The Abe Forum

pointing out how hard or even impossible this stuff is, will not change it one bit.

absolutely!
A shift in focus must be done for anything to change.

Reflecting on this, there is actually a whole lot of stuff I could appreciate in my daily life. Even my job, which I moan about: it at least puts money in my pocket. I usually go the coffee shop and have a brew after my shift and reflect on my shift, relaxing.
I have a roof over my head. Hell, I even have a garden, a big garden that I love. My little dog likes to run around in it and chase after seagulls.
I like art and I can appreciate art. I have favourite artists. I like to create art. I have a space where I produce art.
There's more I could add to this, I'm just trying to flex my muscles....

Salamander89 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2024 4:04 pm Reflecting on this, there is actually a whole lot of stuff I could appreciate in my daily life. Even my job, which I moan about: it at least puts money in my pocket. I usually go the coffee shop and have a brew after my shift and reflect on my shift, relaxing.
I have a roof over my head. Hell, I even have a garden, a big garden that I love. My little dog likes to run around in it and chase after seagulls.
I like art and I can appreciate art. I have favourite artists. I like to create art. I have a space where I produce art.
There's more I could add to this, I'm just trying to flex my muscles....

Keep flexing! This is wonderful!!

Salamander89 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2024 4:04 pm Reflecting on this, there is actually a whole lot of stuff I could appreciate in my daily life. Even my job, which I moan about: it at least puts money in my pocket. I usually go the coffee shop and have a brew after my shift and reflect on my shift, relaxing.
I have a roof over my head. Hell, I even have a garden, a big garden that I love. My little dog likes to run around in it and chase after seagulls.
I like art and I can appreciate art. I have favourite artists. I like to create art. I have a space where I produce art.
There's more I could add to this, I'm just trying to flex my muscles....

so good! Each one of these can be dug into with specifics to really milk them and get lots of feel-good out of them

Selfishly, I would love to see a practice thread where you talk about your favourite artists, or even share some of your art I love hearing about what people love - I love discovering cool new things that way! : ) I used to adore the "Favourites" videos on youtube back in the day where people used to talk about all their favourite things, products, foods, gadgets, cameras, artists, books - everything! That used to be so much fun! (oh! I'm getting an idea for a new thread... )

spiritualcookie wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2024 4:56 pm (oh! I'm getting an idea for a new thread... )

YES!!!! I'd love a shared thread for that, no matter what Salamander is inspired to do (no pressure for him!)
This sounds like fun!!

I go to the gym regularly. I suppose if I'm to use an analogy, it's kind of like that right?
My appreciation muscles are underdeveloped and lacking. At first it's difficult, you have to stretch yourself, sometimes, even forcing yourself and you start with the lowest weight and train yourself to bigger and bigger weights. And your muscles get sore after because they are not used to these new thoughts of appreciation you are introducing.
But you stick with it, because you know you will benefit in the long run.
This is kind of like an "Appreciation Gym" building up those neural pathways to happiness?

spiritualcookie wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2024 4:56 pm

Salamander89 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2024 4:04 pm Reflecting on this, there is actually a whole lot of stuff I could appreciate in my daily life. Even my job, which I moan about: it at least puts money in my pocket. I usually go the coffee shop and have a brew after my shift and reflect on my shift, relaxing.
I have a roof over my head. Hell, I even have a garden, a big garden that I love. My little dog likes to run around in it and chase after seagulls.
I like art and I can appreciate art. I have favourite artists. I like to create art. I have a space where I produce art.
There's more I could add to this, I'm just trying to flex my muscles....

so good! Each one of these can be dug into with specifics to really milk them and get lots of feel-good out of them

Selfishly, I would love to see a practice thread where you talk about your favourite artists, or even share some of your art I love hearing about what people love - I love discovering cool new things that way! : ) I used to adore the "Favourites" videos on youtube back in the day where people used to talk about all their favourite things, products, foods, gadgets, cameras, artists, books - everything! That used to be so much fun! (oh! I'm getting an idea for a new thread... )

Such a good idea!

Salamander89 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2024 10:20 pmMy appreciation muscles are underdeveloped and lacking. At first it's difficult, you have to stretch yourself, sometimes, even forcing yourself and you start with the lowest weight and train yourself to bigger and bigger weights. And your muscles get sore after because they are not used to these new thoughts of appreciation you are introducing.
But you stick with it, because you know you will benefit in the long run.
This is kind of like an "Appreciation Gym" building up those neural pathways to happiness?

oooh I LOVE this analogy! Yes!! It's just like that! Training those appreciation muscles to become strong so that appreciation starts to come easy. It feels good to appreciate so your vibration rises as a natural result of your training. And then off you go, flying up the emotional scale!

Appreciation doesn't come easy to me right now, because it is easier to react to circumstances and think my usual crappy feeling thoughts. But in time I could build those Appreciation muscles, even though it's a stretch, like being at the gym!

Salamander89 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2024 10:49 pm Appreciation doesn't come easy to me right now, because it is easier to react to circumstances and think my usual crappy feeling thoughts. But in time I could build those Appreciation muscles, even though it's a stretch, like being at the gym!

I'm sometimes struggling with this too, and probably many do.

Abraham have talked about it many times, but the fact is that it IS easier to just have a knee jerk response to life and just be an observer and let the "automatic" practiced thoughts control your mind with no deliberate attempt to focus differently, and it will always be easier.
But it won't ever feel better. It takes some mental "effort" to focus differently than we're used to, or than where our brain wants to go because it's what it's used to be thinking.

Law of attraction will give us thoughts that are a match to how we have been thinking, it's easier to just let that happen rather than to think a different thought, even if it's thoughts coming from a negative place and even if it's thoughts that feel bad.

The only way to get out of this cycle is to decide to start focusing on purpose and deliberately, even though it takes some mental "effort" at first. And to make how we feel matter more than what's "easy" to do (focus wise). And just practice it. I'm wanting to do that more than I have been, too. Because I want to feel better more of the time, and it's the only way. And our focus (and how we feel) is the only thing we have direct control over in this now moment, not any of the physical manifestations that has already been manifested (which Abraham calls "old news")