It can be so easy to get swept up into a stream of anxiety and worry, especially as a writer. There’s always that next book or that next article deadline. At this point in my career it can sometimes feel nearly impossible to find enough time for everyone and everything in life. What I’ve discovered is most of this anxiety and worry is completely imagined, caused by faulty perception. It’s amazing how quickly these feelings of anxiety and worry can be shut down instantly through a very simple shift in mindset.

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“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” ~Denis Waitley

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Sometimes this state of gratitude happens spontaneously. The other day I was feeling stressed about preparing two books for publication this year and keeping up with my social media and freelance work. There I was, was walking our beagle the in the biting, subzero January wind of Minnesota and cursing it. My face was scrunched up, my shoulders tense. Suddenly an overwhelming warmth washed over me. The only way I can accurately describe it was a general feeling of content settled over me. That feeling was, I am so thankful for my life. I am perfectly happy in this very moment.

Instantly, the stress and worry melted away and I relaxed. Even the frigid wind didn’t seem so bad. After meditating for nearly a quarter century I realize how vital it is to keep our consciousness in this state of gratitude for as long and as often as we possibly can.

Why is residing in a state of gratitude so important?

First of all striving to live in a state of gratitude makes us happier and this should be reason enough. Even more importantly, when we’re living in this state we open the floodgates for more positive experiences and abundance to flow into our lives. This is how the subtle energies of our universe work. Like attracts like. You attract to you whatever thoughts and emotions continuously loop in your mind. This doesn't mean passive acceptance of the bad things in your life but acknowledgement of the good. I repeat, living in gratitude doesn't mean passive acceptance of all things. If you don’t believe that working to dwell in a state of gratitude for the wonderful things in your life works, I urge you to try it for a week.

There are a few, very simple, exercises called Mantra to help us to quickly ease into this state of gratitude. A Mantra is a sacred practice of repeating certain words or groups of words. These words are sacred to many Hindus and Buddhists and the repetition of them are believed to bring about great blessings and states of enlightenment to the person uttering them either aloud or silently.

Many English speakers who practice the art of mantra repeat the traditional Sanskrit phrases. I don’t do this because I believe having to think about the meaning of the words hinders the intended process. In my personal practice I repeat the English translations of classic Sanskrit mantra. For example, in Sanskrit the mantra, Dhanya Vad translated into English is, “I feel gratitude” and Kritajna Hum means, “I am gratitude.” These two mantra have worked very well for me.

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“Give yourself a gift of five minutes of contemplation in awe of everything you see around you. Go outside and turn your attention to the many miracles around you. This five-minute-a-day regimen of appreciation and gratitude will help you to focus your life in awe.” ~Wayne Dyer

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Whenever you feel negative, depressed, or sad I urge you to try the following exercise:

- inhale for a count of 5;

- hold your breath for a count of 5; and

- exhale for a count of 5.

Repeat the following mantra until you feel your negative state of mind just slip away:

I am gratitude. I am gratitude. I am gratitude.

I feel gratitude. I feel gratitude. I feel gratitude.

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Another, even easier to remember, mantra is -- "I'm thankful for...." and you can go on a recite anything that you can think of that you're thankful for in your life. This can be anything from clean air, to water, ample food, a pet, a job, a car, a friend or significant other...literally anything.

These mantra are simple enough to easily remember but are very powerful and can be practiced silently anywhere. I particularly like to practice them while walking. There’s something about the rhythmic sound of footsteps that make the recitation of mantra especially effective.

Recently, a friend and fellow Steemian, Ruth (also known as @natureofbeing), graciously agreed to create a Yantra for the cover of my meditation book. It's going to be perfect on the book cover. Thank you, Ruth!

A yantra is a mystical Sanskrit diagram, in a way the visual equivalent to the mantra. Yantra are used for specific purposes such as meditation or to protection from negativity. This particular yantra was created in watercolor and I can’t wait to see it grace the cover of my soon-to-be-published meditation book, “The Perfect Pause - Meditating Your Way to the Optimal You.”

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend. I'm very grateful for this platform and for all of your continued support!

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I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and Steemit enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my poetry, my handmade poetry chapbook, Emancipation, is for sale on Peerhub for a limited time.

Eric Vance Walton - Media

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