Today you woke up, you greeted a new day. You have your health. Your heart continues to beat inside of your chest. You have family, friends, those that mean the most to you.

They are the cherished gardeners, they prune your soul’s depths, allowing both your heart and soul to heal, to flourish, to blossom.

You are filled with countless, infinite blessings and when you awaken to the riches you already have, you align with the higher vibrations of the Universe, attracting more of the same, blessings in abundance.

Gratitude, next to love, is one of the highest vibrating energies that exists. You are a spirit being, made of energy. And when you make it a point to regularly take inventory of the blessings in your everyday life, you then begin to usher in more gifts from the Universe into your life.

Everything is supplied to you when you stay grateful for all you have in your life. These blessings in abundance take the form of opportunities, ideas, and people who help you along the way.

Life flows smoothly with gratitude. It is effortless. There is peace within. At this higher frequency, you are vibrating in alignment with Universal energies, attracting prosperity in all forms into your reality.

Will there be trials, hardships, and challenges along the way? Absolutely! Your soul came here, to the planet, to experience life’s difficulties, all for the purpose of soul growth and expansion.

It is a choice we have not to carry the pain with us, to keep returning to the heartache, to stay stuck in the story of all that happened and all who wronged us.

I was not always in the place I am today. I did not always carry with me, a greater space of awareness for all of the riches given to me. As I reflect on my life, just before my soul decided it was time to take the plunge, to dive deeper into who I truly was, I recognize I was a soul that was still asleep, cocooned, not yet ripe.

I was married at the time, had our two children, and had everything I needed, on a material level. And although the marriage did have its difficulties, I realize now that there was so much at the time I did not recognize as blessings, I took many things, many people in my life for granted. Losing my father during this time, also showed me how blessed I was to have my family.

When I went through my own struggles, challenges, and pain following the end of the marriage and the loss of my father, I stayed in a space of darkness for a long time. I was angry, bitter, and resentful. There was anger toward myself for not making certain choices during the marriage, not walking out sooner than I did.

I was resentful toward my ex, my family, and others on my journey. I was angry, bitter, resentful, and kept replaying over in my mind the myriad of ways the people, things and situations brought me pain. I continued to cycle through these negative emotions for some time. It was on constant replay. I had to choose to move from that place.

It was through my own inner work, healing, forgiveness and compassion for myself and those I felt hurt me, that helped move me forward to where I am today. This is what helped bring me to a place where I am grateful for the experience. I can honor everyone, everything, and all circumstances.

They are all lessons, situations, relationships that are here to make you stronger, wiser, helping you align with your true soul purpose, bringing you to a greater understanding that it all happened for you, it was all part of the plan.

It is a choice to listen to the call of your soul. Listen to its whispers, answer the call from Spirit, understand it is time to increase as a soul being. No more playing small, no longer think with limitation. The time is now, to expand, to live in alignment with your true self, your soul. Be grateful for this opportunity to begin again.

No more living moment to moment, day to day, outside that greater sense of awareness, without pause, without reflection, in survival mode, existing without truly living. I understand, I too was there.

Your life begins the moment you wake up to the truth of your being here, to live each present moment fully, brilliantly, expansively in your human body, with a clear understanding of your true self, as a vital force of nature.

You are limitless. Your potential is infinite because you are a soul, souls continue on. Your essence comes directly from the Divine, from the Source of all of Creation. You were gifted with life, life is a divine gift.

Even your angels sit in wonder of your existence, your divinely given gift to be in human form. It is a choice to make the most of the life you were given.

Will there be moments where you feel beaten up by life, in the depths of despair, feeling lost in the mire? Yes, naturally, you must experience the darkness, to appreciate the light.

You must go through the negative, to give reverence to all that is positive in your life. Your soul must feel the deepest pain, in order to glorify the many riches embedded in each present moment, every breath, there are pockets of happiness, snapshots of what it truly means to live fully – and abundantly.

Place your left hand on the center of your chest, at your heart’s center, followed by your right hand. Close your eyes. That is where you will find the Creator, right where your hands lay, not somewhere outside of you. Spirit, God, Source, the One responsible for all that is. Remember to give thanks.

You are alive. Your spirit, your soul is created strong, to withstand the harsh tides of life, to bravely step forward on the unwinding path of the unknown, not knowing where this road will take you, but knowing, trusting that you are being carried. Be grateful.

You are always being guided, cherished, and supported. You are not alone, not for a moment. Allow that infinite truth to resonate within your being.

Your every thought, emotion, wish and hope, is supported by the entire Universe. You have the power inside of you, by virtue of your Divine birthright, to create your own reality, through the might of your thoughts. This is why living in a place of higher vibrational thoughts, emotions, and ways of being serves your highest good.

You want to create only good. Align with grace, peace, joy, love – and gratitude. This is in line with the makeup of your soul. By aligning with higher vibrational energies, you co-create a life that is full of happiness, abundance, and prosperity.

How incredibly, brilliantly made are you? You were a bright spark of light before your soul arrived on the planet. Your soul, your body, your purpose in this life, all came into being with the nod of the Divine. Just sit with that, allow it to penetrate, to sink into your mind, your spirit.

When you experience sadness, tragedy, trauma or heartbreak, the pain does slowly dissolve, and with time, commitment to healing, and deep trust in the Divine plan for your unique life path, you will come through on the other side, stronger, braver, bolder – and determined to make this your best life.

