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~ Sam Liebowitz, The Conscious Consultant

Host of The Conscious Consultant Hour