Magical Gratitude 28-Day Challenge: Day 28, a little late

Greetings my Gracious Group of Grateful Gals, Guys, and everyone in-between! I must apologize, I hadn’t realized that my scheduled post never published! But, as they say, better late than never!

Remember the Magic

That’s the thing with magic. You’ve got to know it’s still here, all around us, or it just stays invisible for you.

Charles De Lint 
The Magic, pg. 235
Today we will start off by remembering yesterday. Rhonda Byrne explains that remembering the magic is one of the most powerful practices of gratitude because every day is unique, so each time you count yesterday’s blessings they will be different. 
Start todays’ practice by asking: What are the good things that happened yesterday? Did you receive good news? Did you magically acheive one of your desires? Did you feel especially happy? 
Remember the magic and list yesterday’s blessings on your Thank you list. Read over your list, feel the gratitude, and say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for each item. 

Remember The Magic – it was created for YOU!

The Magic, p.237

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Magical Gratitude 28-Day Challenge: Day 22

We are almost to the end of our 28-day challenge! This month has FLOWN by! They say time flies when you’re having fun, and I’ve certainly had more fun this month! My mood has improved, my patience has improved, my luck has improved (and considering it was almost non-existent before, that’s saying something!), and most of all, I’m feeling grateful for so much! It’s been snowing all weekend, and instead of thinking “oh this sucks, I have to shovel this damn walk way” I thought “I’m so glad I have warm boots and gloves and a shovel to clear my walk way! And I’m blessed to have been able to get my son a nice snow suit, so he can play in the snow while I clear the path and dig out my car, and don’t have to worry about him getting soaked through to his clothes.”
Have you noticed any differences in how you look at your world? in what you think? in how you react to things?

The very first desire that I received was bringing joy to millions of people through my work. The rest of my desires magically followed, and one by one, as they appeared before my eyes, I crossed them off my list. So now it’s your turn to use gratitude’s magical power to make your desires appear before your very eyes.

Byrne, p. 197

Top 10 Desires

We are going to be working with our list of desires today. At the start of your day, after you add 10 more items to your Thank You List, get your list of Top Ten Desires out. Read through each sentence and desire on the list, and for one minute imagine/visualize that you received your desire. Feel as grateful as possible. If you have a hard time with visualizing, then imagine your desire came true and conjure the emotions you’ll feel when that desire comes to you.  
Byrne tells us “…no matter how big your desires seem to be, you can receive them through gratitude. Even more than that, gratitude will bring a joy and happiness for life that you’ve never felt before, and that is truly priceless.”I am confident that this is true. I know since I started expressing gratitude even a little bit my life improved dramatically. Since this challenge began, I’ve been able to get 2 more clients, which will increase my income by 25% per month. That is huge for me! I’m so grateful – for the work, the income, the people who hired me, the person who referred me, and to myself, for not giving up on my writing business when things got hard. 
This isn’t something that Byrne suggests, but I recommend that when you hold your magic rock and say thank you for the best part of the day, you say thank you for the best part AND say thank you for achieving your number one desire. Re-read it and imagine it before you go to sleep. Think about how you will react, what you will do the day after you receive it, who you will tell, how they’ll react…even imagine if you’ll post it to social media, and if so, what will you say? The more detailed your imagination the greater gratitude you’ll feel, and the more gratitude you have means more magic which will bring forth your most deeply desired goals. 
As always, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for reading!

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Magical Gratitude 28-Day Challenge: Day 12

Day 12: Magical People Who Made a Difference

I’m sure by now you have your copy of The Magic, so you would know that she starts by saying:

Every one of us has received help, support, or guidance from other people at particular times in our life when we needed it most…And then life goes on, and we tend to forget those times when one person touched us or changed our life. Sometimes you don’t even realize the impact a person had until well into the future, when you look back on your life and realize that a particular person was pivotal in magically changing the direction of your life for the better. 

