The Appreciation Game–How To Feel Better RIGHT NOW
When a whole lot of yucky things are going on in your life and you’ve sunk to the bottom of the emotional scale and you know you’re out of alignment with what you want, what can you do to feel better right this minute?
Abraham-Hicks teaches many processes that can help improve your emotional set point and thus your alignment, but sometimes things can get so overwhelming that it’s tough to summon up the oomph to do any of the processes. Sometimes, visualizing and journaling and whatever else is just too much trouble. And remember, if it doesn’t feel good, it’s not helping.
So what can you do when you feel this bad?
You can reach for thoughts that help you feel a little better than what you feel now, thereby climbing the emotional scale, going from fear to anger to blame to doubt, for instance. But sometimes that can seem too complicated too.
Me? I like the easy way.
In the last few weeks, my “what is” circumstances have included some pretty lousy events. If I told you the details of those events, you would understand if I also told you I was feeling lousy.
But not only am I not going to tell you the details, I also don’t feel lousy.
I admit I did wallow a bit last week, but I feel good now.
Why?
This quote from Mike Dooley’s Notes From The Universe explains my shift:
“Isn’t it rather mind-numbing that for everyone, always and forever, they have 10,000 more things to be thrilled about, than not?”
Think about that. Imagine the power of going through your day thinking about the 10,000 things that are right instead of the two or three or even 100 that are wrong. Imagine focusing on the glory of a all the clovers in the field instead of worrying about one snake in the grass.
When I saw this quote, I remembered Abraham-Hicks’ statement that appreciation is one of the most powerful positive vibrational frequencies that there is. Doesn’t it stand to reason that if you go around looking for the 10,000 things that are right, the law of attraction will bring you more and more things that are right?
Instead of trying to find beliefs and feelings that seemed out of my reach, trying to take on an identity of what I want to be, one that just doesn’t seem to fit me right now, I decided to simplify. I began to look for as many things as I could find that are right in my world.
You know the game “I Spy?” Kids love it. “I spy with my little blue eye something red,” one player says, and the other players try to guess what it is.
I’ve been playing a new version of the game: “I spy something right.”
Something “right” is something that feels good, something to appreciate.
And guess what? It only took spying a couple dozen “right” things for me to start feeling better.
I thought it would be fun if we could play this game together. What do you think about coming together to gather 10,000 (or more) “right” things here in this post?
Can you imagine the woo hoo vibrational frequency we can create by combining our focus and pointing it at as many good things as we can think of?
I’ll get us started.
I Spy With My Little Blue Eye Something RIGHT
I spy:
1. My dog, Ducky’s enthusiasm
2. My husband, Tim’s love for me
3. Ocean breezes
4. A solid roof over my head
5. A comfortable sofa
6. Nectarines ripening on my kitchen counter
7. The kitchen counter
8. Having a nice deep sink with a garbage disposal
9. My laptop
10. WordPress, which makes it easy to blog
11. The coming of fall
12. The 1957 wheat penny Tim found, which so delighted him
13. The training collar my parents bought for Ducky
14. My parents willingness to help us out as much as they can
15. The gift certificate that my friend gave us that allowed Tim and I to go out to eat on his birthday
16. The fact that I can breathe
17. The fact that I can smell (as in sniff things not as in having body odor)
18. The fact hear
19. The fact that I can taste things like pizza and red wine and avocadoes
20. Pizza, wine and avocados
21. The fact that I can feel textures like Ducky’s soft fur
22. Ducky’s soft fur
23. The quiet in my neighborhood
24. The beach I get to let Ducky run around on
25. The sound of the surf
26. The sound of the breeze rustling trees in my backyard
27. The trees in my backyard
28. Every dollar and cent I have in the bank
29. Every dollar and cent that is on its way to me
30. My ability to write
31. My ability to type
32. Tim’s usual great mood
33. A working alarm clock (the digital kind)
34. A fun alarm clock (the Ducky kind)
35. Flannel sheets
36. Having a comfy bed to sleep in
37. Fans that cool the room
38. Living in a place where fans are rarely needed
39. The infinite variations of the color green in my backyard
40. Indoor toilets
41. Running water
42. Hot water
43. Having a water softener that keeps the water running smoothly through our pipes
44. Having a working DVD/VCR and TV
45. Remote controls
46. Having two cars that run just fine
47. Having one car so old that I don’t care if it’s filled with sand and dog hair
48. Fresh water
49. The ability to drink and eat
50. Being able to sleep
51. Being able to dream
52. Tim’s C-pap machine, which has done away with the need for me to poke him several times during the night
