The Morning Routine Gabrielle Bernstein Loves For Getting Out Of A Rut
When your focus is on what's working and thriving, you feel good, and that good-feeling state is what attracts more of what you want. But many people act in ways that are completely contrary to this. They obsess over what's not working because they feel hopeless. Or they frequently complain, which may offer some temporary relief from their discomfort but nothing more. Fixating on the negative only creates more of what we don't want, whereas focusing on what we can appreciate in our lives moves us to a better point of attraction. Almost all of us can be thankful and grateful for some aspect of our world.
Often when I share this suggestion with people, it's met with some resistance. People say things like, "But if I appreciate this bad situation, I'll stay stuck here." They think their appreciation tells the Universe that they're happy right where they are.
In fact, their appreciation is their ticket out. Focusing on feeling good is much more valuable than focusing on your exact desire or goal. The Universe responds to energy and delivers circumstances and opportunities that are a vibrational match. If your desire feels far from reach, concentrate on what feels good and you'll get closer to your desire. Let the Universe respond swiftly to your good-feeling emotions, and before you know it, you'll be closer to what you really want.
Appreciating what you do have puts you in the right state of mind to receive better opportunities, and it makes you more receptive to creative solutions you otherwise might have missed. It clears space for you to pay attention to the kindness and support of others. There is powerful energy behind the emotion of appreciation, and it will elevate you, open your mind, and make you a magnet for what you desire.
Appreciation connects you to your super-attractor power.
You don't have to find appreciation for the things that aren't working. Instead, appreciate anything else—whatever isn't working will benefit. Assuming an energy of appreciation is the fastest way out of a negative obsession. A great example is my friend Alex. He made a bad business decision that he couldn't get out of. For months he obsessed about what he could've done differently and how much better things could be if he hadn't made this choice. His point of attraction was focused on what wasn't working rather than what was. And the more he tried to get out of the negativity, the more negative he felt. This is because sometimes when we try really hard to move out of a negative stance, we actually bring more energy to it.
Finally Alex hit bottom with his negative obsession and came to me for help. In an effort to guide him to a new energy, I asked him what he appreciated in his life right now. His first response was, "A lot, actually, but it feels far from reach because all I can think about is this big mistake." I explained to him that in this moment he wasn't going to be able to think his way out of his negative story, but he could shift his focus. Willing to play along, Alex started reaching for appreciation. He talked about how he appreciated his wife and kids. He appreciated our friendship. He appreciated his ability to learn from his mistakes. And then he blurted out, "Wow, I actually appreciate this mistake because now I won't make it again!" In a matter of seconds, Alex was able to think his way out of his negative story through appreciation. His general appreciation gently led him even to appreciate his given circumstances.
By appreciating the relationships that are working, you change your energy about relationships overall.
Try this out! Take an area of your life where you wish things were different. Maybe you want a fulfilling romantic relationship. Instead of focusing on how hard it is to date and how much you can't stand the people you're set up with, reach for something that you appreciate about your life right now. Think about the fulfilling relationship you have with a close friend. Appreciate your family and your community. By appreciating the relationships that are working, you change your energy about relationships overall. You can also go more general with your thoughts, appreciating your health, your creative projects, or anything else that makes you feel great. Maybe you want to manifest more abundance into your life, but all you think about is your debt. Start appreciating the abundance you do have. Appreciate the internet as a powerful resource for finding new employment or making money online. As soon as you redirect your focus, you'll embody the feeling of abundance necessary to be a super attractor. That feeling is what will attract more abundance into your life.
Make appreciation a habit.
There are many ways to make appreciation a habit. A great way is to begin your day with it! Write three to five pages of appreciation in your journal every morning. Abraham-Hicks refer to this exercise as "a rampage of appreciation." As you fill each page with what you appreciate, the love within you will expand, and you'll feel awesome. You can write about the simplest things. Write about how you appreciate your comfortable bed, your morning coffee, the work you do, the friends you have. Or as my dear friend Joe Watson would say, "Be thankful for getting up in the morning; everything else is gravy." You can get really specific and write about how you appreciate yourself for the way you handled a situation the day before.
Just get into a fast flow of appreciation and let your pen glide across the pages. You can also do this journaling exercise before you go to sleep. If you fall asleep in a state of appreciation, you raise your vibration while you rest. When you wake up in the morning, you'll feel no resistance, only love.
Adapted from an excerpt from Super Attractor: Methods for Manifesting a Life Beyond Your Wildest Dreams (2019) by Gabrielle Bernstein with permission from the publisher.
Gabrielle Bernstein is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Universe Has Your Back, and has written five additional bestsellers. She was featured on Oprah’s SuperSoul Sunday as a “next-generation thought leader,” and The New York Times named her “a new role model.” She appears regularly as an expert on The Dr. Oz Show and co-hosted the Guinness World Record largest guided meditation with Deepak Chopra.
Gabrielle has been on an international speaking circuit since2004. She has presented lectures at Google, TEDxWomen, Oprah’s SuperSoulSessions, The Chopra Center, The Omega Institute, L’Oréal, Philosophy and TheHuffington Post, among many other notable organizations. She is also a certified Kundalini yoga and meditation teacher.
Gabrielle is a regular guest on The Dr. Oz Show and has contributed to or been featured in media outlets such as SuperSoul Sunday, Today, CNN, Home & Family, Fox & Friends, PBS, KathieLee and Hoda, Access Hollywood, OWN’s Help Desk, The NewYork Times Sunday Styles section, Teen Vogue, ELLE, InStyle,Marie Claire, Health, SELF, Women’s Health, Glamour,The Sunday Times UK, People, The Wall Street Journal, TheThrive Global podcast, Lewis Howes’ School of Greatness, Bulletproof Radio and many more. Gabrielle has also been on the covers of Success, Experience Life and Self-Made magazines; the latter named her one of the top 50 women in business.
Gabby is the creator of the Miracle Membership, a first-of-its-kind monthly subscription that helps people stay committed to their spiritual practices. Her flagship course, Spirit Junkie Masterclass, empowers people to awaken their confidence and live their purpose.
Her new book, Super Attractor: Methods for Manifesting a Life Beyond Your Wildest Dreams is out now.