(page 117-118)
We are not going to do this, though, we are not going to forget the people who touched our lives and magically changed it for the better. We are not going to live on with blinders, only the feel gratitude when it’s too late. At some point today, carve out time for you to sit and think of three extraordinary people in your life. You will address each one in turn – either by talking aloud, imagining their presence, or by writing a letter to them. You should do this in one sitting, Byrne says, because splitting it up into three separate occasions will result in you not feeling the same depth of gratitude, nor will you receive the same magical results. “Tell” each person what they did, how it affected your life, and why you are grateful to them. Say thank you three times, out loud, for each person. 
Byrne states that when you’re done, you will feel the magic in the air. 

The evidence of gratitude’s power working is always that first and foremost it makes you happy. The secondary evidence of gratitude’s power is that you attract wonderful things. And as if all of that wasn’t enough, the happiness you feel after practicing gratitude also attracts more wonderful things, which will make you even happier. That’s the magic of life, and that’s the magical power of gratitude!

(p.120) 

Day 12 Recap

So, you will start the day by counting your blessings – writing a list of ten things you’re grateful for, followed by saying thank you, thank you, thank you, after reading each item on the list. Then at some point throughout the day, find some time to be alone, where you can think of three people who have made a difference in your life. Work through the list one person at a time, and while talking aloud (or writing), tell each person the reason why you’re grateful to them and how they affected the course of your life. (Byrne doesn’t say this, but I think it would add to the magic by actually expressing to each person how you appreciate them. Don’t tell them why you’re doing it, as one of the rules of magic is to never tell anyone of a working until after it has come to fruition. The energy becomes less condensed, and if the person you told has any doubts it could negate your spell). Before you go to bed tonight, take your gratitude rock into your hand, think of the best part of the day and say thank you for it, really feeling that gratitude and filling the stone with the emotion. 

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Magical Gratitude 28-day Challenge: Day 11

Welcome to day 11! 

I hope everyone has been having a wonderful, thankful week!

Start today with the magic words: THANK YOU!!! Say thank you for everything you touch today. Thank you for the heat in your car, the coat that protects your skin from the biting cold, thank your child for having the will to live when s/he was but a heartbeat in your womb. Be thankful for your toothbrush, and toothpaste, be thankful for the clean, safe water you use to brush your teeth. 
Instead of the Thank you List, you are going to count your blessings. Make a list of 10 blessings, and why you’re grateful. Reread the list, and say thank you, thank you, thank you! Feel as grateful as you possibly can. 
Before you go to sleep tonight, hold your magic rock and say thank you for the best thing that’s happened today. 
The best thing that happened today for me was seeing my son run up to his teacher and embracing her with love and appreciation. His teachers are amazing. When my son started the school year, he could barely speak. He tried, but I could only understand maybe 50 words. He couldn’t count, despite my attempts – I would count everything with him! He knew his colors, although only I could understand what he meant when he said anything other than blue. He loves school – everyday when I pick him up, (he only goes for a few hours, Pre-K is half day), when I pick him up he tells me “he played! with cars and play doh and friends”. Of course he still has a speech impediment, but now even strangers can understand him! He is speaking so much better, it swells my heart with pride to hear him babble on with his teachers or friends, my mother. He can count to 10, and I almost cried when I realized it. He knows his colors, and can say each one almost clearly. I am so thankful for his teachers and the work they have done with him. 
My boy opening gifts at my father’s house, telling his Nana
he didn’t want to pick up the wrapping paper I believe lol

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Magical Gratitude 28-Day Challenge: Day 9

Welcome to Day 9! 

So, we have been adding 10 items to our gratitude list every morning, and each night we hold our gratitude rock thinking about the day and saying THANK YOU for the best part of the day. 
Today we are going to be practicing an exercise designed to bring us more money! (again!) Byrne has dubbed the chapter “The Money Magnet”.