You begin to truly, deeply, and profoundly recognize all of life’s blessings, both big and small. You are grateful for everything in your life, seeing all as a blessing. The people in your life, as well as those that have left. Your current living situation and the one you walked away from. The struggle, the pain, it all happened for you, for your soul growth, it was all part of the greater plan.

And although it was wrought with difficulty, uncertainty, and heartbreak, it was the path your soul chose for you to rise up. Be grateful for the experience.

When you look back at where you were, the sorrow, the doubt, the fear that gripped you, you honor your strength, your courage, your resolve, and you give thanks for all of it.

The people that make your heart glad, who make your soul sing, they are the ones you chose, while you were in soul form, to come along with you for the ride.

While in the spirit realm, you chose your children, your lover, your friends and family, all of them. You also chose those that brought the pain, the fear, the incredible sense of loss, they were the ones who challenged your soul, helped you develop, moving you from your contracted state to an expansive way of being. Rest in that greater awareness, stay grateful for it.

They were chosen by you, for a reason, just as you decided what lessons you needed to learn, to grow in this lifetime. Perhaps your lesson was in letting go, forgiveness, self-love or being grateful.

It is important to remember too that, although people can bring you happiness in life, your happiness must transcend a person, things, or situations. To find true happiness, a sense of fulfillment in life, there must be a level of detachment.

Your happiness cannot be tied to anyone or anything outside of you, because life, things, and people are always changing. There is a constant, timeless evolution to all of life, so it serves you to refrain from getting attached to objects, relationships, and circumstances.

When you get attached, there is suffering. And when things do not turn out the way you had thought or hoped, there is greater pain.

To stay happy, content, and fulfilled, you must come to a place inside of yourself where you are at peace, accepting things as they are, no matter the outcome, your expectations, or beliefs.

It is about putting your ego aside, over and over again. Your soul, your true nature, your essence is without an ego. Your soul is ego-less.

Our ‘humanness,’ gives us our egotistical way of being. This is why there is doubt, anger, hate, resentment, jealousy, and gluttony. The underlying emotion is fear.

Fear is what binds us, it holds us back from experiencing life in all of its richness and fullness. You are here to experience it all, the pain, the loss, trauma, abuse, the heartbreak, the illusion of fear, its why you chose to return in physical form.

It is by facing these painful moments on your journey that you can return to the light of your soul. This is how you come back home to who you truly are, your divinity, and the abundance that surrounds you. None of it happened to you, it all took place to give you the opportunity to start anew, to be reborn, awakened. The Universe is always working for you.

Vow to look at your life, your experience, all that happened in your life with a new lens. Blessings often come in disguise, it is up to you to change your perspective, to view it as it is, as happening for your highest good.

When things are going well in our lives, we sometimes forget to acknowledge our good fortune. It is when confronted by difficulties that we remember to feel grateful. Very often, it takes grand, challenging events to appreciate all that we have. And when we do tap into this feeling of gratitude, we want to hold onto that feeling, as it connects us on a deeper level to others, the Universe – and we feel less separate.

But as time goes by, this sense of connectedness wears off and we lose that sense of oneness with all that is.

Sometimes we tend to focus on lack, the things we want, but do not have. On an energetic level, you are sending a lower vibrational frequency out into the Universe, letting the Divine and all of the spirit realm know you are not grateful for all you presently have in your life.

The Creator, your spirit team, they know of your goals, your hopes, and your wants. But, to stay at a higher level of vibration, your goal is to remain connected to all you do have. Through the higher vibrational frequency of gratitude, you align with Universal energies, powerfully attracting your heart’s desires (i.e.. love, career, sense of purpose, etc.).

It helps to train the mind, to return to periods of gratefulness, extending the time we feel appreciative for all of life. And resting in that space, we become more familiar with feeling grateful regularly.

A gratitude journal is another useful way to remain in a place of oneness, connected – and to appreciate your co-existence with the Universe. It is helpful to keep your journal close by, on your nightstand. And when you wake to a new day, you can begin your day with a grateful heart by reflecting on your blessings. You can also close your day, before bed with this practice of gratefulness. Words have power. Use your journal to keep your mind, your attention, and your energy, on the abundance in your life today.

Counting your blessings is another powerful way to stay appreciative for all that you have. This is simply sitting quietly, where you will not be interrupted, bringing to mind, and verbalizing out loud all blessings you currently have (i.e.. your children, significant other, shelter, food, health, your pet, life, family, friends).

You could be in the midst of your own mighty struggle, but, stay strong, grounded, courageous, connected to the Universe – and attempt to look at your situation from a higher awareness.

This is what your soul asked for. Your soul knew it needed these tests for its growth, in this incarnation.

Remember the ego is what you took on in human form, it hinders your remembrance of your true nature, as a spiritual being. It keeps fear alive, making you believe what happened in your life was random, not for your greatest good. It creates the illusion you are alone on your journey, you suffered a great injustice – and you must now fight to get back on your feet. This could not be further from the truth.

The truth is, it was your choice in your soul body, to go through these life lessons, just as it is now your choice to heal, to expand, to observe your life story from a higher place of awareness – and to embrace the experience.

Although it will take strength, bravery, willpower and persistence to achieve your heart’s desires, you are surrounded by loving energies, your every step is guided, your soul is pre-programmed, prepared to recover, to thrive, and to align with the abundance of the Universe.

You are loved, you are guided, you are supported in all that you do. Your blessings are plentiful. Commit to staying grateful for the many ways the Universe sustains you – and those you love.