It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time to write a post about gratitude!
You can read my previous posts by clicking here.

The last few weeks have been a true wake-up call for me. I have been doing the 21 Days of No Complaining Challenge, which I thought I would breeze through – I’m a pretty positive person. I fill my life with gratitude. I’m a glass is half full sort of gal – no problem!

Wow – was I wrong.

I have always known that our thoughts become our reality – our life today is a direct reflection of the thoughts we had yesterday – and our life tomorrow will be a direct reflection of our thoughts today. I know that, but I guess I didn’t really KNOW that.

What I mean is that I never really took the time to fully examine my thoughts – to get to know them intimately – to make friends with them – to embrace them. Because what I am learning more and more is that only through awareness can change occur. It’s true. How can I bring more gratitude and positivity into my life when I’m not even aware that my thoughts are so often voicing complaints?

That’s where this challenge has been so helpful – it has created the space for me to listen to my thoughts – check in more often with them – and rather than sugarcoat them and tell myself that they are one thing, I am actually hearing them for what they are – cries for help.

If you’re doing this challenge with me, you have probably noticed a complaint pattern. I’m sure you have your own hot buttons that send you down a path filled with frustration and negativity. But is it possible to dig a little bit deeper and get to the root cause of why these are hot buttons in the first place? When you have to wait in line for longer than you had hoped, and you feel yourself seething inside, what is it really about? (And only you can know the answer to this.) But taking the time to examine this will help to remove it and clear the way for positivity.

Here are my hot buttons and the bigger picture issues that they bring up:

1. technology – It truly amazes me how often one little technological glitch can throw me off my center and completely unnerve me. Looking at the bigger picture issue, I can see that it has to do with feeling out of control – it’s not really about the internet being down or my computer malfunctioning. But these frustrations bring up fears of being out of control in other areas in my life as well.
2. cat fights – We have two cats who don’t get along – one of them is a bully, and he’s not going to change. We have tried everything to prevent them, and still these fights occur, which is stressful not only on our cats, but also on us. This brings up my strong need to surround myself with peace at all times – inner peace and outer peace. I refuse to take in violence of any kind – words, images, etc. And having this happen right in my own home isn’t fun to see – the energy that comes from it is toxic to me. I think the bigger picture issue is that I didn’t always live in a calm environment, and now that I have created one, I’m very protective of it. But learning to not hang onto this negativity and have such a lasting impact on me would be a great place to begin to release this hot button.
3. lack of abundance – This brings up my primal fears about security. I want to feel safe and know that I am always going to be okay. And it also brings up my feelings of wanting to be taken care of (which has been my pattern) versus taking responsibility for my life.
4. feeling tired and overwhelmed – When I complain about feeling tired, my body is crying out for me to take better care of it. Let it rest. Give it a day off. Fill up my cup. My soul is aching for me to do this.

This exercise has been so eye-opening for me, and I am sharing it so openly here now with the hopes it will help you in your own life. I encourage you to look deeply at your own hot buttons.

What do you complain about most often?
And then really examine why these things irritate you so much.

The answers will allow you to see into your soul. The awareness that comes from knowing why you react the way you do is the first step to creating your ideal life. And that is definitely something to be grateful for.

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