25 Jul Me and Oprah We Love Gratitude

Yes, I know that heading is not ‘good grammar’ but that’s the way I feel!

Click HERE to listen to the audio of this post.

AND if you’d like to listen to a special Gratitude Visualization I created for you, simply click this button Download Your Visualization >>

The time I spent with Oprah recently was illuminating, inspiring, empowering and just plain fun. She’s funnier in real life than on TV and I realise how much I missed seeing The Oprah Show daily. Her show used to be my ‘lunch break’ and even when I disconnected the TV because of all the rubbish being aired, I got my mum to video her shows and I’d watch one a day. I never missed.

So seeing her this last week here in Australia was a dream come true. One of the topics she’s passionate about is the power of gratitude and that’s something she taught me many years ago which I live to this very day.

It’s easy to get so caught up living day-to-day that we don’t take a moment to really appreciate what we already have in our lives. There’s nothing wrong with wanting more, desiring bigger, dreaming grander – as long as you take the time to recognize how wonderful your life already is.

One of my mentors once said, “There are billions of people, right now, all around the world, who – if they could swap places with you for just one day – would be living a life so far beyond anything they could have ever imagined. Your day-to-day life is someone else’s wildest dreams come true and much, much more.”

Don’t Just Think it….FEEL it

Now rather than just read that sentence, I want you to really feel it; think about those people and imagine they DO have your life for a day – no matter how dismal you think your life is. Imagine how amazed and grateful they would feel each moment for all the things you experience on a daily basis – a roof over your head, a bed to sleep in, food and drinks, clean water, a safe environment.

Just imagine how they would feel in that moment – do you think grateful may be one of the words to describe their emotions?

Well, gratitude has to be an integral step on your journey to a life of abundance. You simply will not experience all the richness you desire without expressing gratitude on a daily basis.

Oprah first introduced me to Sarah Ban Breathnach who said in her book, “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”.

Be Grateful. Even for a Day You’d Rather Forget

I’ve found that a Gratitude Journal, or Grateful Journal, is the best way to do this. Basically, what you do is take a blank journal or notebook (you can decorate it like I did) and at the end of every day, just before you go to sleep, reflect on your day. Take the time to write down at least five things that have occurred that you can be grateful for.

They don’t have to be earth shattering, mind blowing, incredible events – it can be as simple as “I am so grateful I watched the sunrise this morning because the oranges and the pinks splashed across the clouds were beautiful”; or, “I am so grateful for the wind and the way it makes the trees dance”; or, “I am grateful that I tidied my desk and have some space to work without clutter”; or, “I’m grateful I found a $20 note in the pocket of my old jeans”.

Sometimes if you’ve had a day you’d rather forget, you may write what I once did: “I am so grateful today is over and I’m going to bed”!

Something wonderful begins to happen when you use a Gratitude Journal. At first, you may be like me and you’ll just be nodding off to sleep when suddenly you sit bolt upright in bed, grab your journal and think – “goodness – what happened to me today that I can be grateful for?” Then over time, certain things will happen during the day and immediately afterwards you will think, “That would be a good thing to write in my Gratitude Journal”.

Youl’ll Start Attracting Things to be Grateful For

Then you’ll find things will happen during your day and you’ll think in the moment – “Oh, I can be grateful for this” and you’ll start to feel those feelings of gratitude on a more consistent basis.

Then as time goes by, you’ll begin to find yourself looking for things to be grateful for. And guess what, whatever you look for, whatever you give your attention to, whatever you focus on, you will then begin to see more of in your life. So there’ll come a time when there will be a whole shift in your focus.

As you continually look for things to be grateful for, you’ll find so many more things begin to appear in your life and start occurring, for you to be grateful for.

I remember one of my clients coming back to me the week after I had shared this strategy and saying, “Sandy, I had a Gratitude Journal. I used it all the time, but then my husband had a car accident and life got busy and I just stopped using it. After our last session I decided to find my journal and searched high and low. I finally found it and as I put it in my hands, it naturally fell open, and in the pages of the journal was $500 cash. I must have put it there years ago and forgotten about it”. Well, she certainly had something to write about in her Gratitude Journal that night!

Gratitude is your key to riches. Gratitude will immediately start expanding your energy and your life! Once you begin to use your Gratitude Journal on a daily basis your life will change forever. Why not start right now and begin a list of 25 things that you are grateful for already.

Let me get my (Oprah) gratitude list started:

My Oprah Gratitude List

I’m grateful Oprah was born

I’m grateful she had a grand vision for herself and transforming her world and the lives of others

I’m grateful the Australian TV network even decided to air a show by an unknown black woman from the US

I’m grateful that although I had my own business and was working full time, I’d just had my first baby so was home and able to watch TV

I’m grateful I was flicking between Donahue and the midday movie and tuned in to Oprah’s very first show

I’m grateful for all her amazing guests that shaped my life, people like Cheryl Richardson, Iyanla Vanzant, Eckarte Tolle and hundreds of others including so many non famous people whose stories touched me and changed my life.

I’m grateful I was able to use the Oprah Show as my lunch break (even when they kept shifting the time from 1pm to 2pm to 3pm – now that was a late lunch!

I’m grateful that even when I disconnected my TV because I decided there was too much junk being aired, my mum video taped every episode and I still got to watch one Oprah video every single day.

I’m grateful that even though my marriage failed and I struggled on so many levels for many years – financially, emotionally, mentally, spiritually; through it all there was Oprah making me believe that with persistence, faith and a determined attitude I could do anything!

I’m grateful that since I met Oprah I’ve been married, had 2 children, been divorced, was a single mum for decades (kids have now moved out of home – hooray!). I’ve made a ton of money and lost it a number of times, been close to bankrupt, was nearly sued, had stories made up about me in the media, been a red hot mess emotionally and spiritually, but with role models like Oprah I’ve turned it all around and I’ve become successful in so many ways and on so many levels.

I’m grateful Oprah loved The Secret and The Law of Attraction so much she did 2 shows on it and because of HER show my sales spiked and I made enough money that year to buy my muti-million dollar tropical oasis.

I’m grateful one of Australia’s leading national magazines featured me in a story with Oprah (and Nicole Kidman and the producer of the The Secret Rhonda Byrne).

I’m grateful I got to see her when she was in Australia and that she validated EVERYTHING I now teach others – Law of Attraction, Visualization, Meditation, setting your Intention, stepping into the highest vision of yourself and living your best life.

I’m grateful one day I’m going to be Oprah’s next Aussie BFF (she doesn’t know it yet, but it WILL happen!)

I’m grateful that since I met Oprah I’ve gone from that scared, frustrated, angry, ashamed, confused woman who was $100,000 in debt in a business that simply wasn’t working to creating more success than I ever imagined. I’ve gone from welfare to millionaire, won Australian and International business awards; written a bestselling book; helped thousands of poverty stricken women start their own business through setting up Trust Banks with Opportunity International and inspire and empower hundreds of thousands of women around the planet. I feel I am helping in some small way to better the world.

 
P.S. Want to learn how to use gratitude to manifest more abundance, prosperity and money in your life as well as master the Law of Attraction? If you’re ready for a second income or a new career, I invite you to become one of my Internationally Certified Coaches. We’re taking registrations now for our 2021 training and certification program and you can find out more: here.