Day 9 Exercise: Gratitude for your bills…

If you don’t have enough money, the last thing you would normally do is feel grateful for your bills, but if fact that’s exactly what you have to do to receive more money in your life.

The Magic, p.96
Get your bills together and separate them into 2 piles – paid and unpaid. Get at least 10 paid bills, and all of your unpaid bills. On all of your unpaid bills, write THANK YOU FOR THE MONEY and feel grateful for the money to pay them (even if you don’t have the money). Feel grateful for the services provided to you, feel grateful that you were able to get electricity or cable or phone time without paying up front. Imagine you have the money to pay them all in full and appreciate that money to your bones. 
Now, for your last 10 bills you’ve paid, write THANK YOU – PAID and feel truly grateful you had the money to pay the bills!
 I know I’m grateful when I pay my bills every month! When I was with my abusive ex, if I wasn’t quick enough he would take the money and blow it before I had the chance to pay the bill. He’d get so mad whenever I paid the electric or for the phone bill. I still pay my bills the day I get paid, and it feels so great to have my bills paid in full, and to not worry about any negative consequences for paying my bills. I am so grateful to see zero’s on my electric bill, phone bill, and I’m even ahead with rent! Life is an amazing thing when you feel gratitude!

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Magical Gratitude 28-Day Challenge: Day 8

Take a Bite Into a Gratitude Sandwich

Welcome to Day 8! We are more than 1/3 through the 28-day challenge! I don’t know about you, but things have already started magically improving in my life! 
Today we are going to express appreciation for the food we eat and the drinks we drink.
Byrne writes that giving thanks for the food one is about to eat has been practiced thousands of years, dating back to the ancient Egyptians. In Elen Sentier’s new book Shaman Pathways -Following the Deer Trods: A Practical Guide to Working with Elen of the Ways, Sentier explains that the ancients dating back to Paleolithic times, when humans were still hunter-gatherers, considered hunting a sacred rite, and gave thanks to the animals and plants who gave their lives to sustain that of the humans. (Btw – if you’re interesting in learning about Elen of the Ways, this is a great book choice! Sentier teaches a lot of exercises that help you explore the Otherworld, and helps you connect with the Universe in unique and enlightening way).
When you’re about to pop some popcorn for a movie night with your family, or pop open a bag of pretzels for your child (obviously something I just did), think about the work it took to get that food into your hands. You went to the store and spent the money, yes, but there’s more than that. The people who stocked the shelves at the store, the people who delivered the food to the store, the people who put the food into the neat mini-sized bags, the people who made the food….when you think about it, you realize that a lot of people contributed to feeding your growing child; that keep your belly from rumbling angrily when you’re hungry.

The incredible thing is that when you are grateful for food and water, it doesn’t just affect your life; your gratitude also impacts the world’s supply. If enough people felt gratitude for food and water, it would actually help the people who are starving and in great need.

The Magic, pg. 89

Day 8 Exercise

In the morning you will add 10 more items to your thank you list, and before bed you will hold your gratitude rock and say thank you for the best thing about the day. Before you eat anything today, look at the food and say Thank you!

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Magical Gratitude 28-day Challenge: Day 6 & 7

Hello my lovely readers!

We are going over day 6 and 7 today! Yesterday I went to my fathers house for Christmas, (it went well!) and after grocery shopping I was wiped out! I’m still fighting off a cold, but again, grateful it’s not worse!
So, a quick recap – everyday we are adding 10 items to our gratitude list, and before bed each night we take our rock into our hand and say thank you  – while feeling grateful for the best part of the day. I know I’ve said this every day, but I mean it from the bottom of my heart: Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time to read this, and hopefully for following along with me in your copy of The Magic.

Day 6: Works Like Magic

One thing I see often on social media is people complaining about their job, or their small paycheck. I’m on disability – I cannot work. I got my first job when I was 14 years old, and always did well at work, so it grinds my gears to see people taking their work for granted. Byrne says that if you are miserable at your job, the best way to get into a better job is to start being grateful for the job you have.

