This is Day 13 of the 14-Day Gratitude Challenge held in Aug 2013, where we practice gratitude for 14 days. The challenge is now over but you can do the tasks in your own time. Visit the overview page for all the challenge tasks.
Hi everyone, welcome to Day 13 of our 14-day gratitude challenge! :D Believe it or not, we have only one day left till the end of our challenge. Let’s make the best out of our remaining two days, shall we? :)
Day 13: Meditation
Do you meditate?
Meditation is a practice I talk about often on PE. I’ve written about meditation in detail before which I encourage you to read here:
While meditation is typically seen as a 10, 15, or even 30-minute session you do daily, these are merely sessions to help you kick start your meditation practice, get into the groove, understand what it entails, and then integrate the practice of mindfulness into your daily life. You can’t possibly drop everything in your life for 24 hours, 7 days a week just to meditate, in the name of seeking peace and oneness–that’s a cop-out way to live life. In actuality, meditation, the state of awareness of your place in the universe and just being in the moment, is something which you should practice every waking moment of the day.
There are many kinds of meditation practices. There’s the character infusion meditation in Days 7–11: Embody Your X Ideal Trait in our premium character-transformation program, Be a Better Me in 30 Days. There’s the ideal-self-discovery meditation in Day 5: Discover Your Ideal Self of Be a Better Me in 30 Days as well. There’s also the meditation exercise in Day 23: Get Advice From Your Future Self in Live a Better Life in 30 Days (the premium life-transformation program on PE), where your future self travels back from the future to give you advice.
Today, as part of the gratitude challenge, I would like you to do a gratitude meditation, where you will be expressing gratitude for things which are about to come true in your life!
Your Task: Do a Gratitude Meditation (15 minutes)
- Get into your favorite meditation position! If you are new to meditation, I encourage you to read How to Meditate In 5 Easy Steps to get yourself started.
- Close your eyes. Clear your mind. I want you to think about 2 goals you would like to accomplish in the upcoming period. These goals can be related to any area of your life wheel–business, career, health, social life, family, romance, recreation, contribution, personal growth, spiritual, and self-image.
So you can have the goals to meet your life partner and to start pursuing your passion. You can also have the goals to lose 10kg in the next 2 months and have a better relationship with your mother. These goals are up to you.
- Visualize your first goal coming to life. Visualize this so clearly like you are achieving this goal right this second. Feel the exhilaration in your soul. See, smell, hear, taste, and touch this moment.
So if your goal is to lose 10kg, visualize yourself standing on the scale now and seeing yourself 10kg lighter. Feel how free your body feels now that it is lighter by 10kg. Visualize yourself looking into the mirror and seeing a thinner face and a shapelier, thinner body. How do you feel? Ecstatic? Amazed? What are you thinking? Wow I’m finally thin again! I look so awesome! I can’t believe I’m back at my ideal weight from 10 years ago! Visualize this moment. Feel these emotions 100%. Embrace these thoughts, one at a time.
Do this visualization for at least five minutes.
- As you do this visualization, express gratitude for realizing this goal. If your goal is to lose 10kg, you can say “Thank you for my ideal weight.” or “Thank you for my beautiful, sexy, thin, healthy, and amazing body.” (Feel free to add on more words of gratitude if you like.)
Repeat your gratitude expression two times, for a total of three times. Feel the gratitude in your heart and your soul as each word part your lips. Bask yourself in the feeling of gratitude. Hold yourself in this state of gratitude for at least two minutes.
- Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for your second goal.
- When you are done with your visualizations and expressions of gratitude, spend your final minute easing back into the physical world.
Note that I say “physical” world, not “real” world, because what you have visualized has in fact happened in another reality. Now it’s a matter of time before your visualizations manifest themselves in the physical world as well. :) Your gratitude for these results, along with your goal planning and action taking, will be instrumental to your eventual success.
Daily Journaling: Write 3 Things You Are Grateful for Today
On top of today’s task, identify 3 things you are grateful for today. These 3 things can be events that occurred today, mishaps which could have happened but didn’t happen, or simply things which have always been in your life but which you suddenly came to feel grateful for today.
