Question about gratitude affirmations

[Sir Neil]

I have a question about gratitude affirmations which I am a bit confused by.

I understand how giving thanks for what you already have attracts more of the same thing…..but what if you want that particular thing to change and improve?

For instance, what if you have outgrown your job and want to change it? Or a relationship has reached the end of the road? Or you need a bigger home?

Wouldn’t giving thanks for what you already have just keep attracting more of the same? Wouldn’t the Universe just think “ oh, they’re happy and grateful with what they have, I’ll just keep giving them more of that? “

Or does gratitude actually bring about changes and improvements? If so, how does it do this?

Thank you for your replies.

[PinkFlower]

Greetings, Sir Neil. Your question certainly piques interest. Reflecting on my journey with gratitude affirmations, I recall utilizing them during my quest to relocate a few years back. Initially, I crafted a list of affirmations that truly spoke to me. Subsequently, each day during my commute, I would recite five things I was thankful for—four present blessings and one aspiration, affirmed as though it were already fulfilled. Concurrently, I acted upon inspiration, such as actively searching for a new residence. After several months, my efforts bore fruit. To me, perseverance was crucial, coupled with trust and the ability to release control. I hope my contribution will help you on your journey. :)

[Miss Hepburn]

This is how I see it....your joy, your great attitude, seeing everything in the now and future as 'going your way' ...the
Universe or God is responding and providing what you desire...if you don't doubt or block it in some way...meaning focusing
on lack or any negativity.
Hope that helps.

The mind likes to complicate things...it really is pretty simple.

Say, I'm grateful for my business...but, deep down I'd really like to close up shop......WELL, look ----
all the electricity on the street is down for the day...what do you know...I can go fishing, after all!!!!
You can start to watch the 'Dove-tailing'....joints, like a cog, all fitting together...unfolding in your life.
(I'm not making this up from books...this is my personal experience since Jan 2006.)

Made up story.

[Miss Hepburn]

This is how I see it....your joy, your great attitude, seeing everything in the now and future as 'going your way' ...the
Universe or God is responding and providing what you desire...if you don't doubt or block it in some way...meaning focusing
on lack or any negativity.
Hope that helps.

The mind likes to complicate things...it really is pretty simple.

Say, I'm grateful for my business...but, deep down I'd really like to close up shop......WELL, look ----
all the electricity on the street is down for the day...what do you know...I can go fishing, after all!!!! Just an example.

You can start to watch the 'Dove-tailing'....joints, like a cog, all fitting together...unfolding in your life.
(I'm not making this up from books...this is my personal experience since Jan 2006.)

[Wandering_Star]

Originally Posted by Sir Neil

Wouldn’t giving thanks for what you already have just keep attracting more of the same? Wouldn’t the Universe just think “ oh, they’re happy and grateful with what they have, I’ll just keep giving them more of that? “

There is no Univere/God separate from you, that decides whether you're deserving or not, and bestows or withholds anything based upon whether you thank it, or ask for it correctly.

You are a divine avatar, a facet of the Universe/God/All-That-Is, focused into this dense material reality, in order to experience the game of Limitation. And the biggest limitation is forgetting that you chose to play the game in the first place, (and that it is just a game).

There is no one keeping anything from you but yourself. And there is no one who can give you anything but yourself. You are ultimately the source of everything you want.

So the question becomes, why are you withholding what you want from yourself? And what kinds of beliefs are you holding on to in order to keep what you want from showing up?

Or does gratitude actually bring about changes and improvements? If so, how does it do this?

Maybe it's time to shift terminology. The concept of cultivating gratitude works for a lot of people—up to a point. Most people who get into the Law of Attraction do so when they're at a low point in their lives, and their vibration is stuck at a low frequency. Looking for things to be thankful for, recognizing abundance they've already received, and expressing gratitude for it, can help raise their frequency high enough to let them start having some success with manifestation.

But over and over again, I see people with a solid gratitude practice hit the wall when it comes to manifestation. They get some good things; they feel better; but the big stuff eludes them.

And I think that's when "gratitude," which was once a help when someone was at a liw point, has become a liability.

The word itself has its limitations. It's too deeply associated with the idea that one is offering thanks to someone outside of, beyond, and probably superior to themselves, for giving them something they either could not have got for themselves, or might have had to struggle for. It puts one in the position of expectant petitioner and (hopefully) grateful recipient, but in between, there's a lot of room for doubt. And it locates the source of what you want outside of yourself, and therefore you're ultimately powerless over whether you get it or not.

So I'd like to offer an alternative, and maybe it will help: Instead of practicing gratitude for what you've already got, try simply loving it and taking pride and satisfaction in it, instead. Look at it, not as a gift the Universe was kind enough to give you because you wanted and asked for it in the right way, but as something you created for yourself, or attracted into your experience. And if you wanted that thing and brought it into your life without doubts or struggle, well, why can't you use that same power on anything else?

That Abe Hicks thing about how it's as easy to manifest a castle as a button really is true. If you can be as delighted and proud when you think about how you manifested a relatively small, "easy" item as you imagine you would be after manifesting a big thing you want—and bring that same emotion into a vision of yourself already having the big thing, it's pretty amazing what you can make happen.

[Sir Neil]

Sorry everyone, I appreciate your answers but I still don’t really understand this. It still seems like gratitude just gives you more of the same (even if it’s positive). But what I’m wondering about is how gratitude for -what is then attracts DIFFERENT AND BETTER things. For example:

How does gratitude for your current job (which you have outgrown) then attract a different and better job?

How does gratitude for your current home (which may not suit your needs any longer) attract a different and better one?

How does gratitude for your current car (which keeps breaking down and being unreliable) then attract a different and better one?

How does gratitude for your current relationship (which has just degenerated into stagnation and arguments) then attract a different and better one?

Rather than just ‘trapping you’ in your current circumstances (which you would be better off moving on from).

Hope this makes sense.