You should love your job, whatever it is, and be excited about going to work, and you shouldn’t settle for anything less. If you don’t feel that way about your current job, or if it’s not your dream job, the way to receive your dream job is by first being grateful for the job you have.

The Magic, p. 71

Day 6 Exercise

The next day you go to work imagine an invisible manager is following you around, taking notes of everything you’re grateful for. Does your office have good coffee? Do you have a coworker you enjoy talking to?As your “gratitude manager” follows you around during your next shift/the next time you work, have them “take note” – you will cue them to note it down by saying or thinking “I’m grateful for ______” and feel as grateful as possible. It can be anything – if no one took your stapler, the building didn’t get set on fire, that kind of stuff. (Sorry, couldn’t resist the silly Office Space reference).

Day 7: Magical Way Out of Negativity

Byrne states on page 77 that taking things for granted is a “major cause of negativity, because when we take things for granted we are not giving thanks in return, and we stop the magic from happening in our life.” She goes on to explain that being negative is impossible when you’re grateful. I cannot agree more! Since I’ve started practicing gratitude, I’m finally happy! Sure, I’ve had some trying times. There was one time my mother was fretting over a bill I had that came out of nowhere and I remember telling her “Mom, if I’m not stressing, you shouldn’t either. I will take care of it when I can, and since there is nothing I can do right this minute, I am not going to let it ruin my day.” She took a deep breath and tried to relax. I’ve been trying to explain to my mother that my life has turned around because I’m grateful for what I have, and don’t stress over what I don’t. She wonders how I can be living in section 8 (income based) housing, get only $800 a month, and not be stressed. I tell her “it’s simple: My son has a safe, warm home. We have a good routine and a healthy relationship. Neither of us ever go hungry. I have a car in the parking lot, and clothes in my closet. I have cable, and canvases, and craft supplies galore, while my son has an entire room for toys. I have done what is in my power to promote my writing business, and have applied for financial aid and payment plans for bills I cannot pay. What do I have to stress about? I’m happy, my son is happy, my life is great!” and ever since she has been coming to me for advice on what she can do to lead a happier life. It’s why I decided to get ordained through the Universal life Church – because as Reverend Amanda Wilson, I can offer advice to people of all faiths, and hopefully help them. Even if they just feel better talking to me, I’m happy and grateful.

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.

Gautama Buddha, the Founder of Buddhism (Byrne, p.80).

Day 7 Exercise

For today, your task is to choose one problem or negative situation in your life you want to resolve. List 10 things that you are grateful for about the negative situation. At the end of the list, write “Thank you, thank you, thank you, for the perfect resolution.”

For one whole day, try to get through without saying anything negative. If you catch yourself saying or even thinking something negative, stop yourself and say “But I have to say that I am really grateful for _____”
This is sort of how I boosted my self confidence. I started by giving myself one compliment a day, and stopped myself from putting myself down. If I put myself down, I would immediately counter with a compliment. It felt silly at first, but I would make a point to look in the mirror and say the compliment aloud. You get used to talking to yourself, and you finally start internalizing the truths of how great you are.

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Magical Gratitude 28-day Challenge, Day 5

Hello my lovely readers! Who is feeling amazing today!? THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for joining me on this magical endeavor to transform into a grateful person! I have a cold, hence why I’m writing this later than usual. It was great to sleep in! I’m thankful that my cold isn’t as bad as it could be, and I’m thankful that I’m starting to feel better!

If you haven’t already, get a copy of The Magic by Rhonda Byrne, the author and creator of this process.

Let’s review…

So, every morning we are adding 10 more items to our thank you list, and before bed each night we take the gratitude rock into our hands, thinking about the best part of the day and saying thank you, feeling the energy of the gratitude fusing with the rock.

