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We all know the cliché “the glass is half empty or half full” which describes an internal attitude. This, of course, is an attitude that we, and we alone, choose for ourselves. We can either be the “half empty” type: like Eeyore or Scrooge or we can choose to be the “half full” sort like Mary Poppins or Pollyana. Thanksgiving is a national holiday where we actually set aside a full day to be thankful. We ought to give ourselves credit that we thought to commemorate a national holiday to this important internal attitude. Largely, however, it has become a day of distractions eclipsed by football, feasting and family reunions. Certainly large numbers of us will say a token “grace” before our meal, to be sure. However, However, Thanksgiving is only one day out of the year, and gratitude is not appreciation, vibrationally speaking. Definition of Appreciation ap·pre·ci·a·tion (-prsh-shn) n.

1. Recognition of the quality, value, significance, or magnitude of people and things.

2. A judgment or opinion, especially a favorable one.

3. Awareness or delicate perception, especially of aesthetic qualities or values.

4. A rise in value or price, especially over time.

An attitude of appreciation is not the same thing as an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude springs forth from the presumption that something big has been overcome, therefore I have omitted it from the definition above. For example we are grateful that the fever broke, that the stock market rallied, or that the test results came back negative. In gratitude we are relieved of something that we perceived was not right or good. However, an attitude of appreciation presupposes and expects at face value that something is lovely, delightful, good and full, quite naturally. For example we appreciate someone’s smile; we appreciate a kind word; we appreciate the warmth of the sun, or we appreciate being alive and having this life on planet Earth. Appreciation is – of course; what we behold, notice and appreciate as such is because it is natural, expected and we are aware of it and acknowledging it with appreciation. An attitude of appreciation is something we, as a nation of people, would benefit from greatly if we were to intentionally cultivate it as our predominant national vibration. Currently, we spend one day in reflection upon our blessings and the other days of the year picking at what is wrong, railing against those who would oppose us or have a different viewpoint than ours, and generally grumbling about, lamenting and focusing upon what we don’t have or what we perceive is “wrong”.

Cultivating An Attitude of Appreciation An attitude of appreciation is cultivated deliberately and intentionally. We actively choose to look for the fullness of things. We deliberately sift through the moment to moment scenes in our lives with the intention of seeing the good things, the redeeming things, the fullness of that moment or that person or that situation and appreciating them one after the other. We have made the personal decision to actively realize and appreciating the silver linings, the rainbows, the pearls, the love, the Good. The benefits to an individual for cultivating within him or herself an attitude of appreciation are legion. For an attitude of appreciation is the next-of-kin to feeling Love. What‘s so special about resonating to the vibration of Love and Appreciation? It’s the vibration of Source Energy; it’s Who You Really Are and it always feels Good. When we feel Good, we are allowing all of our Good to flow to us, naturally. Life becomes effortless when we live in this state of love and appreciation. Some would say it’s lucky, others would call it charmed. By any name, it is the Law of Attraction matching your internal state of vibration with all the Good things you dream of and more, because there is little or no resistance in the vibration of appreciation; and therefore you are allowing in all the Goodness of course, naturally. Now imagine if the whole nation cultivated this internal attitude of appreciation. Imagine how effortlessly the solutions to any and all problem would come. Take this challenge: decide to intentionally cultivate and attitude of appreciation. Play the “Glad Game” as Pollyanna did and watch how your life transforms itself. It’s all possible; and it begins with your cultivating within yourself the attitude of appreciation 365 days a year, which makes you a magnet for all things to appreciate. It is living in a perpetual state of Thanksgiving always, which will be experienced by you as your bliss.

Biography Kathy Kirk has led both an ‘ordinary’ and an ‘extraordinary’ life. At first glance, her background as an entrepreneur and mother living in the Midwest may sound like someone you know. Yet during the past 25 years she has been developing and evolving teachings and principles to help all people live life to the fullest. In every activity, her focus has been observing the human Spirit and its interface, application and effectiveness in the individual Life on Earth.

Her first book, The Earthling’s Quick Start Guide: Master Operating Your Unit On Earth is Introduction to Applied Spirituality written for all people to learn and apply to their own lives. The book functions as a user’s manual and comes with a complete online, interactive course. Kathy’s second book, Well Done chronicles owning and operating her successful restaurant, Chelsea Garden, in Solana Beach, CA. It is as a story of an ordinary life transformed using the principles of Applied Spirituality. The forward of Well Done is written by Dr. Ken Blanchard. Both books and online courses can be found on her website at www.appliedspirituality.com. Kathy is available for public speaking events and also gives seminars, teleconference classes and individual coaching. Kathy can be reached at www.appliedspirituality.com, via email at support@appliedspirituality.com or by phone at 619-445-0972.