3 things I’m grateful for today:
- For dreams (literally). For some reason I’ve been having the most vivid dreams for the past 3 months (at least!). I can only attribute this to a clearer mind, a cleaner diet (which contributes to a clearer mind), and a more clutter-free life. Years ago I used to keep a dream log because dreams contain important messages from our subconsciousness, and by remembering and reviewing our dreams, we can decipher messages they are trying to send to us and put them to go use.
So now that I’ve been remembering my dreams, I’ve been using the chance to understand messages my subconsciousness may be trying to send me through my dreams, and subsequently reflecting them on my life. Believe it or not, I’ve been getting many new insights this way!
- For my fiance for doing my laundry for me even though I didn’t expect him to. I mentioned on Day 11 that we need to do our laundry right now–that’s because our washing machine is currently broken. While we get it fixed up, we are doing our own laundry–and when I mean “we”, I really mean “Ken” because he has been voluntarily stepping up and doing all our laundry, from washing, rinsing, hanging them to dry, and collecting the clothes.
Our laundry — Clothes which Ken washed, rinsed, and hung up to dry early in the morning
Our laundry–Socks! Mine are the second and the fourth from the left!
- For those of you reading PE, thank you for your kind support, always! I appreciate you for being here and supporting me in my life’s journey. ♥
Plus one!
- For awesome parents-in-law-to-be (Ken’s parents) for so generous, sweet, and caring. They are probably the best parents-in-law one can ever have, made especially stark after I hear about horror stories people have with their parents-in-law.
Share Your Results!
How was your gratitude meditation? What two goals did you visualize? How did you feel during your meditation?
What are 3 things you are grateful for today?
Share them in the comments section! :)
Once you’re done, proceed to Gratitude Challenge Day 14: Give Thanks for Your Mistakes.
(Images: Gratitude, Meditation
)
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The two goals I decided to meditate upon were to live on my own and to be fitter. Meditation always leaves me refreshed and calm, but during the meditation, when visualizing my goals as if they had been already achieved, I got all excited and my heartbeat quickened.
3 things I am grateful for today:
-I found a good directory of sites where you can promote your blog for free. I need to read more about them
-I’ve been alone at home almost the entire day so I got enough time for myself, to enjoy a silent, relaxing day
-prepared a delicious meal and took my time to give thanks for it (just like we had to do for one of the Gratitude Challenge tasks). I’m going to keep working on appreciating more the things that I usually take for granted.
Hi Madaline, I’ve just started blogging but would be oh so grateful if you share the resources you found about promoting your blog for free!
Check this article out: http://www.youthedesigner.com/2007/10/01/25-ways-to-promote-your-website-or-blog/. :) Good luck with your blog!
Hi Madalina,
Thank you so much for sending me that blog information. I really appreciate it. ;-)
You are welcome!
Hey Celes, I’m always looking for new ways to tweak my meditation practice, and I *love* your suggestion to imagine already being grateful for what you desire to be true. Beautiful!
My meditation is on my yard being well manicured and also cleaning my house from top to bottom ;=) I believe it and then I see it! I can tell this is only the beginning of my meditation journey. It’s refreshing and builds my faith personally. Thanks Celes for sharing such awesome information;=)
3 things I am grateful for today:
1. I am thankful for the warm sun and cool breezes
2. I am grateful for having dreams and aspirations
3. I am grateful for having a nice yard where grass grows ;=)
Day 13 Meditate on a Future Me
01 ~ I’m going to stop complaining so much. I don’t want to be a complainer but I do complain quite a lot, about a lot of things, often before I even realizing I’m doing it! So
I’m going to stop that to bring more peace into my life and leave more time for real and true and important things.
02 ~ I will be able to focus better, having a nice balance that doesn’t feel the need to hyper-focus in order to accomplish a task so that all other things are blotted out. My work efficiency and my home life will be much better because of this change, resulting in more order and, well, balance!
The three things I’m grateful for today are: 1) lunch with my sisters; 2) sleep without dreams that was very restful; and 3) the 3-bean chili that’s cooking in my slow cooker. Can’t wait until supper time!
My meditation was about my bedtime. I find myself not going to bed early enough with no reason. I pictured myself being well-rested when waking up, having a good attitude and no dark cirkles around my eyes :) The second one was about writing. I’d love to write more, especially more public stuff as I have no problems with writing my diary etc. I pictured myself infront of my laptop, writing and pressing the publish-button. I also saw myself uploading beautiful photos to go with my posts.
