I mentioned in last week’s podcast episode, ‘Overcoming the I’ll Be Happy When, syndrome‘, that I am currently taking part in a 21 day Manifesting challenge presented by Gabby Bernstein. Day 10 brought another interesting topic to ponder and also coincided with the Day 10 prompt for #Bloganuary to list 5 things we are grateful for today.
My WOTY is ‘BE’ so for this week’s Micro Monday I’m discussing BE-ing Appreciative by Playing the Appreciation Game.
You can listen to the podcast or keep reading
This is a new game to me, however it is one of the Abraham-Hicks processes. The 3 main teachings are The law of attraction, the law of allowing and the law of deliberate creating. You can deliberately ask, attract and allow in whatever you choose into your lives. (You might like to read Abraham-Hicks Publications – Law of Attraction Official Site to get a better understanding).
As Gabby Bernstein says:
Appreciation is essential to manifesting because in a state of appreciation you’re relaxed, surrendered and faithful. That is the perfect energy for allowing your desires to come into form!
When you’re aligned with appreciation, you can surrender your desires to the Universe and trust in a plan beyond your own.
Gabby Bernstein
Like many things we read and hear, the message can be diluted if we hear it too often. For example, Gratitude is so important for a positive mindset, yet we can tune out when we hear the word because ‘we’ve heard it all before’. Yet during times of stress and when life isn’t going so well is the time we need to focus on Gratitude.
So back to the Appreciation Game.
What is the Appreciation Game?
Simply, it is expressing you appreciation whether large or small it doesn’t matter. For example, ‘I appreciate being surrounded by loving family and friends’ or ‘I appreciate that I am healthy’. It is all about making this a daily habit to appreciate what you have in your life rather than focusing on what you don’t have.
It isn’t just about appreciating what you have in your life but also appreciating yourself and who you are as an individual.
I would also invite you to think of what you appreciate about yourself. You might appreciate your resilience or your kindness or a skill that you might have.
As Oprah Says:
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough..”
Oprah Winfrey
You can play this on your own or with a friend. I would like to try it in my Women’s Circle.
- Tell them something you appreciate about them. It can be anything, like, “I appreciate how you………..”
- Then they tell you something they appreciate about you.
- You tell them something else you appreciate about them.
- Keep it up for a minute or two. You can set a timer if it feels more comfortable at first to have a hard stop.
So will you give The Appreciation Game a try? Let’s start now and think of one thing right now that you appreciate.
Have a beautiful day my friends!
31 Comments
Hi, Sue – I sincerely appreciate so many things about you that it is difficult to know where to begin. I appreciate your:
SELFLESSNESS
UNDERSTANDING
ENERGY
LOYALTY
OPEN-HEARTEDNESS
NICENESS
COMPASSION
ASSIDUITY
READINESS
INTEGRITY
CAMARADERIE
Yup, there’s a not-so-hidden message here. I am incredibly grateful for our friendship, for women’s circles and for this blog.
Donna, you are so clever. And described Sue so accurately. I appreciate you both!!
Thank you Leslie and when I think of you I appreciate your beautiful, shining smile. It always makes me feel happy. Have a beautiful week my friend and get lots of cuddles with your new grandson xx
Donna, I’m a little overwhelmed at your beautiful comment. You are such a dear friend, despite the distance and I am so very grateful that you are in my life. I appreciate your zest for living, your intellect and being my English Lit teacher and the caring qualities that you share with all who cross your path. I am proud that you are my friend. xx
Thanks so much, Sue! I was just reading a (timely) quote from Louise Hay and jumped back to this post to share it. “We have to retrain our thinking and speaing into positive patterns if we want to change our livs. An affirmation opens the door, It’s a beginning point on the path to change.”
Oh I love this Donna. I appreciate your ability to ‘go down rabbit holes’ and your curiosity for any subject. Thanks for sharing and also for being YOU xx
P.S. You are so very creative and clever!
Can I just say “what Donna said?” Seriously though I appreciate your generosity of self, your compassion, the way you really want to help and be of service, and the way you never judge. This is a great topic for a women’s circle to discuss – and a great way of being mindful. Thought provoking…
Thank you so much, my lovely friend and yes it would be a great women’s circle topic. I don’t think we tell others how we feel as life can get in the way. I appreciate your gorgeous smile, your talent as an author and baker plus your ‘it is what is is’ attitude inspires me. I am so happy that you are in my life. I do need to come up the Coast for a catch up though! Have a beautiful week, my friend. xx
Yes to all that Donna and Jo said! I am so appreciative of your friendship, your caring nature, your honesty and your resilience – just to mention a few.
A great way of looking at things and I agree, a great topic for discussion.
Thank you my dear, bold, friend. I treasure and appreciate our friendship. I appreciate that you are funny, bold and I always think of sunshine when I see you. I know that life has not always been easy but you never give in and your love for your family shines through. I also appreciate and admire your commitment to your community and you do make such a difference to people’s lives. xxx #lifethisweek
Appreciation is a very important. I am grateful for each and every day. I have terminal breast cancer in the brain. It has taught me to be thankful for everything.
Oh Jody, that’s tough for you and I know that your situation really brings home how special each day is. Take care and thank you for stopping by to comment. xx
I really like this, Sue! Lately I’ve been doing this although to me it was to express gratitude, but the same kind of thing. I downloaded an iPhone app where I each night write down three things Ijm thankful for that particular day. But I’ve forgotten about it lately so I guess I should switch on notifications!