53. Dog beds because dogs look so cute sleeping in them
54. Dogs
55. Cats
56. Deer
57. Raccoons
58. Birds
59. Eagles
60. Horses
61. Cows
62. Soy products so I don’t have to eat cows
63. Tim’s pure joy when eating part of a cow and the fact that we can agree to be different
64. Elephants
65. The brass elephant in my living room
66. The purple flying pig in my bathroom
67. Toothbrushes and toothpaste because without them, my teeth wouldn’t be happy and dentists would be way too rich
68. E-mail
69. Twitter
70. Facebook
71. Being on Facebook as Ducky and how fun it is to interact with other over the top pet owners
72. A working brain
73. The ability to remember good things
74. Music
75. Dancing
76. Microsoft word, which is making numbering this list very easy
77. My ability to cook
78. Getting our oven fixed for $500 less than was originally quoted
79. A working stove and oven
80. The propane that runs our stove, oven, and our gas woodstove
81. A working washer and dryer in my house
82. The fact that Tim does laundry AND irons his own shirts
83. A working iron and ironing board
84. Tim’s bicycle, which he enjoys riding to work
85. The fact that Tim switched to a smaller belt today
86. The fact 99 percent of my hair is still brunette
87. The pinto bean salad I made yesterday
88. Tim’s appreciation of the pinto bean salad
89. Screens on my windows
90. Windows
91. Not seeing anything except trees on my own property when I look out my windows
92. Living in a small town
93. Libraries
94. New friends I’ve made through this blog
95. Castles
96. Taking photos with a digital camera
97. My ability to walk
98. Having fingernails that grow fast
99. Spending the day working at home with my dog at my side
100. Drawers and closets to keep things in
101. Doors to cover the drawers and closets so I don’t need to keep what’s inside perfectly neat
102. My massage shower head
103. Tim’s foot rubs
104. Lotion
105. The smell of fresh rain
106. The way rain sounds on the roof
107. The way rain feels on my skin
108. Sunshine
109. Clouds
110. Storms
111. Sunrise
112. Sunset
113. The moon
114. Roads in my town
115. Freeways
116. Traffic signals and signs
117. The fact that 99 percent of drivers do what they’re supposed to do
118. My ability to drive
119. My glasses
120. Being able to read quickly
121. Being able to write quickly
122. Playing with Ducky
123. Laughing
124. Watching movies with Tim
125. Popcorn
126. The fact that I’ve had 3 books published
127. All the columns and articles I’ve written that can be repurposed into other things
128. My ability to teach writing
129. Watching Ducky swim
130. Teaching Ducky tricks
131. Watching Ducky perform her tricks
132. That fact that Ducky comes when she’s called 95 percent of the time
133. My back massage cushion that does shiatsu while I work
134. Socks
135. Memory foam
136. Pillows
137. Memories of my dog, Muggins
138. Clocks
139. The fact that my thoughts create my reality
140. The buffet and hutch that Tim made
141. Tim’s love of woodworking
142. Funny jokes
143. Ducky’s freckles
144. The feel of a good hug
145. Playing Scrabble with Tim
146. The solid floor in my home
147. Locks on my doors
148. Living in a town where I don’t need locks on my doors even if I use them out of habit
149. Tables
150. Chairs
151. The fact that all my parts work in such a way that I can easily use tables and chairs
152. How dark our bedroom is at night
153. Door knobs that make opening doors easy
154. My jetted tub
155. The way Ducky can have fun with an empty water bottle
156. Seeing Ducky’s toys lying around because it reminds me of her joy
157. Eating lunch out on the deck
158. The 90 percent of my body that’s perfectly comfortable
159. Teeth to chew things with
160. Earrings
161. The convenience of pierced ears
162. The fact that there is such a wide variety of color in the world
163. The fact that my body can digest food and eliminate what my body doesn’t need
164. The fun of finding agates and shells on the beach
165. Light
166. The ease of light switches
167. Electricity
168. Batteries
169. Rechargeable batteries
170. Phones
171. Cell phones
172. Answering machines
173. Tim’s ability to build websites
174. Tim’s willingness to do whatever job he needs to do to earn money
175. Tim’s and my ability to learn new things
176. The fact that I have gone after my dream instead of “playing it safe”
177. Thermometers
178. The way inside of my house looks
179. My chi machine
180. Vitamins and minerals
181. Reading novels to relax
182. All the pictures I have of Muggins
183. The fun of doing The Joyful Springer
184. Meeting dog people through The Joyful Springer
185. Wind chimes
186. Singing
187. Soap
188. Shampoo
189. Make-up and the fact that I don’t have to wear it if I don’t want to
190. The fact that mosquitoes are easy to kill
191. The way spices make food taste
192. Having a refrigerator
193. The fact that no matter how much weight I’ve gained, I still have slender wrists
194. Having cute ears that don’t stick out
195. Tim’s patience
196. The anipals on Twitter
197. The fact that my 25 year old stereo still works great
198. Ducky’s dog door
199. Shelves
200. Having lots of books
So there’s a begnning.
