gratitude Archives - Della Temple

Joy and Gratitude: Brene and Oprah

10 June, 2015 — Posted in: All About Chakras, Living In Joy Leave a Comment

“I define joy as a sustained sense of well-being and internal peace – a connection to what matters” Oprah Winfrey

This month we are looking at the role our chakras play in helping us live a life full of joy and inner peace. I think of chakras as energetic way stations connecting our Spirit to our physical body. I envision them as wheels of spinning energy located along the central axis of your body that house the energy of your thoughts and feelings. These bands of vibrating energy provide information to your endocrine system, regulating your hormones and balancing the energy within your body.

The fourth chakra is located in the center of your chest, very close to your physical heart. This is the energy center associated with love; not the romantic, sexual love so much as the love of self and the love of others- a connection to what matters.

You are what you think, and your thoughts and feelings affect your chakras. The practice of gratitude is the practice of expressing love – and this helps to keep this chakra in balance. Joy and gratitude are inner twined. As you express gratitude for what others have done for you, or what you experience, you send out waves of love energy from your heart center – your fourth chakra. This sense of gratitude is the gateway to the energy of joy.

Brene Brown and Oprah talk about joy and gratitude in this segment of Super Soul Sunday. What I found most interesting in listening to this segment was how we can so easily talk ourselves out of joy.

Living a heart-centered life means filling your life with thoughts of loving kindness and compassion towards others. It means that your heart is open and you are in a state of gratitude –every day, all day. If you want to learn more about chakras, joy and inner peace, you might be interested in Tame Your Inner Critic, Find Peace & Contentment to Live Your Life on Purpose –

Gratitude: The Gateway to Living In Joy

10 April, 2015 — Posted in: Living In Joy Leave a Comment

“Gratefulness is the key to a happy life…because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy — because we will always want to have something else or something more.” — Brother David Steindl-Rast

We are on a quest this month to find that sweet spot of inner contentedness and joy, that feeling state of inner happiness. We know this feeling of deep peace and well-being does not originate in the doing world of activities and schedules but instead is birthed in the interior world of gratefulness. We know this, yet being grateful for all that we have and rejoicing in the way things are right here, right now is a difficult concept to grasp.

We’ve been taught to run after, strive, crave, work hard and want that which we do not have. We use phrases such as, “If only…”, “When I get that raise….”, “When things settle down” to describe our current state of unease. We will be better – different – happier – once so and so does this or such and such happens.

By imagining that “someday” is the answer, by not being OK with who we are in the present moment, we are coming from a state of lack. We are looking, seeking, running after something we don’t have. And this state of non-havingness does not bring us joy, fulfillment or happiness.

On the other hand, if we allowed ourselves to be grateful for our current circumstances, whatever they may be, we would touch into the energy of contentment and inner tranquility. What we feel, we will be. If our days are full of thoughts and feelings of gratitude, we will magnetize all the material things that represent these feeling states to us. Like attracts like – that’s the miracle.

So how do we remain in an almost constant state of appreciation, gratitude, wholeness and purpose, especially when we want something different?

That’s a deep question, but the answer lies in gratitude. As we sweep the floor, being thankful for our home. As we drive to work, being thankful for our paycheck. As we say hello to our neighbor, being thankful for friendships. Yes, we can desire a bigger home, a better job, a different neighbor. But by being grateful for what we do have, we send a powerful message to the Universe. As we surround ourselves with thankful thoughts, words of contentment and peace, we reside in the energy of gratitude.

This state of conscious appreciation allows you to be happy with the life you are leading today. Yes, you can still want more, but by being Ok with what you have now, you are in the vibration of abundance, not lack.

You’ve changed the frequency with which you want – that’s the key. That is the sweet spot of inner contentedness and joy and is the essence of living in joy.

I am grateful that you are here! If this post resonated with you, please share it on your favorite social networks. Every share, like or tweet helps me reach more people who crave support in being as kind to themselves as they are to others.

Accepting Life Exactly As It Is

20 March, 2015 — Posted in: Gratitude Leave a Comment

5825403720_1b5edc1dc3_z “If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” — Rabbi Harold Kushner

I’d like to share an excerpt from Tame Your Inner Critic Find Peace & Contentment to Live Your Life On Purpose about finding the good in every part of our lives.

Most people spend an inordinate amount of time making action plans, striving toward the next mark, pushing, reaching, and then going on vacation to get away from all of that stress and pressure. They cannot “have” their current state of affairs. They are in resistance to it, and what we resist, persists. Dreams are important, but so is being very conscious and present in the life that we have right now.