I liked this task! I could feel myself having all that extra energy from sleeping enough. It was great. I’ll remember that feeling when I feel the urge to “read just a bit more” or “just quickly check my email” before going to bed. And what better way to use all that energy than to write great blog-posts ;)
Today I’m grateful for:
1. My new blog (about meditating and creativity) and the positive feedback I’m getting. Most readers are still my friends (I just started saturday) but it is such a warm feeling getting an email saying my posts have inspired someone. Already! It’s kind of overwhelming.
2. Our adoption process started today. It will take years before we will be blessed to become parents for someone out there. I’m happy we are starting. Our social-worker who will be evaluating us, seems really nice. For that I’m super-grateful!
3. I started a new course today in school (lots of beginnings today!!). The next seven weeks I’ll be studying childrens’ theatre and at the end of the course we will tour kindrgartens to perform with the plays we make during this period. Our teacher is wonderful and I’m ready for some serious studying.
+ Thank you Celes! I’m so very grateful about this challenge. I’m in the middle of many changes and your tasks have helped me keep my self on the positive side. I could be very stressed. Instead I’m looking all this as a big hug from the universe I should be grateful about :)
Annamarika,
I would love to follow your blog. I am also interested in meditation and I have been always looking forward to your posts in this challenge, I enjoyed them very much because you are going through immense changes in your life. I can relate to this as there have been also many changes in my life lately too – but mostly on the inside. Hopefully one day they will manifest themselves also on the outside :-)
Would you be so kind as to share the link to your blog – hopefully it is in English because I don’t understand Finnish ;-)
Eli,
thank you so much for your comment! The most meaningful changes happen inside, don’t they :)
I’ll give the link, but it is in Finnish, so no luck there. But, you can find my email at the bottom of the page. I’ll be happy to correspond with you via email. In English ;)
And I forgot the link :D
http://taiteilijanmeditaatio.blogspot.fi/
The assignment is to pick two goals that I wish to
accomplish in the coming future then I should visualize achieving each and
showing gratitude for the achievements.
My first goal is to learn Tai Chi and Qigong well enough to teach a
class myself within the next ten years.
Usually it is said that a person would need five years of practice in
either in order to begin running their own classes. My area has a local tai chi
center but not anywhere that does qigong, so I would need to attend seminars
out of town and also practice alone with instructional videos. I have spent some time studding in the past
each but during my breakup with my ex did not continue in these studies. It is something that I miss and would like to
return to doing on a regular basis.
My
second goal is kind of old for me, but also something that I need to begin a
new focus towards. For years I worked to
build a mobile DJ unit, including turntables and speakers. The equipment I used
was “old school” not including the laptop computers used by many today. I wanted years ago to update my hardware, but
felt satisfied with the working tools I had at the time. Then, roughly three years ago, my life went
through a change where I found myself without not only my home music studio but
also my marriage. I cannot have the wife
back, and at this point have realized that things are better without her. I can though have the set up back and this
time with the updates I wanted to make in the past. Since I would be starting from scratch it would
be smart for me to update to the technology of today, getting the best and
latest tools versus cutting corners. In
the past I have made simple attempts at digital but never had all of the pieces
together. There was always a software
issue or an update I didn’t have or maybe a wire connection that was no longer
used. I would want to buy everything now
at least as close to new and with each piece matching for the purposes I would
use them for. My laptop for example (or
tablet should I choose) would need to have the best possible memory and
processor available, need to work with the necessary software having the latest
updates and would need to handle these things with room for future growth. I know that this will not be a cheap
adventure as turntables alone usually run about $500 each, not counting the
price of needle tips which can run an extra 50-200 depending on quality. In my theory the set up would allow for both
regular vinyl records along with the usage of vinyl emulators which would be
specially coded to use with mp3 or wave music files. I would want this easily changeable since I
still have a large collection of vinyl with songs not available in the digital
world yet, but also able to play newer tracks only available digitally. My plan is to start my savings after my
vacation in October, putting away small amounts in order to pay for the items
over time. I am guessing I would need an
extra $2-3 thousand in order to pay for everything, with roughly a thousand
going to the computer. I do have a set of turntables already (though they have
European plugs) that hopefully will be usable with the right power strips and
enclosures. These items though would
need to be purchased along with a new mixer and a converter box of some sort
between the analog and digital world.