When you’re looking for things that are right, your mind doesn’t have room to linger over what’s wrong. It’s amazing how fast you go from feeling bad to feeling good when you do this.
I invite you to play with me. Please share a list of “right” things in your world. If you feel like counting them up and putting a total at the end, all the better so we can keep a running total of what we’ve come up with.
Let’s pour on the appreciation here. Let’s feel great!
Related posts:
———–
Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography on Flickr.
Tags: Abraham-Hicks, Alignment, Appreciation, Law of Attraction, Vibration, vibrational frequency
August 21st, 2010 at 11:34 am
Right on, Ande! My lists are soooo long… here’s a sampling…
Fresh smelling laundry,earphones, pencils, music, air, fresh air, curly hair, straight hair, blue eyes, little kids laughter, goofiness, sillliness, wonderful ideas, punctuation, being flexible and agile, a good dancer, great singers, happy people, self-aware creators, dog toenails clicking on wood floors, fresh breezes, smell of bacon cooking, perfectly roasted turkey, wonderful dressing, best-ever gravy, funny friends, loving friends, webcams, saying good morning, dog snuffeling mushrooms, brown dogs, kittie cats – kittens, purring, kneading, sweetness, love, humor sleep, knowledge, openness, wonder, downstream, canoe, kayaks, houseboats, live aboards, downstream tubing, rafting rivers, these bodies, money, having dinner made for me, having my bills paid for me, having an endless bank account, traveling whenever and wherever I want in first class, going on a European shopping spree for interesting items, laughter, humor, meeting people from different countries and really connecting, buying anything I want, enjoying wonderful food, meeting wonderful people, writing wonderful screenplays that touch people,being confident, knowing I’m magnificent, knowing I’m eternal, knowing I get to choose, knowing I can ‘imagine it better,’ knowing I can choose a different thought, petting the big dog Griffin, birds, fish, turtles, waterfalls, imagining sunshine, tropical vegetation, old Pali road, Pali lookout, Diamond Head, Waikiki, a loving partner, a beautiful car, being chauffeured hula kane Hawaiian music slack key, IZ, brothers cazimero, my brothers & sister, my mom and dad…, memories, floating down stream dropping the oars and letting it in,drums, flutes, color, shapes, circles, coffee, breath, eyelids eyelashes, kittens purring, birds singing, breeze, morning, dawn, opportunities, life, hope, friendship, love, laughter, sand, whind chimes, pillows, shapes, research, life, softness, silkiness, pleasure, cobalt blue, sleep, beauty, necklaces, colored glass, turtles, sea turtles, dolphins, whales, sea creatures, waves, sea spray, boats houseboats cruise ships, traveling to exotic places, meeting creators all over the world, allowing, floating, drifting, hammocks, swings, smiling, dreaming, wishing, hoping, creating, new wonderful spaces, being alive, being aware, being on the leading edge, being conscious, ukuleles, singing, laughter, happy, joy, sneezing, smell of French roast coffee, making cookies, making biscuits, savory smells, visualizations, stepping into my perfect me, feeling energetic, feeling flexible, joyousness, Abraham, Esther and Jerry Hicks, Ande, Ducky, Karen, Patrice, et. al!!!
August 21st, 2010 at 12:04 pm
What a great list, Lauri! 171 wonderful right things. We’re up to 371!
August 21st, 2010 at 1:52 pm
along with everything else already listed :<)
my precious hubby
precious family
precious home
precious grandchildren
our home business
working in our beautiful countryside
the laughter of children
pitter patter of little feet down the hall
little hugs and kisses
sippy cups
soft blankets
safe cribs
little teacups
little teapots
winnie the pooh
Dr Seuss
bedtime stories
bedtime kisses
making up rhymes
singing and dancing to almost anything
sharing an ice cream
making cookies with little ones
playing at the park
swings
slides
running in the rain with your granddaughter
living life with young people around you
my little room in the basement where I can hang posters and keep all my many many books,
desks with lots of drawers
candles
soft lamps
comfy reading chairs
foot stools
inspiring posters
lots of art supplies
organizer containers
post it notes
elastics
paper clips
scotch tape
empty cu-tip boxes for beads
magazines to cut out from
tables to spread things out on
Abraham quotes posted everywhere
my computer
uplifting facebook friends
my secret is wags blog
our beautiful clean lakes
boating
warm breezes
cool lakes on hot days
our canal system
swimming at night
a crystal clear pool
shade from big trees
the song of the crickets
dragon flies on our pond
coyotes howling at night
cool nights
bright moon
walking in the field in the moonlight
bon fires
marshmellows
baked potatoes
fresh vegetables from our garden
zucchini soup recipe to use up all those zucchini
pumpkins growing for halloween
tractors to cut our grass
time to be able to do this
friends that ask you if you would like to add to an appreciation list
happiness that there is lots more I could add to this list :<)
August 21st, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Jan–great list! It’s wonderful to see others’ lists because they remind us of things. As I read both your list and Lauri’s, I was saying, “Yes!” to everything and wondering why I didn’t think to put it on my first list–well, I would have been writing all day … but then again, maybe that’s a fine way to spend a day.
