A Rampage of Appreciation

Appreciation is what I’m here to talk about today. I am here for it.

Because as you may know, before I found the power of coaching, thought work, mind, body, spirit connections, understanding what a higher power means to me, and all of the things that I am tuned into now…before all of that, I was really muddling through life, believing that it was pretty horrible. Living in the loop of the same old playlist. 

I didn’t take my experiences as things to learn and grow from…not until many years later. In fact, I would say that I identified as a victim in many aspects of my life. Especially the infertility factor. I was definitely locked into a “why me” mindset for far too long, in my opinion.

Now. Let me be clear, I am not beating myself up or looking back on my life with regret. In fact, I hold a lot of empathy for that version of me. She was simply unaware.

Ignorant, if you will.

And she did a pretty good job of numbing her emotions. ALL of them. To the point where it became second nature. Walking through life in a state of numbness felt okay. Just okay. But at least it wasn’t as painful.

As Brené Brown says, you cannot selectively numb emotions. You can’t say, “I only want to feel the good things, let’s eliminate all of the bad.” We cannot experience the good without the bad…for lack of better terms.

Emotions just are. ALL of them, just are…they are neither good nor bad. They are part of the experience of being alive. We know we are alive because we can feel.

That’s so very important.

Everything I’ve said so far is really a refresher. I’ve touched on these concepts in previous posts:

How important it is to have contrast in your life. How we need to feel all of our feelings, even the ones that we are trying to avoid. These things bear repeating though. We are well versed at doing what we know works in the moment.

Yes, it’s important to have contrast, but we can also find that difficult to do when we’ve spent many years trying all of the ways not to feel. Whether that includes substances or whether it’s simply a matter of well-practiced avoidance, where there is a will, there is a way.

Brené is right though. Of course, she is. She’s one of my favorite humans.

Because what happens as a result of our trying to avoid all of the bad shit is that we have also made ourselves numb to the pleasure, the high vibes; the pure joy.

Many of us have have wrapped ourselves in a protective cocoon and we are just waiting it out.

I am acknowledging that I have spent many of my posts relaying the painful parts of life and how we need to allow those emotions to be experienced, fully and deeply…today I want to talk about raising those vibrations to a higher frequency, how to practice doing that, and how to place yourself in a position to attract more and more of what you really want from this life.

If you’re thinking to yourself, “well, I just want the pain to go away,” I’m going to ask you to shift your focus right now. Because where your focus goes is where the energy flows, and if you’re focused on the pain that you want to “go away”, you are still focused on the pain.

Let’s practice shifting the direction of that focus. After you feel it completely, of course.

I’m going to introduce a concept that I absolutely love and that is a rampage of appreciation.

I didn’t make that term up. I wish I did. I think it’s brilliant. Let me share with you where it comes from, then I’ll tell you how to do it, and how you’ll benefit.

This term comes from Abraham, or you may know as Abraham-Hicks.

Now, I can’t recall how this collective entity chose their name as one that we associate with masculine, but an actual excerpt from the book’s preface is this, “the singular name Abraham is a GROUP of loving entities, which is why they’re referred to in the plural.”

Abraham channels their messages through Esther HIcks, and Jerry asked the questions.

Jerry is no longer living in human form, but Esther, I think still does her thing. You can find this content on YouTube. Easy search.

The point is, when you hear the term Abraham-Hicks as it relates to the LOA, it’s referring to Esther and Jerry Hicks, channeling Abraham.

Okay, I just wanted to provide you with some knowledge and awareness around who/what Abraham-Hicks is before I got any further.

Abraham is who they are, speaking through the human version that is Hicks.

If you’re skeptical (sit with your own awareness that it’s perfectly okay to be so), I simply encourage you to keep an open mind, consider the possibilities, take what resonates with you and leave the rest. You are always free to accept and incorporate new beliefs into your life. Or you can stay with the ones that you already love and hold dear, that’s cool too.

I just personally like to learn, to grow and evolve and also to share my experiences with you.

I’m not trying to change your mind about anything, just offering new perspectives and ways of seeing yourself and your life that will bring you to a better place. I think most of you listening will love incorporating your practice because it really can serve to complement any belief out there.

And at the end of the day, you will remain happy and content with your beliefs to the same extent that I am happy and content with mine.

That’s what I’m giving you here today. MORE.

Now…

Now that you have a background of where the term “rampage of appreciation” comes from, let’s dig into what that means and why I love it so much.

Because the last little bit of explanation that I’m going to share is that the word rampage tends to elicit a negative connotation…”to rush around in violent and uncontrollable manner.”

Well, let’s take the violent adjective out of it. Let’s just relinquish control for a moment, take back the word rampage, let go. and allow a really amazing thing to take over.

We do this by simply asking ourselves…

What are you appreciative for in this moment?

What are you grateful for in this moment?