Being in havingness is accepting, with gratitude, the fullness of your life, just as it is, right here, right now, including the not-so-good parts. If you resist who you are right now, you are in a state of lack, not abundance. You have sent the signal, “I am resisting this, send me more of the same.” As an example, let’s say that you are single and not happy about the situation. You find yourself constantly wishing, hoping, and dreaming of finding a life partner. Your days are spent thinking about the future or re-hashing the past. If you are energetically “out there” searching for a mate, you cannot be fully present in your everyday life. You can’t have your current state of being single. You are sending the message to the Universe, “I’m searching for a mate.” And guess what? The Universe sends you energy of the same vibration: searching.

On the other hand, maybe you live far away from family and friends and are wishing and hoping for the day that you can move back home. As you pine away for what you are missing, think about whether you are energetically “here” or “there.” It might be that there are lots of activities and friends to be made in your current city if you decided to have your current situation.

Bring to mind something in your life that you are resisting right now. If you frequently think, “When such and such happens, I will be happy (or free, or out of debt, or not so alone),” you are resisting your present-time reality. Let’s work on that. Write down five things that you would like to change about your life. Maybe you don’t like your boss, or your apartment, or your roommate.

Exercise 8.1: Your Resistance to Current Circumstances

The first key to living a life full of purpose and meaning is to be able to have where we are right now. Once we are comfortable with our current circumstances, then we are able to take a step towards more. This exercise highlights those areas of our life where we have “low havingness,” an inability to be content with our present-time reality.

List the top five things that irk you.
Spend some time honestly assessing where you are in resistance to your current circumstances. You may be dreaming of a time when life will be different or constantly regretting something you did in the past. Consider whether you are so busy planning your future that you are missing the joys of today.
Once you have completed the list, use your tools to remove the associated thoughts and feelings from your aura. You might want to refer to exercise 2.3 and tap the story of why you are unhappy out of your system. You might want to put the energy of discontent in a rose and blow up the rose. Or you can send that old baggage of why your life is not the way you want it down your grounding cord. Whatever tool works best for you, use it.

[END EXERCISE]

Now ask yourself the question, “Am I happy with things just the way they are, right now, without exception?” Let us say you have asked the question, and your answer is, “Yes, I’m happy with the home I live in, my husband and kids are great, but my sister, with her constantly derogatory comments about my life choices, is driving me crazy.” You are in a state of appreciation of most things, but you are in a state of resistance to at least a portion of your life: your sister and the judgments she holds. Remember, she is your mirror, and she is offering you a chance to get to know a part of you that is asking to be experienced.

To move from resistance to appreciation, take a step back and look at the situation from a place of neutrality. As we detach from emotional drama, we can see ourselves honestly and not be tripped up by the stories that we have told ourselves—perhaps for years and years.

In the example above, your sister has not changed at all, but you, in your neutral state of detachment, have shifted your perspective. Your attitude is different, and that is the point. You are no longer focused on what you do not want, in this case reacting to your sister’s constant criticism of your life. You have moved from a grumbling state of mind, which has a lower vibration, to the higher vibrational frequency of allowance and appreciation. You have removed yourself from the drama. Through neutrality, you can stand back and look at the circumstances in a completely new light.

You may not condone your sister’s behavior, and you may not even like her—but you can accept her exactly as she is, with neutrality. That is moving from resistance to acceptance. You cannot escape from your life by wishing and hoping for your fairy godmother to magically whisk you away to a better life. That’s resistance too.

Havingness is accepting life exactly as it is, right in the moment. It is being in present time, with all of our emotional baggage. It’s also about being grateful for the lessons we’re learning from that baggage. Yes, that’s right. Be grateful for the messes, the pain, the hurt, or the abandonment you feel. Acknowledge it. Don’t run away from it. See it. Make peace with what is. Be in the present moment and appreciate with gratitude all parts of your life.

Spending time in gratitude for all that is going well in life is also important. The more attention we place on the positive aspects of any situation, the more we magnetize similar thoughts, feelings, and circumstances. This is not a Pollyanna way of being. There are several scientific studies that show that being grateful for what is going well in our life actually raises the level of our “happiness quotient.”

If you’ve enjoyed this excerpt from the book, I hope you will consider adding it to your must-read list. And I hope you will share this post with a friend or two! Many blessings to you – from my heart to yours.

My Gratefulness Mantra

10 March, 2015 — Posted in: Gratitude Leave a Comment

You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.— Sarah Ban Breathnach, author of “Simple Abundance”

We take so many things for granted. Look around you. Appreciate all that you have. Oftentimes we see with eyes full of lack. We say to ourselves, “I don’t have what I want. My house isn’t big enough, clean enough, pretty enough. My job isn’t full of passion and my life isn’t what I had planned.”

And all those statements may be true. You may want a bigger, cleaner, prettier house. Your life may not be what you had planned. But if you see through the eyes of lack you will stay in the energy of lack.

Instead, acknowledge that all those statements are true – while simultaneously being grateful for what you do have. You have a house; a roof over your head when it snows, with indoor plumbing no doubt. Your paycheck allows you to buy food, clothing and some not-so-essential items like nights out with friends or an extra pair of shoes.