3 Things Grateful for Today
–
I had my medical checkup results visit with my
doctor this morning, along with seeing my mental therapist. Both visits went well, with each doctor happy
with the progress I have made and my present condition. The medical visit was a follow up for the
physical required by my insurance. It
was good to hear that all of the “numbers were normal” as far as body
functions. I am one who hasn’t taken the
best care over the years, but I have tried to make steps of improvement. Each place also took a weight which showed a
decent drop in weight. It doesn’t look
like it but I had an extra 20lbs that have left according to the medical
chart. I hope to do more work in
trimming away fat, but would like to keep the sort of healthy look I have
now. Years ago I weighed a bit less and
it showed with a very thin and warped shaped body. Then my metabolism slowed while consumption
increased, which caused the gain. I have
no magic secret as to why the loss as I have not began an exercise or diet
program in recent months, but have simply tried to increase slowing my activity
level while decreasing my intake of bad foods. I do have some upcoming
activities planned which in theory would send me to the gym, but even without I
hope to simply continue taking steps towards a more healthy lifestyle.
–
Was able to watch Raw between last night late
and this afternoon before leaving for work.
It is maybe my favorite show and the highlight of my week. I have been a pro wrestling fan since I was a
child, now seeing it as more of a morality play than simple brute
entertainment.
–
I found a quote this afternoon from a blog that
I read that from time to time. It was
about different things you can do to be happy and seemed worthy to share. I was touched as to how many people enjoyed
reading it today, some even commenting on how amazing it was. Even the writer of the blog took time out to
“like my post” which in today’s word gives almost a rock star moment for a fan.
I will share the quote below with all of you.
“Everyone
says love hurts, but that’s not true. Loneliness hurts. Rejection hurts. Losing
someone hurts. Envy hurts. Everyone gets there things confused with love; but
in reality love is the only thing in the world that covers up all the pain and
makes someone feel wonderful again. Love is the one thing in the world that
doesn’t hurt.”
Have copied your quote into my Life handbook :-) Thanks!
TWO GOALS
1.To be rid of excess weight, standing tall in front of the mirror, pleased and happy. Practicing feeling grateful about being rid of excess weight feels very helpful…my challenge right now is to b willing to do what it takes to get rid of that weight. I know what it takes…I’ve been there before, and been successful. SO important and I have not been able to achieve this: Losing weight is just, by itself, not good enough! I need a close circle of friends to “call me on my stuff” and encourage me to do the specifics when it comes to losing weight and maintaining weight. I need to reach out when I feel fears…fears of losing weight/changing my body image (even though i desire to drop the heavy burden of excess weight.)
For months now, I haven’t been saying “no thank you” when it comes to food that is not for me, I have not had portion control as a given, in my daily life. I have relished the freedom of choosing what and how much i feel is what my body wants, and sometimes I have eaten more than enough. When I am disciplined, I tune into and follow what my body NEEDS, not what it wants. Quite the contrary. I have been hungry and wanting to eat until I am full, instead of eating a measured amount and that’s IT. Although i have maintained my sugar and flour abstinence, all other foods taste very good, and I go overboard, and I am still having food cravings. I have let go of my strict discipline, and I have made things hard for myself, and being heavier, I have postponed knee surgery, which would otherwise have happened this year, and needed to, because I am overdue to having it done, to say the least.
So I am visualizing what I would be eating when I am rid of excess weight…and how much.
I am seeing a new and energetically fit person. I am visualizing maintaining a weight, something that does not happen in the long run…my lifetime has been one of ups and downs…and what is the point of losing weight, only to gain it back!
I am visualizing feeling grateful about being disciplined with having exercise and fitness in my life, enjoying it, actually, and having a lot of joy in my life as a fit, independent woman who loves to be able to just get up and go.
2. I am visualizing such deep joy at being able to move around, before and after knee replacement surgery. My muscles are well-toned, and I feel comfortable in my own skin, literally…something that is not the case now. I am so glad and grateful to have had knee replacement, because now I can walk, hike, and be very independent. I feel joyous and rejuvenated to be active and moving around freely.