No matter what is happening in the world or in your movie, what is ONE THING that you can appreciate right now??

In the now.

In this now.

Don’t think about the future, don’t ruminate on the past, just focus on the present and your now.

One thing.

It doesn’t have to be epic or monumental or earth-shaking.

It can be something as simple as admiring your favorite flower. Either seeing it in real life or envisioning the blossom.

I’m telling you, when you open yourself up to allowing this to come in…just one little thing, then the next thing comes up and the next thing…and it builds and grows, and you find yourself on a little rampage of appreciation.

Here’s an example. This has happened for me many times, but when I start with something small, I find that next thing and next thing just FLOWS my way.

What about this? Did you think about that? Oh, wow.

Reflect on your day, reflect on your life, and bask in the moment.

I appreciate. I am grateful for…

• The walk that I was able to get in before the thunderstorms came.
• The painted rocks that I found on my walk.
• The dog that pulled toward me to greet me like I’m special.
• The couple that stopped to ask me directions.
• The baby that smiled at me.
• The rabbits that came close to me.
• The long lunches and deep conversations with my dear friends.
• The wine recommended by the cashier at TJ’s, also a sommelier. Cheers Mikey D.
• The intense blue color of the sky above me.
• The shining sun.
• The refreshing pool water on a summer afternoon.
• The cool rain on my skin.
• The hummingbirds and dragonflies that visit my backyard.
• The beautiful blooms of the hibiscus that my neighbor kept alive while we were out of town.
• The perfect Pandora station with great music.
• The laughter of my son.
• The smell of BBQ.
• The new planter pots around the pool deck.
• The whirligig I got for mother’s day a few years ago.
• Going to the hockey rink in the middle of summer.
• Braiding my hair.
• Walking barefoot in the grass.
• The brightness of the moon shining through my bedroom window.
• The way that my body moves freely and effortlessly.
• The delicious, earthy smell in the air after a hard rain.

All of the things.

A freaking RAMPAGE.

I just came up with one thing and kept building and building. I could go on. Everything in this moment.

By the way, that smell in the air after a hard rain…there’s a word for it. Petrichor. I’ve only recently learned this. You are welcome.

You see, we tend to do that with the negative things in our lives – the building on one thought and then the next. I’m here to tell you, we get really good at it, too.

One thing goes wrong, we put our energy and focus on that, then we keep seeing more and more of it.

Well, guess what?

The opposite is also true.

How do you feel when you focus on the negative?

Now, think about how you feel (really feel) when you think of one good thing that is happening right now or has happened earlier in your day or your week or your life in general…how does THAT sit with you?

Feeling a bit lit up?

Yeah, you are.

And that is the space from which you can create this amazing energy that will circulate through your veins. You will feel it swirling and connecting in ways that will wake you up and remind you how wonderful that it is to be alive.

It is from that place that you can tap into your ability to manifest your desires, my friend.

That is the place that we want to be.

Some days, it doesn’t seem easy to get there, but all I’m asking you to do is try.

Start with one thing.

Be open to allowing that one thing to be there. And naturally, the next and the next and the next will flow.

Before you know it, you’ll be on a rampage of appreciation.

I LOVE that term. Have I mentioned that??!

But you don’t have to call it a rampage if that turns you off. You don’t have to do it because that’s what Abraham calls it. Call it whatever you want to. Whatever floats your boat.

It can be a part of yourself, your surroundings, other people, or animals…we are all one. We are all part of this same energy and it’s here for you whenever you want to see it. Whenever you want to experience it. Call it in.

It feels so damn good.

It feels absolutely wonderful to notice the good in your life. I may not have talked about that often up to this point but prepare yourself to hear more of it.

Because I’m here every week, often telling stories about the parts of life that are painful and I feel called to share as much of the beauty as I have shared the mess that has been my own learning experience.

The spirit is so near that you can’t see it! But reach for it… don’t be a jar, full of water, whose rim is always dry. Don’t be the rider who gallops all night and never sees the horse that is beneath him.

– Rumi

Yes, the spirit is in every atom, in every blade of grass, in every gentle summer breeze, and every being. Including you.

What do you see today? Right now. In this moment.

Appreciate your life.

Even the busyness. Even the mundane.

Find one thing.

Then take yourself on a little rampage.

You will be amazed at how fulfilling this exercise is.

Each time you do this, you will be raising your vibration, raising your frequency, and feeling wonderful.

It truly is healing.

I have no doubt in your ability to come up with a list, that if you were to write it all down, would fill a page within just a couple of minutes. In fact, I recommend that. Write it down. Speak it out loud. Tell anyone and everyone who will listen how grateful that you are to be walking and talking, living and breathing on this day.

Trust me, it matters.

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This post is a partial transcript of my podcast, What Lights You Up – Episode 67. I invite you to enjoy the full episode and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible!