Last week, my younger sister, who is in her twenties asked me if I would like to participate in a Sprint Triathlon with her. We are both active and work out in our local gym. But neither of us runs, bikes, or swims on a regular basis. This might sound like a crazy idea, but my usual response when met by a challenge that I consider “do-able” is to just jump right in! So jump right in, I did. Our triathlon consists of a 500 meter swim, a 10 mile bike ride, and a 2.8 mile run; All to be completed within 3 hours’ time. We have several months to train, so I was thinking that this would be a piece of cake…
Living in Florida means dealing with hot weather for most of the year. So we decided to take our first run in the morning. Despite getting out before 8:30am in September, the temperature was already 88 with high humidity – and it was very sunny.
We started our run and were both struggling after the first mile. I felt heavy and overheated. As I took each step, keeping pace with my younger sister, I began to seek inner peace for this task. Rather than wallowing in how hot and humid it was outside and how heavy each step was beginning to feel, I shifted my thinking.
Gratitude Shift
I looked up at the sky. Only a few cottony clouds dotted the pale blue backdrop. The sun was shining brightly. As we ran through the neighborhood, I began to appreciate the tropical flowers in bloom and the beauty of my neighbor’s landscaping and homes. “I am so grateful that I get to do this!” I thought. “I have the time and physical ability to take a run with my sister on a week day! I get to spend quality time training for a triathlon with my sister, whom I love very much. I get to live in paradise and feel the tropical sun every day.”
Then I shifted my mind to my body. I was hot, sweaty, and heavy. My feet were starting to hurt. Sweat was dripping into my eyes. Rather than focus on the challenges, I began to feel a huge wave of gratitude for my body. “Look at what my body can do. I am in my forties and I can keep up with my younger sister. I am so grateful for my strong legs. I am so thankful for my lungs that breathe the tropical air, giving oxygen to all of my cells. I am so appreciative of my healthy heart that pumps blood throughout my body, keeping me going. I am so fortunate to have this skin that sweats to keep me cool. These eyes that see all of this tropical beauty before me.”
I am truly blessed every single day…
As you can see, the only thing that changed was my mind. The heat, the humidity, and the fatigue all remained the same, but I began to see them differently. For me, Gratitude is how I begin every Affirmative Prayer. In fact, I believe that living in Gratitude is the highest form of prayer. Being in Gratitude raises my energy or vibration. It opens doors for me and taps into Divine Spirit. Here, I believe we tap into the Prosperity Frequency.
Being in Gratitude for all of the blessings that we have – our physical bodies, our homes, our loved ones, our careers, etc. opens the door to true Spiritual Prosperity. When you love and bless your body, you have the potential to heal. When you are thankful for your paycheck, you open the door to receiving financial blessings. When you are thankful for friends and loved ones, your relationships become richer. Practicing Gratitude every day shifts your consciousness and blesses you in ways that you cannot imagine.
I have Gratitude for you!
Namaste,
Radiance