************************************
GRATEFUL FOR TODAY
1. That I was at least willing to do this assignment about meditating and visualizing being grateful achieving my goals.
2. That my friend and I were really very available for our friends, who need help for a very serious matter, and I found a professional who can see the challenged person, on short notice, tomorrow before they have to leave.
3. That I am willing to go to sleep earlier, and not stay up all night.
My post on day 13gratitude challenge…
http://randomthoughts-musings.blogspot.com/2013/08/daily-gratitude-log-13.html
I meditate as part of my daily yoga practice so really love this challenge.
I visualised teaching yoga to lots of people at Ella’s yoga centre, which will be opening up soon. Secondly I saw myself doing really well in a job I have applied for as an editor. This task made me feel happy – it would make an excellent new habit to do this regularly.
1. Grateful for the lovely cream tea I had in the afternoon – large, warm scone, clotted cream, jam and with peppermint tea.
2. For playing with my youngest niece summer.
3. For my lovely, lively family.
This morning I did a gratitude meditation instead of my usual meditation session. Choosing which two goals to visualise made me realise priorities in my life have changed lately. In the past months I have been working on two main goals – loosing weight and writing my thesis. I have succeeded in loosing part of excessive weight but am still pretty far from my ideal weight. When I tried visualising myself thin I realised achieving this goal will not make me happy. It will be nice and I will feel good for a few days but being slim is not the most importang thing for me in life. The same is with my thesis. It will be nice finishing it but it will not have a significant impact on my life – it is not what will make me smile, rejoice life, feel happy.
After re-reading your post, I realised that at the moment I desire a partner – someone to hold hands with, to enjoy together the happy moments, someone to take care off, someone who will make me laugh and also cry :-) However when I tried to visualise happy moments full of love with someone, I started crying and could not feel happiness. This made me realise I obviously still have mental issues to clear before I can let somebody in my life. In a way, it is sad but on the other hand I have been working on myself and my issues lately a lot and have made significant progress. So this just showed me there is more work to do and that I am on the right path :-)
The other goal that I did manage to visualise was decluttering a room that is full of mostly my things – from papers to clothes, shoes … I believe also all this clutter is holding me back in my life. Putting too much attention on the physical world and keeping things as souveniers from my past life is holding me back from my future. Also when you fill your life with too many things there is no room for people :-( So day 13 of gratitude challenge has been very insightful for me. Looking forward to the last day :-)
3 Things that I am grateful today
1. Today I am grateful for being given a deadline for my seminar paper. It is very tight but it has also gotten me motivated because I had been trying to write this seminar paper already for one month but was taking it way too easy
2. Today I am also grateful for experiencing a change of perspective in my decluttering process. It was not easy and it took a very mentally very exausting days for me to realise that life is not about things and keeping things as memorries, it is about people. And all the clutter, things that I am saving are holding me back and not allowing space in my
life for people. Throwing away things became much easier after this shift in my thinking.
3. Today I am also grateful for the long awaited rain. The cold rainy weather is not much fun for me personally but the soil desperately needs it
I visualized finishing my diploma and playing beachvolley as much as possible next summer.
Diploma: I saw myself finishing it in september, being confident at the presenation, making good presentation, no troubles with answering qouestions, being relaxed, being proud. I felt enthusiasm and freedom.
Beachvolley: I saw myself having time for playing, I visualized sun, sand and wind, I saw myself being in good shape and having physical condition, good game, focus. I forgot to visualize having fun.
On day 13 of gratitude challenge, I was grateful for:
– going to trainig due to bad weather,
– less procrastination at work,
– summer.
I didn’t get to meditate; I’m not much of a mediator to begin with. As soon as this challenge is done, I’ll attempt to take 15 minutes and do this exercise. I’ll come back with the report too ^_^ But my two goals are to pass my driver’s test! and do well this semester including figuring out what I want to do.
Right now, I’m feeling a little stressed so a little meditation might do the trick! I always like the fasting trick. And not by not eating(Which i have tried) but cutting out an obsession, and replacing it with something productive. Like the internet, ha ha.
Please find day 13 attached. It isn’t exactly the task given, but it is as close as I can get to it for now.
