Avoiding Blessing Blockers
Posted by Becky Waters at 5/10/2008 12:30 PM and is filed under Focus,Choices,appreciation,Blessings,Self-awareness,Perspective 
May 10 - This Week's Quote:
“Beware of the Blessing Blockers in your life.” – Bernard Linton (Barbados)
One of my subscribers, Cassandra Bowen, heard this quote during a motivational conference. She says this is one of her favorites because as she’s “encountered so many people who spread so much negative in your life that they block your blessings, I have learned to stay away from them.”
I’m sure we’ve all had the experience when you’re excited about something – a new idea, or something really great just happened, or maybe you’re just in a really good mood – and then somebody comes by and starts talking about how awful their life is or how bad they feel, or how this or that will never work, or some other poor pitiful me story.
And it feels about the same as if you just got all dressed up, ready to go out, and someone throws a sopping wet rag in your face.
Major downer!
When I read this quote, I immediately starting singing this old Baptist hymn I learned as a kid….
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one…..
I’ll spare you the rest of it….
It’s true, though….. When you start thinking about all the blessings in your life – all the things that you are grateful for, it’s hard to be upset or sad or even neutral, really!
And it’s impossible to feel two opposite emotions at the same time. Of course, there are many shades of emotions in between, but you can’t really feel good and feel bad at the same time…. or at least, I can’t. And I would much rather feel good than feel bad.
So it really makes sense to guard what comes into your awareness. For instance, I stopped watching the news on TV many years ago. I don’t like the constant babble of doom and gloom. I don’t want to know how many murders there have been or how high gas prices are soaring. I don’t want to hear about any of their “oh no let’s be afraid” stories.
It’s not that I don’t care about the families that have lost loved ones or about what’s happening in the world. It’s because of the fact that what you focus on grows. If you focus on doom and gloom you’ll see more and more doom and gloom, and pretty soon, with a continuous diet of this, you’ll be so afraid or depressed that you can’t even leave your house.
Now I know, that’s going to the extreme, but think about it—a full diet of doom and gloom is about as happy a thing as a having to eat liver at every meal. Yuck!
It’s simply harder to focus on the good things in your life, when you’re constantly bombarded with negativity – whether it’s from TV, co-workers, friends, and even family.
So, to help you and your family focus on blessings and counter-act the blessing blockers in your life, here are six ideas of things to do to:
1. At meal time or bed time everyone share something good that happened to them that day.
2. Share with your partner 3 things they did that week that made you feel loved.
3. While driving to work or taking your kids to soccer or piano lessons, see who can notice the most things that they like or appreciate and tell why they like/appreciate them.
4. Start a gratitude journal. Make it a family affair and keep a notebook open where each family member can add to it daily.
5. Appreciate your kids and TELL them! Keep a “warm fuzzy” jar for each person in the family. Have strips of paper close by where everyone can write things they love or appreciate about each other. Collect these in the jars. Make it a weekly event to read them together.
6. Practice gratitude. Wherever you are, waiting in line at the bank or sitting in traffic, use that time to think about things in your life that you’re grateful for.
Life is full of ups and downs, joys and sorrows. And it’s up to you whether you put your attention on the negative things in life or on the positive things in your life. But rest assured that whichever one you focus on the most will be the one that is most prevalent in your life. Because, what you focus on grows.
Blessings!
Becky
“Beware of the Blessing Blockers in your life.” – Bernard Linton (Barbados)
Played: 35 | Download | Duration: 00:05:36
One of my subscribers, Cassandra Bowen, heard this quote during a motivational conference. She says this is one of her favorites because as she’s “encountered so many people who spread so much negative in your life that they block your blessings, I have learned to stay away from them.”
I’m sure we’ve all had the experience when you’re excited about something – a new idea, or something really great just happened, or maybe you’re just in a really good mood – and then somebody comes by and starts talking about how awful their life is or how bad they feel, or how this or that will never work, or some other poor pitiful me story.
And it feels about the same as if you just got all dressed up, ready to go out, and someone throws a sopping wet rag in your face.
Major downer!
When I read this quote, I immediately starting singing this old Baptist hymn I learned as a kid….
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one…..
I’ll spare you the rest of it….
It’s true, though….. When you start thinking about all the blessings in your life – all the things that you are grateful for, it’s hard to be upset or sad or even neutral, really!
And it’s impossible to feel two opposite emotions at the same time. Of course, there are many shades of emotions in between, but you can’t really feel good and feel bad at the same time…. or at least, I can’t. And I would much rather feel good than feel bad.
So it really makes sense to guard what comes into your awareness. For instance, I stopped watching the news on TV many years ago. I don’t like the constant babble of doom and gloom. I don’t want to know how many murders there have been or how high gas prices are soaring. I don’t want to hear about any of their “oh no let’s be afraid” stories.
It’s not that I don’t care about the families that have lost loved ones or about what’s happening in the world. It’s because of the fact that what you focus on grows. If you focus on doom and gloom you’ll see more and more doom and gloom, and pretty soon, with a continuous diet of this, you’ll be so afraid or depressed that you can’t even leave your house.
Now I know, that’s going to the extreme, but think about it—a full diet of doom and gloom is about as happy a thing as a having to eat liver at every meal. Yuck!
It’s simply harder to focus on the good things in your life, when you’re constantly bombarded with negativity – whether it’s from TV, co-workers, friends, and even family.
So, to help you and your family focus on blessings and counter-act the blessing blockers in your life, here are six ideas of things to do to:
1. At meal time or bed time everyone share something good that happened to them that day.
2. Share with your partner 3 things they did that week that made you feel loved.
3. While driving to work or taking your kids to soccer or piano lessons, see who can notice the most things that they like or appreciate and tell why they like/appreciate them.
4. Start a gratitude journal. Make it a family affair and keep a notebook open where each family member can add to it daily.
5. Appreciate your kids and TELL them! Keep a “warm fuzzy” jar for each person in the family. Have strips of paper close by where everyone can write things they love or appreciate about each other. Collect these in the jars. Make it a weekly event to read them together.
6. Practice gratitude. Wherever you are, waiting in line at the bank or sitting in traffic, use that time to think about things in your life that you’re grateful for.
Life is full of ups and downs, joys and sorrows. And it’s up to you whether you put your attention on the negative things in life or on the positive things in your life. But rest assured that whichever one you focus on the most will be the one that is most prevalent in your life. Because, what you focus on grows.
Blessings!
Becky
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