Real Life Story
When I first moved to Dubai over a decade ago, I was standing in a taxi queue at a mall that’s somewhere in the old part of Dubai. Something happened that I still remember to this day.
There was a middle-aged Arab couple standing in front of me in the line and we somehow had a small conversation.
The woman (she was the wife) shared that they lived in a studio apartment. She continued her sentence by saying: “You just open the door and that’s it, that’s the space, that’s all there is to it.“
I noticed how her husband felt very embarrassed in that moment of her sharing that fact with me. She basically emasculated the man right in front of a strange woman who she just met at a random mall cab line.
I replied to her by sharing that I too lived in a very small studio apartment. This was a fact, I wasn’t trying to make her feel better or anything like that.
In fact, I lived in a very tiny studio apartment in Dubai for exactly eight years. The space was so small that you could hear the fridge sound because it was very close to the bed. There was a small balcony too – I chose that apartment specifically because I wanted a high floor and a balcony.
I used to enjoy meditating to the sound of the birds each morning, because the side of the building where my balcony was, faced a lake. It was quiet and perfect for that phase of my life.
And the truth is, I was so grateful and happy living in that tiny studio apartment, in a shitty building.
Why? First, I also chose that building because it was close to the metro and until today, I live close to a metro and tram station, because I never drove a car in Dubai and I never will.
Like I said, I enjoyed quiet, meditative morning rituals. I used to also keep a gratitude journal for many years while living in that studio apartment.
The other main reason why I was happy and grateful was because I left a toxic home environment and abusive/distant parents. Both of my parents were/are toxic and that’s another story covered in many posts.
Did I ever complain about my small studio? Did I ever feel claustrophobic? Did I ever feel like it was less than? To be honest, I never felt anything of that sort because I always practice gratitude in each moment of my life.
A home is what you make it – the space doesn’t matter as much as the energy that you’re creating and nurturing. And that energy should always be a high vibrational one like gratitude and love.
Why Gratitude Matters for Manifestation
Apart from the fact that the woman wasn’t being grateful for having a roof on top of her head and living in one of the most convenient-friendly cities in the world, she was also emasculating her husband!
Men want to feel appreciated and accepted for who they are. They want to be the provider and supporter. So if you’re showing them that you’re not happy with what they’re providing, it really hurts them and makes them feel like they’re not good enough.
Today’s blog post is more focused on gratitude and how it connects to manifesting love.
If you’re always living from an energy of lack or feeling like nothing is good in your life, then you will simply attract more of that same energy.
But when you’re feeling full, happy and grateful, then you attract more things to be grateful for.
It’s a simple and basic law of attraction principle.
Quick Tip
If you feel like you’re not naturally feeling grateful in each moment of your day, then I suggest that you start a gratitude journal.
Writing in a gratitude journal is simple. All you have to do is list all of the things that you’re grateful for in your life. You can make this habit into a daily morning ritual and just write as much as you feel like writing each day.
With time, you will start doing this gratitude practice naturally in your daily life. And you won’t need to keep a journal but just find yourself feeling grateful in each moment of your living life.
Listen to this song by Lorez Alexandria titled ‘Give me the Simple Life‘ to put you in a super grateful mood!
If you missed last week’s Thursday Thoughts blog post, you can read it here.
Love,
Leela
