Discover the secret to a better life

Photo by Binti Malu from Pexels

Positive thinking and Gratitude are two of my favorite words. I advocate these qualities only because I‘ve experienced how much of an impact it continues to make in my life.

I wanted to start this new year by improving my reading habit and the first book I picked up was The Magic by Rhonda Byrnes.

I couldn’t find a better book than this to start the year with. It suits the situation the world is in today. If I were to sum up the entire book in two words they would be Positivity and Gratitude.

We often look over these words and give them such little prominence. Yet they have such power and magic in them.

Throughout the book, Rhonda Byrnes encourages you to practice gratitude in every aspect of life. She lays out 28 Magical Practices to follow which guarantees a better fulfilling life than what you have right now.

The magic is in the little things.

It’s easy for us to be thankful when something of significant value happens. When we get a good job, get a promotion, buy our dream car, build a house, etc. But for good things to happen we have to be grateful for the little things in life. The things we take for granted.

Read along and you’ll understand better.

What are these Magical Practices?

There are 28 tasks that the author suggests practicing for 28 days for the magic to happen. I’ve grouped similar tasks together since most practices overlap with others. But do read the book for the in-depth version.

Following these tasks seem tedious at first. But once you begin, you will notice how aware and appreciative you feel about everything.

Self

• Find 10 things to be grateful for each day and write them down. And tell yourself why you are thankful for each one.

We don’t realize how lucky we are until something terrible happens to us or someone around us. Only then do we remember to give thanks. Gratitude should always be a part of us. We have so much to be grateful for.

For instance, these are a few blessings I’m thankful for today…

I’m thankful for my eyes because I get to see the beautiful sunrise from my apartment every day.

I’m thankful for my health because I’m usually someone who easily gets colds, but I’ve been cold-free throughout 2020.

For my husband and circle of friends because I wouldn’t have been able to get through the past year without them.

I’m grateful that vaccines are being distributed so that we can return to some form of normalcy soon.

• Try to think of the positive outcome when things don’t go your way. You missed the train that met with an accident on the way or you didn’t get that promotion but got a better job offer the next month. Remember that everything happens for a reason. Even if we don’t see it right away.
• Turn your mistakes into learning opportunities. Identify what went wrong and how you can rectify it, how you can do better next time.
• Stand in front of a mirror and take a good look at yourself. Reminisce on your life and see how far you’ve come. Think about all the challenges you had to face and how you can improve yourself. The change you want to see in the world starts with you!

It’s understandable to criticize yourself or put the blame on others when things go wrong. Complaining and getting angry is the easiest thing to do. But it doesn’t make us feel better. The problem doesn't get any better either. Looking at the bright side of things isn’t easy. But once you start cultivating it, no problem is big enough to get you down. You begin to understand the ways of life with a broader mind. And you’ll have a solution for any obstacle that comes your way. Life is a lot easier to live when you think positively.

Health

• Think about how healthy/unhealthy you were in the past. Understand how your health is at present and visualize how healthy you want to be. Give thanks now for being healthy in the future.

I’m sure you would have been grateful for your health during 2020! Imagine all the people suffering from Covid right now. You have been blessed with good health and that shouldn’t be taken for granted. Visualize a healthy and fit body. Give thanks in advance for being healthy. By doing this you create positive energy which reflects in your mind and body. When you’re constantly worrying about your health it only creates a negative energy and makes you unhappy. This energy draws upon more negativity from the atmosphere. This makes you even more unhealthy than before.

Life is short. Why waste it by being unhappy and worrying about things. Change your lifestyle, exercise, control your food habits, stay healthy, and happy.

Money

• Remember the days when you or your family faced financial hardships. If you are in a better place now say Thank You!

There will always be someone richer than you. There will always be someone poorer than you. If you have enough money to get by, pay your bills, and take a vacation every year you’re richer than most. You shouldn’t compare yourself with a millionaire because you’ll never be satisfied. Compare yourself with the less fortunate and be thankful for what you do have instead of what you don’t.

This doesn’t mean you should settle for less. Just don’t waste energy being frustrated. Work hard to achieve your goals. Give back to the world and you’ll be rewarded.

Career and Goals

• If you are happily employed then be grateful for your job. Think about all the things you like about the job and why it makes you happy.

If you’re unhappy and unable to quit your job then find reasons to still be grateful for it. Even the smallest thing matters. This leaves you in a happy state and makes your job a bit more bearable. Especially during this pandemic when there are so many who’ve lost their jobs. You having your job means you’re one of the lucky few. That itself is something to be thankful about.

• List down your top 10 desires. Be very specific about each one. For example; if one of your wishes is to travel this year then write down where exactly you want to visit and when. Say Thank you for each of these desires as if you’ve already achieved them.

When you write down all your desires your mind goes into a happy state. Giving thanks to each desire as if it already happened lets your mind believe that it's attainable. When you deeply believe in something, the energy fields are so strong that what you wish for generally comes true in some way.

Relationships

• If you have a difficult relationship with someone then try to think of all the good qualities of that person. How much you learned from them, any instance they may have helped you even in a small way.
• Remember 3 people who made an impact on your life and be thankful for them. Reminisce on why and how important they are to you.

This takes you on a trip down memory lane. The hardest part is finding something good about a person you don’t like. It’s not up to you to judge them. They may be fighting their own battle. Do you want to continue feeling wretched about that person or have peace thinking about that time they helped you? Negative thinking doesn’t affect that person, it only affects your mind and body. So why waste your precious energy being miserable?

Instead, be thankful for those who were there for you when you needed them in both happy and sad times. Remember those people you can’t do without and be grateful that they choose to be in your life.

It was my mom who trained me to think positively since I was a kid. Whenever I wanted to achieve something or had a hurdle to overcome, she would encourage me to deeply believe that I’ll succeed. She told me to have faith that I’ll win and I did. She was talking from her own experiences and as I grew older I understood what she meant. And now looking at situations from a positive perspective comes naturally to me. I tend to see the good side of problems, am more aware of how fortunate I am than most and it gives me peace and keeps me happy.

We all emit and attract energy at various frequencies. Positive energy is when the frequency is at its’ peak attracting similar energy towards you, be it like-minded people or material things you wished for. I don’t fully understand the science behind it but I’ve experienced it so I believe it's true.

This article may help you understand it a bit better.

“Muhammad said that gratitude for the abundance you’ve received is the best insurance that the abundance will continue. Buddha said that you have no cause for anything but gratitude and joy. Lao Tzu said that if you rejoice in the way things are, the whole world will belong to you. Krishna said that whatever he is offered he accepts with joy. King David spoke of giving thanks to the whole world, for everything between the heavens and the Earth. And Jesus said thank you before he performed each miracle.”
― Rhonda Byrne, The Magic

Positivity and Gratitude are intertwined. It’s easy to feel grateful when you look at things from a positive perspective. It’s not a switch you can just flip on. It takes practice and discipline but I assure you it’s worth trying!

2020 was a terrible life-changing year for almost all of us. Like I said in my previous story on overcoming the COVID blues, it made us re-evaluate our thoughts and actions. I see this new year as a hopeful one. A year where we all become better humans and move forward with good thoughts and deeds.

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.”
― Lord Buddha