By Jim Del Vecchio
My devotion to gratitude started in the intensive care unit of a hospital after a major operation.
There were complications after the surgery. My doctor told me 20 years later 90 percent of the people who have the level of kidney function that I had are dead within one year. Every day seemed to bring some new challenge, and the doctors were stumped. One day a nurse came into the room to start her shift. She complained about her life. She complained about the traffic, the grocery store, her employer, her coworkers, and so on. It seemed many people, including me, did not appreciate what they have. I resolved if I ever got healthy again, I would concentrate on being grateful for what I have, even in the face of less-than-perfect conditions. I even experimented with being grateful when something does not go my way.
After getting out of the hospital, I went back to college and got a Master’s in Counseling so I could specialize in career or vocational counseling. While working, I developed an expertise in stock market investing. Toward the latter part of my career, I started doing spiritual research after seeing a TV series about how psychics aid law enforcement in apprehending criminals and finding missing persons. As I neared retirement, I started getting ideas about including all this information in a book that I self-published under the title Manifesting Abundance: The Universal Key.
I decided to test the abilities of a number of psychics by using myself as a subject and then to report my findings in the book. Around this time, interesting things started to happen for me. I might be looking for a quote to use in the book, and it would pop up on TV a week later. All kinds of things started happening in which good fortune was coming my way. As I had readings with the top psychics I selected, that was one of the things that came out. They were telling me angels, masters, and guides were helping me in a variety of ways. One of these talented people actually quoted the angels and said because I “listened and took action the manifestation time was amped up. Gratitude really works.”
Some of the key things that have helped me apply gratitude in every situation have been acquiring spiritual knowledge through reading. The Bible, the Quran, Buddhist and Hindu teachings, near-death experiences, reincarnation, and more recently, A Course in Miracles, which is a communication from the spirit or soul of Jesus to a research psychologist in New York City between 1965 and 1972, all were helpful. (By the way, I was told by one of the top psychics that Jesus wanted me to introduce people to the course.) From these resources, I learned that God or Source or whatever you call it, has a plan and the plan is for our good. Everything happens for a reason and is meant for our learning.
One of the things people have asked me over the years is how I can have an attitude of gratitude even in the face of unwanted events. To illustrate, I will give some scenarios and address how and why I can take a certain attitude in a question and answer format.
Question: What if you lost your job and don’t have any money saved?
Answer: I believe there is a reason for it. God intends all circumstances for good. I tell myself I will get another job soon. I might have to adjust my expenses, and I can do that. I take action by identifying any programs to help me, and I follow up to see if they will work for me. If I identify that I am lacking in job search skills or education and training, I can create a plan to acquire the desired training or make another plan that will work. I might pray, “Thank you God for this learning experience. Show me how it works out for my good. Show me what I need to do.”
Question: What if loved ones die?
Answer: No one dies, life continues without end. The spirit or soul is still very much alive, and I will see them again. They are in a better place. Would I want to hold them back from going on to a better place? No, I would not. So I celebrate their life and therefore do not feel strong feelings of grief. If I am facing illness or death myself, it is the same process of thinking. I also think along the lines of my being here at the calling of the Almighty, Source, God, etc. If Source calls me to be in another state or dimension by transitioning out of this earthly body, so be it.
Question: What if you don’t have enough money even though you are working?
Answer: I know there is a way to get and keep money, and it is my job to educate myself on how to do this. It is similar for getting jobs. In any case, I continue to have gratitude for what I have and try to better myself at the same time.
If you are feeling gratitude, it is almost impossible to be feeling a negative emotion at the same time. Staying in gratitude allows for your cells to be in a healthy state, which obviously allows for very good health. It also allows for better problem solving because a relaxed mind is more creative. It allows for your angels to have a more beneficial effect because you are in harmony with the universe, with your heart and mind in a calm state. I’ve noticed as I applied gratitude to every situation, many times the circumstances changed in dramatic, miraculous ways. By using gratitude in this manner, it never fails. You have gratitude when things go the way you want, and you have gratitude when things do not go the way you originally wanted, and miraculous things may happen. Expect miracles.
Jim Del Vecchio, M.S., C.A.S. has authored the following books and DVDs: Manifesting Abundance: The Universal Key, Jesus Speaks, A Spiritual Path To Prosperity: For Teens To Seniors, Making 30% A Year In Stocks, Trading Secrets For Mutual Funds. He has a Master’s Degree and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Counseling Psychology and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with concentrations in Accounting and Marketing. He has received awards and accolades for his work in career development, stock market investing, and spiritual research. He has been on a spiritual path since an out of body experience while in intensive care when he was 23 years old. To learn more visit LearnToAttractAbundance.com
This article is an excerpt from the book Transform Your Life! Expert Advice, Practical Tools, and Personal Stories, written by 60 real-life heroes and experts and available at www.Transformation-Publishing.com, Amazon.com, BN.com, and all ebook formats.