During the pandemic, the appreciation game has been more important than ever. It’s so easy to focus on the bad things, instead of everything we have and can still do.
It’s always good to read your posts!
Apps can be so helpful in life can’t they? I know for me 2021 was an extremely difficult year and I didn’t really appreciate all the good things that happened until I wrote my Year in Review. Writing down 3 things is a small task but can really help us to be grateful and appreciate all we have in our life. Have a beautiful week and thanks for stopping by. xx
Wow Donna said it all for the rest of us. I’ve always found those verbalised games quite difficult for some reason – I think it’s because I heard so little positive affirmation as a child? Donna obviously has it in her skillset! Great to see that you’re enjoying your challenge and thanks for sharing some of it with us. x
Wow is the word, Leanne. I was a little overwhelmed with Donna’s beautiful comment and those of all of you. I think you just need to think about what you appreciate in life – that’s the message I’m taking away. Making it into a ‘game’ or a ‘ritual’ helps to focus and take the time to appreciate what we have. I appreciate your new found artistic talent, especially as you always have felt you weren’t creative. You are proving yourself wrong there! Have a lovely week xx
Dear Sue, You know by now how much I appreciate you and you inspire me on many levels. ❤️You are a consistently kind, thoughtful, inspirational woman. I am blown away by another coincidence and someone else we have in common “Gabby Bernstein.” I have had the privilege of seeing her in person when she came to Victoria. She is even more interesting and charismatic in real life. I follow her on many sites and appreciate her sharing personal difficulties and lessons.
You make an excellent point on “…appreciation whether large or small…” I think about this every day, even something small as turning the water tap on and fresh, potable water.
As far as appreciating you, Sue,……I would not know where to stop. I have mentioned to you in the past how you always make a difference. xx ❤️
Hello my lovely Erica it is so lovely to have you visit. Peta from SHW gave me the Gabby Bernstein Manifestation course as a gift and yes, Gabby is definitely an interesting person. I love your appreciation of the water tap – I think many feel that they have to appreciate the big things which are more obvious in their lives and yet as you say ‘something small as turning the water tap on and fresh potable water’ is perfect. It’s the little things. I appreciate your beautiful soul and caring nature, your photographic talent and your ‘way with words’. Have a beautiful week, my friend. x
Thank you, Sue ❤️ You have a beautiful week, too! xx
Love you, Erica! xx
Sue – I really appreciate the fact that you dedicate your blog/writings to providing information + inspiration + friendship + comfort…plus so much more, for so many mature women. Yes I know you are addressing ‘over 50s’ but those writings are very relevant to others in older age groups . Especially me who (shh I don’t often admit this) will be leaving the 7s behind in October and venturing into the 8s.
Donna (Retirement Reflections) really has said it all!
Cathy…..#lifethisweek
Thank you so much for your beautiful words, Cathy I greatly appreciate you taking the time to stop by and comment. You have an exciting year ahead with your milestone birthday and I do hope that what I write or share, can be relevant to any age. Have a beautiful week and I did enjoy your post for #lifethisweek. xx
Thank you so much for your beautiful post. It brings me joy and hope. You are kind, caring, open-hearted and so much more. I am grateful for blogs like yours. I am also grateful for having a roof over my head, food, birds to feed, a sunny day (which is rare, here), snow gently falling and so much more.
Thank YOU, Yvonne for taking the time to comment. I loved hearing what you are grateful for because they are simple things but are so important to the quality of our life. Have a beautiful day and take care xx
I know a lot of people who write down three things they’re grateful for each day and put them in a diary. And those who write them on notes and put them in a jar – later pulling one out at random when they’re feeling down.
It’s not something I do enough of though I do sometimes try to recognise how much I have to be grateful for!
Hi Deb, I don’t actually write down anything and I know about the 3 things each day. I am more spontaneous I think. I might be going for a walk on a beautiful day and look at the vivid blue sky and the ocean and just feel so appreciative of nature. We just need to be mindful and as long as we feel appreciation it doesn’t matter how we get there. xx
There is no doubt about it Sue, your mission to help other women, whilst helping yourself is a great example.
I am back to expressing gratitude these days more, not always written but looking for and appreciation all that I see too…perhaps with a ‘wow’
I have almost finished a very helpful Self-Compassion series via a paid app and it’s been written by 2 British Psychologists and Self Compassion Based Counsellors. I have had my eyes opened a few times to my strong inner critic who is now learning to use her compassionate self more.
It’s been great to see your post in the link up for Life This Week at Denyse Whelan Blogs.
I look forward to seeing you again next Monday if you have a post to share. Thanks so much. Denyse.
Hi Denyse, helping other women has always been my mission and I’m hoping that I’ve started 2022 back on track. Self-Compassion is so important and that’s great you have been using an app to be kinder to yourself. That strong inner critic has a lot to answer for, doesn’t she? Have a lovely weekend. xx
Yes indeed, being grateful for what we have is very important, isn’t it? Interesting the notion of making ourselves more aware of our own bounties by actually articulating them. A great thought – thank you.
Thanks for stopping by to leave your lovely comment. Enjoy your weekend x