I'm grateful for the struggle...hmm yeah, maybe
It's easy to be grateful when life is good, when everything is going the way we want it to. You often can't think of anything more or less that you could want in this state. What about when the universes plan doesn't fit what you had in mind? When the universes reckons, buckle up honey! It's gonna get rough but trust me, you know I got you.. hooh trust the process? be grateful for the growth? grateful for the struggle? Are you kidding or are you joking..
It's usually not until after the storm, after the struggle, you go through the process of being upset at how unfair life is, you get frustrated, whatever your cycle is, then you realise "I am grateful for it all because now I'm more awesome and capable than I thought I ever could be" (which you would've thought impossible, but limits are made to be shattered so go you).
There's currently a conflict going on in my mind with old perspectives, old beliefs and ways of doing things vs new ones; challenging how I see myself and the world. Some of these include my ideas and beliefs about business and money, who I am and what I stand for, realising the underlying reasons as to why I do things. I spend a lot of time inside my head; trying to learn myself and understand why I react in a certain way or why things affect my more than others. I've come to expect that these types of conflicts usually mean I'm getting uncomfortable, I'm growing, I'm redefining and constantly becoming a new version of myself; the result of old + new everything.
As the laws of nature would have it, my internal struggles and conflicts have expressed themselves physically as the sickness I woke up to this morning. I'm an advocate for the 'inside out' approach to life; take care of the inside - the thoughts we feed our mind, the food we feed our body, the peace we feed our soul will reflect on the outside. The changes that happens within, manifest into their physical expression.
Over the last two years and especially over the last few months, I've grown and sharpened my focus towards being more self-aware. I analyse how I process information, what empowers me, what leaves me exhausted at the end of the day... This process requires a lot of time, effort and honest reflection, and I'm reaching a point where I can be more honest and productive as I grow refine the latest version of myself.
What has helped the most during my journey has been gratitude for all that I have in my life. And if you're a fan of the law of attraction/nature, you'll understand how your thoughts and beliefs translate into their physical form. I'm grateful for the love of my whanau (family), for being me! and the intricacies of how I view the world and the gifts I bring to it, my friends, the air I breathe, the fact I'm alive and have the opportunity every day to pursue my passions. There's so much to be grateful for if you look hard enough (then you make a habit out of it and keep looking until witnessing the blessings becomes second nature).
"99 problems, 99,000 blessings"
During the struggle and the challenging times, being grateful for how things are, compared to how I expect them to be, allows me to accept the beauty of the process and be at peace with reality. So, instead of getting frustrated at what should or shouldn't be, I find peace in how things are, then make a plan forward from there. Of course the practical application is hella hard compared to the 'idea', but like a muscle, the more you exercise it the stronger it becomes and the better you are for it. Life is unfair sometimes, things happen that we wish hadn't. But it is unfair, shit does happen. Go through your process; get angry, get sad, then get into it - what do we do next?
I can only ever write from my own experiences and what I apply to my life. I know there's unfairness in the world and things happen that suck and seem impossible to be grateful for; my friends have a TWO YEAR OLD DAUGHTER who is battling a rare cancer (please support, follow this link); some of my tupuna (ancestors) voted in favour of the Tohunga Suppression Act to prevent Maori medical and healing practices which contributed to a major loss for Maori culture as a whole; USA have Trump as their president; women are paid less than men, the list goes on. And there's a whole lot of things I don't understand, but that's not what this blog is here for; I'm writing on the subject I know best, me.
Planning helps me to prioritise and focus on what's important