Practicing gratefulness: it really is life changing!
Guess what I did yesterday? ... go on ... go on ... go on ... OK, I'll tell you!
I went to look at an apartment here in Vienna that cost €980,000 ... yep, nearly a cool million!
Now don't get yer knickers in a twist ... of course I don't have a million to spend on an apartment (I'm aiming at it but so far my manifesting powers have been limited to parking spaces and the odd hot beverage so lets see what the future holds for Kate the millionaire) but I was really interested to see exactly what this place looked like.
I had found the floor plan online a few days earlier and got a bee in my bonnet about this bloody flat ... it was perfect!
A few months ago my beautiful hubby and I wrote in my dream book (yes, I have a dream book and I'm not ashamed ...**holds head high**) all the things we would like in our dream flat ... there were things on this list such as 'it has a large terrace' or 'there are windows in every room' and other such wishes ... this flat that I found hit EVERY single one of the wishes that we had made.
So began the fantasising ... every day I would stare into the distance and see myself in this flat ... I felt what it would be like to live there and saw myself cooking, doing yoga and making art in this flat ... it became like a nice little retreat into my own head when I felt like a break from stressful situations at work or before bed ...
I finally decided that I had to see it in the flesh ...
Looking at the homepage I discovered that it was, in fact, currently empty and made an appointment with the owner to view it.
Knowing that I didn't have a million to spend on a flat didn't faze me ... I'm a pretty good actress (with a solid foundation from Bourton Pantomime Group, I'll have you know ...) so I wasn't worried that the owner would know that the money isn't sitting in my bank right now (in my mind, I was a prospective client after all) but that still didn't stop me from having butterflies as I got onto the tram and made my way to the extremely well-heeled 19th district...I was going to see my DREAM HOUSE!! OMG!!
When I got there I was immediately struck by the impression that this was in fact not as advertised on the webpage ... there was a reasonably busy road a few meters in front of the house and the houses on either side were ugly council flats.
Ok, never mind ... the flat is sure to be EPIC!
The lady owner let me in the security gate and we headed up the path ... hmmm, it looks nice ... lots of green around ... very modern building ...
Up in the lift to the front door ... ooh, huge windows in the hallways! Very nice!
Going inside ... WOW, huge open plan living area with massive windows leading out onto a terrace that is pretty much the size of our flat right now ... but it smells mouldy and the terrace has cracked grass lined slabs on it. The terrace is overlooked by other houses and having a BBQ on there would potentially mean being joined by your neighbours from their terraces too ... OK, that is a bit off-putting. The floor is dirty and the windows are covered in grime ... it would need a lot of work.
Going through to the other rooms ... Ok, it is gas heated ... no one likes gas, right? I mean, who wants to have a time-bomb in their apartment? I don't want to die in my sleep from gas poisoning, tks ... Hmm, the balcony the other side is south facing but is shadowed by a huge council block who's tenants balconies also look directly into yours ... not so great ...
Anyway, you get the picture ... the more I looked around this 'dream' flat the more I was struck by the impression that our flat right now (apart from being 4 times smaller and in a noticeably grubbier district) is actually BETTER than this one!
Our balcony is lovely and faces directly South meaning that the sun shines in there all day ... we only have one room to clean (which is already a huge plus if you ask me) ... we have floor to ceiling windows and doorways in our one room so the whole place is constantly bright and airy ... no one can look into our balcony unless they poke their heads out from the teeny staircase windows of the houses opposite ... we look out over a pathway, not a road ... and it costs, quite literally, a fraction of the price!
The plusses out weigh the minuses on pretty much every point.
I was overcome with a huge surge of gratitude ... I actually live in my 'dream' flat (sure, it could do with being just a teeny bit bigger and in a better area ... but it's perfect for us right now) and I was looking around trying to improve on a situation that is ... when you think about it ... already pretty sweet!
So often we are caught up in trying make something better and moving on to the next thing that we forget to just be grateful for what we already have. If we already have a building to live in ... if we already have decent food to eat ... if we already have a green space to walk in ... if we already have spare time (even if we would like a little more) ... if we already have people around us who love and support us ... we are rich beyond belief!
That doesn't mean we shouldn't have goals, dream big or aim for the stars ... OF COURSE we should still do that! We should constantly seek to be the best expression of ourselves we can be ... living in joy, happiness and peace (with a million € in our pockets ...) BUT that means having an idea of what we want, going for it and BEING GRATEFUL for what we already have ...
Think of something that you would like to change about your life, perhaps something that you find yourself complaining about regularly and try to find something about it that you are grateful for ... (it could be as small as being grateful for the water cooler in the job you hate because it gives you a nice cold drink whenever you want one ...)
You will find that as soon as you can do this exercise regularly, your life will become richer, and more beautiful.
You will be able to change what you don't like about things with the relaxed attitude of a millionaire because you will see that whatever the situation, there was always something to be grateful for, something to be learned and taken away.
Not only that, but you will be flowing with the wonderful moment that is right NOW instead of struggling against it or trying to change things through a negative attitude ... which, lets face it ... is kinda exhausting!
LETS CHOOSE .. GRATI-TUDE :-D
p.s ... that totally rhymes if you say it in a sorta gangster rap way!