Yesterday we focused on our health and renewed our appreciation for it. Todays’ topic is a bit more touchy – something that can cause wars, murders, make people eat weird stuff and do crazy things:

 Magic Money 

Rhonda explains that if there’s a lack of money in your life, “understand that feeling worried, envious, jealous, disappointed, discouraged, doubtful, or fearful about money can never bring more money to you, because those feelings come from a lack of gratitude for the money you have.” (p.61)
This was one of the first things I started doing when I began my healing journey – I started appreciating the money I have, despite the fact that I get less in a month than many people make in a week. I’m on disability because of my mental illness – I cannot work, so I am lucky to get any money at all. I have a roof over my head, my son and I never go hungry, we are never cold, we have plenty of clothes, and my rent, electricity, and phone bills are always up to date. I am even blessed enough to have cable and internet – a blessing many people in my situation do not have. Has being grateful brought me loads of money? No, but I am confident that my gratitude for what I have is why whenever I have an unexpected expense I somehow come into money to cover it – I get a writing gig, my mother gifts it to me, I sell clothes, one time I was chosen to take a survey for Google and received a $50 gift card, which bought me an office chair I needed so I could spend a large portion of my day at my desk writing. Gratitude has made a HUGE difference in my life, especially when it comes to money.

Now, today’s exercise should have been read in the morning, so I apologize for posting this in the afternoon. But, better late than never! There are a couple steps for today’s exercise:

  1. Take a few minutes to recall all the times you have been given things at no charge to you. When you were a child, did you have toys? Meals at home, a snack and lunch at school? Did you receive gifts for your birthday or holidays? Did you have a pet? Were you rewarded for good grades, or given an allowance?  As you remember each time money was paid for you, say and feel the magic words from your heart for each instance.
  2. Take a dollar bill or small bill and put a sticker on it. (I used a Post It Note). On the sticker write: THANK YOU FOR ALL THE MONEY I’VE BEEN GIVEN THROUGHOUT MY LIFE.

  3. Take your magic bill with you today, and at least once in the morning (oops, lol you can do it tomorrow too), once in the afternoon, and once in the evening, or as many times as you want, and take the bill out. With the Magic bill in your hands, read the words you wrote and be truly grateful for the abundance of money you’ve been given. 
  4. After today, put the Magic bill somewhere you can see it everyday, to remind you to continue to be grateful for the abundance of money you have been given in your life.
I think it will be fine to perform this now, or you can repeat the process tomorrow. And speaking of tomorrow, I will be doing it a little differently. Tomorrow’s exercise is intended to be done while you’re at work, and because many people don’t work on Sundays, I will be providing day 7’s instructions as well – Byrne explains that if you aren’t going to work on day 6 to perform day 7, then go back to day 6 when you go to work.

Until tomorrow, my lovely readers!

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Magical Gratitude 28-day Challenge: Day 4

Welcome back my lovely readers! 

My Magic Rock

Yesterday we reaffirmed our gratitude for our three closest relationships by taking their photos out periodically and saying “Thank you _____, for _____”. We have been starting each day by adding 10 more items to our thank you list and reading them aloud, saying “thank you” three times before moving on to the next item. Before bed, we take our gratitude rock into our hand and reflect back on the day. When the best thing is clear in your mind, you say “thank you, thank you, thank you”. We are beginning, ending and spending time throughout each day being grateful.

Day Four

Today, day four, we are focusing on something that is of the utmost importance, but ironically is the #1 thing we take for granted: our health.
Take a moment to think about your eyes, your nose, your sense of taste – how would life be for you if you were to lose any one of these senses? What about your hearing? The sense of touch?
Think abut your legs, and how they help you get to where you’re going, how they support your weight day in and day out.
Starting with your toes, focus on each body part in turn and think about why you are grateful for it, then say thank you toes/feet/legs/hips etc.

Now get a sticky note, index card, or scrap piece of paper even and write in bold letters:

The gift of health is keeping me alive.

