...an Attitude of Gratitude...

Gratitude fulfills the law of multiplication. Whatever you genuinely feel grateful for, you multiply in your life. Therein lies the secret of abundance and prosperity.

Think about it, if you gave a gift to another and that person felt genuinely grateful for the gift, you'd want to give that person another gift - just so you can experience those wonderful feelings of appreciation and perhaps to see a glow in another person's eyes, or feel really good about yourself for being able to do a good deed.

Well, the universe, or life in general, works exactly in the same way. As you feel a deep sense of gratitude, you begin to release that wonderful vibration that draws into your life countless blessings.

I ran across the following Four Stages of Gratitude and think there is a lot of truth to it…

1. Take some time to think about the things, people and circumstances that are truly beneficial to you and that are enriching your life now or have enriched your life in the past and feel a sense of deep gratitude for those blessings.

2. There may be things, people and circumstances that are beneficial to you, but which you took for granted because they've been such an intrinsic part of your life that you're not even aware of their wonderfulness and usefulness in your life - such as the air that you breathe, the bed on which you sleep, the clothes that you wear, maybe even your family and friends. Think about the life that animates your body, the wonderful mind that you have. Feel a sense of deep gratitude for those things, people and circumstances which are enriching your life every day, but which you might have taken for granted.

3. The more challenging step for most people, is feeling gratitude for dismal experiences in their lives, for losses, trials and tribulations, for those people and situations in our lives that brought us even some pain and discomfort.
Suffering may be considered useful or useless. Useless suffering is when we've gone through the experience and haven't learned anything from it. Useful suffering is when we've gone through the unpleasant experience but have gained some valuable lessons. Perhaps the unpleasant experiences have helped us to develop some skills and abilities we didn't feel motivated to develop before. 

 

Perhaps the unpleasant experiences have pushed us to the point where, unaware of any other choice to stop the suffering, we finally discovered incredible resources within ourselves, powers that were lying dormant and untapped.

When we express gratitude for these dismal experiences, we acknowledge the blessings within them and our power to transmute any condition into its higher state - instead of coal we begin to notice diamonds. In this way we also release undesirable conditions and embrace and amplify hidden treasures, because that's what we choose to focus upon.

4. Now, go one step further and think of those things you'd like to have in your life - feel how you would feel having them right now and express gratitude for them as if you already have them. Gratitude is the fastest way to draw those experiences into your life. When you feel gratitude for something, you acknowledge that you have already received it, you program this desirable experience as your reality into your subconscious mind, you expect it to happen, you begin looking for proofs that it is a part of your life, you begin acting as if this is true for you now and you begin to experience what may be nothing short of miracles.

PONDER

"To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kind that will stand behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude."

 

-Albert Schweitzer

Ponder this...

I have been thinking, is it okay for a man/woman to glide on through life, simply providing food, clothing and shelter to those for whom they are responsible? Don't we all have a bigger/additional contribution worthy enough to give? Some just choose not to live up to their potential. I put myself in that category at times.

 

Some might give their time to the trivial, superficial and unimportant. Sad really. It takes guts and hard work to put yourself out there and aim higher, whether it's in an occupation, an organized religion or in one's community. I'm not saying that it isn't noble to be a good provider and I acknowledge people have a responsibility to their dependents, but isn't there more to life than just that? There are so many ways to share yourself, your talents, your time with others. Ways that hopefully will make a difference in the world. I often ask myself, what can I do better today?

Make it a Great Day!

-the clever craftsman

Who is this Clever Craftsman fellow anyway?

You may be curious as to why I chose the self-proclaimed moniker of The Clever Craftsman. It is a reflection of the deep seeded desire I have to never let go completely a part of me that some people don't know exists--the desire I have to take something that may not be of value to someone else, give it a little TLC to repair a broken chair spindle or table leg, elbow grease and paint and breathe new life into it. That is the Craftsman part. 

The Clever part applies to the times when I have looked at something that had a primary purpose (such as a vintage wooden crib) and literally envision re-purposing it into something unique and perhaps a bit funky (in the case of the crib it was taking the two end panels that have spindles, flipping them vertically, attaching a vintage yard tool to it and you have a rack that can hold magazines, newspapers or towels. One I sold and the other I gifted to my sister who exclaimed, "Is THAT clever!" when she saw it. It made my day and I knew that this one of kind piece was meant for her--a one of kind herself!

Below are some of the items that I have rescued and refurbished and long since sold:

before the transformation

after







before the transformation







before the transformation







after

I have been known to frequent second hand stores, yard sales and yes, even the basements and garages of relatives scavenging for "treasures to transform" and give new life. My father-in-law has dubbed me his "scrounging son-in-law" a title that fits me well and in no way insults me. This is a extra curricular activity of mine that has been in the process of being cultivated for many years. Some may see it as a bizarre personality trait bordering on neurosis, and they are right--to an extent it is. Others, however have been behind me all the way, supporting the need for me to tap into the creative side that yearns to be manifested so I refurbished things, mostly furniture, and resell it. In retrospect, it really isn't the monetary gain (although it is nice) that motivates me but rather the satisfaction that I would get when someone purchased one or several of my pieces. It was exhilarating and warmed my soul when I would get the simple feedback of, "How clever is that! You are very talented." As simple as it may sound, it feeds me and it completes me when I bring someone joy through something I created.

Make it a Great Day!

-the clever craftsman

...the thrill of the hunt...

I have found ways to earn extra income from reselling many of the items that I purchase. I like that one of a kind or vintage look that I can achieve from acquiring what some would call secondhand merchandise.

Since I am an refurbisher, it is gratifying to find that one piece that needs a fresh coat of paint to become a truly cherished "new" item for someones home or garden. I have never been intimidated by a little fixing up, a little painting or maybe just a little cleaning.

One of the really great things about Flea Market decorating is that we are recycling good usable items, keeping our landfills from being overfilled with many things that are still of value.

Be bold and fearless about shopping secondhand, but buy what you can reasonably use.

Remember that while an item may seem like a good deal, it can become a burden on available storage space in your home if you really don't have a use for it.

There are a lot of good magazines on the newsstands and in bookstores such as Flea Market Style for example, that will give you some great ideas for using or recycling home decor items.

Keep looking. Be diligent and patient. Part of the rush comes from the thrill of the hunt...

Make it a great day!

-the clever craftsman