The Gratitude and Appreciation Test, by Linda Deir

The takeaway from this episode is … being grateful for everything in your life will bring you more to be grateful for.
Here’s what this will do for you … having gratitude will stop you from relentless wanting.
Here’s what I want you to do with it … to stay on the path, keep track of the times you feel gratitude and the times you don’t.

NOTE: The “italic text” within this post is channeled from Linda’s Spirit Guides and Angels

How many people live in an environment of gratitude and appreciation? We would say not many.

People spend more time and energy focused on what they don’t have rather than what they do have. In an age of consumerism, people grow tired of something they bought very quickly. Many people even realize they made a mistake right after they bought it.

They don’t understand why they wanted it or why they bought it in the first place. Many think back and remember that the old one it replaced was actually better. This is true with many things, especially technology, cars, and appliances.

Consumerism has become a mental illness although no one wants you to realize that.

So how do you stop this mental illness of having the latest and greatest? The answer is to not allow new things to define who you are.

Mega-millionaires drive old trucks and stay incognito when they go out. However, people scraping to make ends meet proudly drive down the street in their new car. The car they could not afford.

To get a handle on this behavior start by being thankful for what you have – right now. What is it that you already have that you are grateful for and appreciate? Make that list. It’s an important one to review periodically, maybe every day. Now, what is it that you personally feel appreciated for? Do others show gratitude and appreciation toward you for just being you, or not?

You should do these two things if you don’t feel appreciated:

Find someone you can help in any way, even a small way. They will show you true appreciation because they couldn’t help themselves. Now you know what it feels like to be appreciated.
From now on, anything you do or buy that you don’t feel grateful to have, or appreciated by your family because you could provide it for them, is telling you to release these consumption impulses from your life.

CALL TO ACTION: Start your Self-Examination

People believe the stuff they have been programmed to consume is what defines them.
You are starting to see people who you used to think were well off and had it made, all of a sudden find themselves in over their heads in debt and smothering under all that stuff they thought they needed.
Before you buy anything, ask yourself what is the significant purpose it will provide to you or your family?

HOW IT WORKS: The meaning of “appreciation” as defined in the dictionary:

The recognition and enjoyment of the good qualities of someone or something.
A full understanding of a situation.

So, if the things you do or buy do not have these attributes then you are moving too fast and acting impulsively. Take a “time out” to reevaluate any situation before you jump in. This is where your Spirit Guides and Angels can really help you. To receive their valued help, you must first stop and listen with an open mind. Meanwhile, keep this old Chinese proverb in mind, “In negotiations, the one who wants it most loses.” ~ Linda Deir