Put the card somewhere where you will see it often. On at least 4 occasions, read each word carefully,  slowly, and feel as grateful as possible for the gift of health. Byrne explains that being grateful for your health is not only essential to keeping it, but it guarantees that it will continue to get better, with increasing energy and zest for life.

If gratitude were used in conjunction with conventional medical treatments, we would see a health revolution, and recovery rates and miracles like we’ve never seen before.

The Magic, p. 57

The greatest wealth is health.

Virgil (Roman poet), p, 51
Gratitude is a vaccine an antitoxin and an antiseptic.
John Henry Jowett  (Presbyterian preacher & writer), p.53

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Magical Gratitude 28-day Challenge: Day 3

Welcome back everyone! Wooo 3 days in only 25 to go! Who else is already feeling better for being grateful?! I know I am! We had a snow storm last night, and I am so grateful that snow removal is included in my rent! Thank you thank you thank you!

So we are making a list of 10 things we’re grateful for everyday, and every night we are taking our magic rock in our hand and saying “thank you thank you thank you”.

Magical Relationships

Today we are going to be grateful for someone in our life! 

It’s your contact and experiences with other people that give your life joy, meaning and purpose. 

Byrnes, p. 43
Well, I am thankful for you! and you! and you and you and you! All of my followers, all of my readers, for everyone who shares my blog posts, who follows me on twitter or adds me on Facebook or Pinterest. Magical Musings exists to serve people – anyone who has an interest in magic, who seeks to reenchant the world, who has love in their hearts. I know, a bit cheesy, but it’s true so deal with the cheesiness lol.
Byrne instructs us to
  •  choose three of your closest relationships to be grateful for. 
  • Gather photos of each person.
  • with the photo in front of you, think of five things you are most grateful for about each person and write it in your Magical Gratitude notebook/word document.
    • Start each sentence with the magic words “Thank you ______, for ________.” (so I would write Thank you Joshua, for being such a sweet son.)
  • Carry the photos around with you today, or have them so you can see them throughout the day. (My photos live in my phone and computer, so I will make a collage of them and make it the background of my Mac, because I’m always using it. )
  • Look at the photos 3 times today, and while looking into their eyes in the photo say Thank you, followed by their name. 
Remember, before bed to grab your magic rock and say thank you for the best part of today, and then tomorrow morning add another 10 items to your thank you list!
If you haven’t already, go get your copy of The Magic by Rhonda Byrne! All of my posts are archived, so you won’t have to miss out on anything!
I’d love to know how you’re doing, what you’re experiences are, what you think of the whole thing, so follow me on Twitter and let me know! #magicgratitude2019

The People I am Grateful for Today, Tomorrow, and Every Other Day of My Life

🌛✨🌟✨🌜💖💖💖🌛✨🌟✨🌜💖🌛✨🌟✨🌜💖💖💖🌛✨🌟✨🌜

Thank you Josh,
for being the best son a mother could ever dream of having ❣

🌛✨🌟✨🌜💖💖💖🌛✨🌟✨🌜💖🌛✨🌟✨🌜💖💖💖🌛✨🌟✨🌜

my amazing siblings!
thank you Mike,
for being the best younger big brother ever,
and thank you Alexis, for never being afraid to be you!

🌛✨🌟✨🌜💖💖💖🌛✨🌟✨🌜💖🌛✨🌟✨🌜💖💖💖🌛✨🌟✨🌜

Thank you, Mom,
for everything you do for me and Josh!
I would be so lost without you!

🌛✨🌟✨🌜💖💖💖🌛✨🌟✨🌜💖🌛✨🌟✨🌜💖💖💖🌛✨🌟✨🌜
Thank you Samantha,
for being an incredible friend and soul sister!

🌛✨🌟✨🌜💖💖💖🌛✨🌟✨🌜💖🌛✨🌟✨🌜💖💖💖🌛✨🌟✨🌜

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