Your 71 things brings us up to 442!
August 21st, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Ande,
Well as we are making a list:
1. Having you as a friend since high school.
2. Having a friend like you who is such a talented writer who thru this blog has helped me to keeep moving forward & getting back to a more positive attitude despite the crap that has gone on in my own life these last couple of years.
3. All the great friends that I have who have been more than generous in helping me get thru my long term unemployment.
4. My family, especially my Mom who is the BEST.
5. The ability to move back to Australia to get my life back on track.
6. Being able to swim & workout regularly.
7. Thai food!!
8. My 2000 BMW Z3 (which I will have to part with to go back to Australia).
9. The great weather we are having @ the moment.
10. Books & the ability to read.
11. Stuart Weitzman shoes & bags!
12. Mexican food.
No doubt there is a lot more; but a lot of what I would have put has already been covered. I thought I would just list some things that are personal to me.
August 21st, 2010 at 6:04 pm
Ah, Mel, I’m honored to be 1 and 2 on your list! Great list. I guess I’m going to need to get that money I want so we can come and visit you in Australia. Tim told me in the past he loved it and now, of course, he doesn’t remember it. Your 14 bring us up to 454. I’m going to add a few more: having my loyal friend Mel still keeping in touch with me after 32 years since graduation (ugh), fond memories of those days we spent swimming together, your teaching me to dive (remember that?). And some more I thought of — the smell of a dog’s paws (like corn chips), getting to know via Twitter Facebookand e-mail, the creative lady behind http://www.puppyjones.com, Abraham Fun, Abraham Fun’s author Karen Money Williams, discovering Abraham-Hicks, my father who first sent me the Sara and Solomon books a dozen years ago, my father’s faith in me, trust, loyalty, love, walking in the forest with Ducky, the little ground squirrels that yell at us as we go by, the dog people we meet on the trail, my readers of this blog, comments on this blog, the way Ducky looks at me when she wants to play (which she’s doing now, so I’ll stop).
Plus 20 is 474 things that are RIGHT!
August 21st, 2010 at 9:40 pm
Omigosh, talk about a rampage of appreciation! There’s one happening here, and whoa, doggies, does it feel good! I so enjoyed what everyone has written — it’s mesmerizing.
I’ll add my 2-cents:
my laptop, Della
Ande’s and Ducky’s wondrous blogs
Lauri, Greg, Jan, and Mel
the Abraham-Hicks discussion groups at our abode
contrast (sometimes — haha)
my life partner, Mark
technology, whether I understand it or not
Mitsi Mitsubishi, my car
the grocery store and ever new items and products
being alive in these exciting times
my 2 new grand-kitties, Cosmo and Archimedes
the spinet piano I’ve had since age 9
individual serving containers of cottage cheese
fresh, new ideas
problems that are solved before you know you have them
sychronicity
E! TV shows
having the courage to mention E! TV shows
knowing about Law of Attraction and thus everything that really matters (besides how to bake a mean chocolate chip cookie)
Karen´s last blog ..How Do I Go From Point A to Point B
August 22nd, 2010 at 6:06 pm
Love your list, Karen and I’m with you on the importance of making a mean chocolate chip cookie.
You’ve brought the total to 495.
August 24th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Thanks for this post Ande.
even in those difficult times… we just have to stop breath and look for the beauty in it 
Just this morning I was wondering, how to feel good when nothing seems to be working out as desired or wanted or dreamed in life.
Then, I stop for a moment and take a breath and go online and I find this treasure.
The funny thing is we know this, I know this, we all know this, but a little poke is needed to get back on track.
You will probably realise how glad I am that you posted this today
Thanks for that list and for the other lists thru the comments.
Life is truly beautiful
August 25th, 2010 at 9:20 am
Yes, even in the midst of yuck, there’s always good when we want to find it. I’m glad the post helped, Bea. Thanks for letting me know!