Last year I wrote a book, “How to Be Happy 99% of the Time:
A Practical Action Plan to Make Life Easier, Fun. and Meaningful” In
the book I talk about having a “Thank you” meditation for the same
reasons that I started this challenge with Celes. Living with an
attitude of gratitude contributes immensely to your total mind, body,
and spirit wellness. Personally, I think I am pretty good at giving
gratitude each day, but like everyone, I could always do better. This
challenge gave me more incentive to practice what I preach.
I do a very simple me “Thank You” meditation. Basically I sit or stand in stillness and do this: (watch video) – See more at: http://inspirehappy.com/2013/09/01/gratitude-journal-challenge-days-13-14/#sthash.uaNwUeb1.dpuf
I’ll be doing the meditation task, but right now I’m needed to head off somewhere and after that I’ll get a chance to log back and write on PE only after 3 days. So for now, here are the list of 3 things i’m grateful for. I’ll hopefully reply back to this post with the results of the task in 3-4 days.
– I’m grateful for my office space. I’ve realized that there’s a certain focus and energy that comes when you work with all of your colleagues together, that’s found missing when you try to work from home. I need to commute for 90 minutes to 2 hours to work from office, but I realized yesterday that the quality and the quantity of my work justifies it.
– I’d always told myself that I didn’t like riding/driving. But nowadays I realize that riding my bike is proving to be a great way to unwind. I find many questions when riding and sometimes find answers too. It’s also a great place for me to try and start being more mindful. It allows me to see and observe new things and people. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be amongst many different kind of experiences each day for at least 2-3 hours for all the riding that I need to do.
– I’m grateful for an understanding new manager with whom I’ll probably have to work for the next 3 months for a small project in addition to my usual work. He seems down to earth, he’s interested in learning things and knowing them well even now(he seems to have been in the industry for 25 years but his passion for learning hasn’t waned), he has good focus, he follows up with action, and he’s professionally polite.
Here’s the sharing of the results of this task, as promised earlier :):
Two goals:
1) Marry a wonderful woman.
It felt great to visualize. Feeling light. Feeling as though the person is already there in my life. Also gained some clarity as to what kind of a girl I would like to marry. How I would like our typical day to be. How we would sort out differences in a mature way. How we would be affectionate. How we would have intelligent conversations and how she would be with my friends and family. And How I would be with hers. It gave me a nice clarity and at least for now, took away the hurriedness that was being forced on the goal. I do not know how she would look, but at least I got a glimpse into how she would make me feel. I think repeating the exercise at least once every few days would give me better clarity. It would help me not settle down for someone in a hurry. Especially with my family and a certain set of friends trying to create a sense of urgency around me, this sense of clarity is quite important to hold my stand and not give into the ‘good-meaning’ pressure they supply.
2) Get to a place of excellence in everything I do – programming, dancing, and theater.
After visualizing the first goal, I didn’t feel like going to the second. I felt like just staying with the lightness, the relaxation that the first one gave. But I knew that this second goal is more immediately important. I’ve taken up multiple activities – right now a day job of high-tech programming and alongside a task of working on a movement piece, getting trained under an extremely talented professional dancer. Juggling these two, maintaining the focus, efficiency and excellence in both at the same time is becoming a challenge. I’m also interested in gaining certain amount of proficiency in theater – acting, directing and playwriting too.
Visualizing this right after the first one was challenging. The first one was a breeze and I could go on for 15 minutes without getting intervened by other thoughts often. Here, maybe because of doing the first one with intensity, or maybe I didn’t want this as much as I wanted the first goal, the meditation was strewn with distractions. There was more of thinking rather than visualizing, feeling and being in that moment. But I did go back to the feeling I get when I finish a task with the standard I would be proud of.
There’s a critical issue that needs to be resolved in the next couple of days and I felt the joy of having resolved it and the appreciation that it would entail. I also felt the appreciation I would get if I were to become an improved mover. Hand in hand would also be the joy I would feel inside, knowing I’ve given my best, and knowing I’m doing great.
3 things I am grateful for today:
– My rehearsals where people showered praises at me for how much I’ve improved in the past 3-4 months
– The great new group of friends I’ve who are making me think differently and also teaching me that earlier I was subconsciously seeking the approval of the kind of people who were unlike me. That I could be my own self and needn’t follow the herd. That I could choose to listen to the music in the background of all the noise.
– The ability to give to my loved ones. To give them and to give whole-heartedly and then to also gracefully receive back from them.
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