Be grateful. Yes, you can want more, but leave the craving, and the striving-after behind. Come from a place of accepting all that is and be full of appreciation for what you do have. As you consciously give thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life, the more that will be given to you.

Exercise: My Gratefulness Mantra

List the 10 items, events, circumstances that you currently have that fill you with gratitude.
Post this list in a conspicuous place so that you keep it top of mind.
Every time you glimpse this list, say a silent prayer such as, “Thank you God for my many blessings”. Make this mantra full of meaning. Don’t just say the words, really feel the words and mean it.
That’s the secret. As you bow in gratefulness to all that you do have –all the blessings already present in your life – more blessings flow your way.

This has become part of my daily way of being. Throughout my day, I pause in gratefulness for all that I have. And every time I begin down the road of craving, striving, wishing for more, I stop and return to my mantra of “Thank you God for my many blessings.” Then I add a little bit about what I’m appreciating in that moment – it could be my home, the laughter of friends, or the beautiful view from my screen porch. And as I say and feel this mantra of gratitude, I know that I can also desire more. But for right here, right now, being grateful for what I do have is enough.

What are you grateful for today?

I am grateful that you are here! Thanks for being a part of this journey of discovery – finding ways to live our lives on purpose and in a meaningful way. If this post resonated with you, please share it on your favorite social networks. Every share, like or tweet helps me reach more people who crave support in being as kind to themselves as they are to others. So glad you’re here!

Gratitude Not Attitude

5 January, 2015 — Posted in: Choosing Your Own Reality Leave a Comment

Welcome to a new year. January is always a time of new beginnings, new journeys, and new adventures. Oftentimes though we start out on the wrong foot.

Does this sound familiar?

“I can’t believe I ate all those Christmas cookies! It’s January and I must, must, must, lose five pounds, right now!”

“OMG, it’s 2015 and I haven’t found my soul-mate! What’s wrong with me?”

“Wow! How did I spend so much money last month? That was stupid! Every year I do the same thing. When am I going to get anything right?

Has your inner critic gotten the upper hand over the holidays? Are you filled with thoughts of should have done, must do now, and what in the world got into me? Are you beating yourself up over some small misadventure?

Oftentimes the holidays are filled with unmet expectations and comparison energy. Family dynamics often make for a stress filled couple of weeks. And then January hits and we wonder why – why we reacted to Uncle Bob’s comment, why we said yes when we really meant no – you get the idea.

Instead, of rehashing all the old wounds and hurts from the past year, let’s start out again – on a different foot, so to speak.

Take a deep breath. Right here, right now.

Stop and breathe.

Allow all the hurts, the unmet desires, the disappointments of 2014 drop away.

Remember that what we think and feel we will be. Our thoughts are really powerful magnets calling back to us energies of the same vibration family. Let’s start 2015 in a state of gratitude for all that went well this past year. The following quick exercise will help you remember what’s important in your life, allowing the rest to drift away.

Exercise: Gratitude Not Attitude

List the top 3 things you are most grateful for in 2014. Think of those people, events, or opportunities that were game-changers for you.
Look at them. Are there any themes or patterns? If you had a theme for the year, how did it play out? Were you acting in accordance with what you declared mattered?

Taking this time for reflection helps you to focus on the higher vibrational energies of love, compassion and gratitude. Celebrate and revel in the good.

P.S. I did this exercise yesterday morning myself. (I was in a grumbly mood about the holidays so I sat down and refocused my energies). Here’s my list:

The Top 3 Things I am Most Grateful for in 2014

1. All the wonderful people that are helping me birth my book. From my close family and friends to those that I’ve only recently met – I am filled with gratitude and love for all their help and encouragement.

2. The internet! Isn’t it marvelous to keep in touch with friends through the power of Facebook, Google Chat and Wi-Fi? Love, love, love the “reach out and touch” ability of the 21st century.

3. My close circle of psychic friends. It’s so wonderful to have a group of buddies who are always eager to trade readings. I’m in awe (still!) about how much baggage we can let go of by clearing the energy channels in the body and aura.

My theme this past year has been Community. Here in Hana, back in Colorado, and through the internet, I’m grateful to be surrounded with people who are loving, considerate and willing to help me reach my goals and desires. Thank you one and all from the bottom of my heart!

Now it’s your turn – Comment below or send me your lists (della at dellatemple.com) and I will publish a few on Facebook and Google (minus names and other identifiers of course!)

Gratitude not Attitude – a great way to start the new year.

Thank you, dear reader, for being a part of my life. If this post resonated with you, please share it on your favorite social networks. Every share, like or tweet helps me reach more people who crave support in being as kind to themselves as they are to others.

So glad you’re here!

Let’s make 2015 a year of Gratitude.