Gratitude is the new attitude

Hello lovelies!
I am so excited to be posting again! I am currently on my flight back to Los Angeles and taking advantage of the wireless internet. New York City has been filled with such great and comforting holiday cheer--Starbucks holiday cups, christmas lights lining the common room of my dorm, chunky knit sweaters, cashmere scarves, colorful beanies, the crisp fall air, and the opportunity to be grateful for this lucky life. But gratitude does not come as easily to me as successfully pairing my new Sonia Rykiel scarf with brown studded Jeffery Campbell combat boots, or finding the perfect earrings for a Saturday night. Those things are second nature, trivial almost...but gratitude, the new attitude, takes effort, and has proven to be as fruitful or profitless as you make it. And somedays, or most-days, it is the last thing in the world I want to do. Its so much easier and more comfortable to sit in bed, under my snuggie, and complain about the desolate state I perceive my life to be in. Please note my use of the word PERCEIVE. I know this is my head, those are my thoughts, my feelings are not facts. With gratitude I get taken back to the present moment, to what is. I soon realize nothing else matters. This thanksgiving, i am reporting on a new trend: Gratitude. Although not spotted on any New York Fashion Week runways or on the cover of Cosmopolitan, Gratitude is the new black, the new pink, the new everything. In fact, on a spiritual level...you will realize it is actually all there EVER is. So here it goes, get excited to feel grateful and the sense of joy, happiness, freedom, and extreme buddhaliciousness that comes with it.

1. Its a practice. Yes, I'm going to be cliche, but practice makes perfect. I'm serious.
Go buy a journal. Any type of journal. For super Fashion & Love & Buddha ones I recommend browsing the racks at Barnes and Nobles! The journals there are fabulous! Make this your spiritual gratitude journal. Every night, make a list of the ten things you are most thankful for. This can be anything from god, to your mom, to your soft new blanket, to your decent hair day, to the child you saw on the street who made you smile. the point here is not necessarily what you write but the practice of recognizing things in your life that are good, that are positive...Therefore, when you find yourself saying "why does bad stuff always happen to me, why do I have the worst luck, why does my life suck" you can look back at this list and be reminded that this is your head. This is not the truth. Get out of the illusion. Get into what is actually happening.

2. Practice saying "thank you" to everything. Yes, even the "bad" stuff
I am a big believer in the concept that everything happens for a reason but this is an incredibly hard concept to apply when something is happening or has happened in my life that pisses me off or makes me sad. How was this meant to be? I ask. What I am learning is that just because something causes discomfort or pain does not mean it didn't happen for a reason. Famous philosophers call this process "soul-making", because even though an event seems "bad" to you, to some higher power, there is a greater purpose and a greater good for what is happening. I have learned that this is the only way to not get constantly upset by things that are happening against my will, or things that I disagree with. Gratitude includes saying thank you for those things you disagree with. And become willing to see the greater good of every event. Just try it. You'll be amazed at the new level of light and radiance in your life.

3. Be easy on yourself
It'll be extremely difficult to turn your entire attitude around. But if someone told you that black is a better color for you and you always wore white, wouldn't you make an effort to reorient your taste? Even if you resented that you had to make this change, you knew it would lead to a slimmer figure. The same goes with this, it'll be tough and uncomfortable. But you will begin to see the world as you actually deserve to live it.

When your sitting around the thanksgiving table in a traditional setting, eating alone, or celebrating Turkey day in an offbeat and original way, just say thank you. Thank the Universe for the multiple ways it shows up in your life. For the beautiful people who teach you how to be a better and fuller person. For your desire to learn and explore the world. Be thankful for water, shelter, a warm bed, the most simple of things. Be thankful for inner peace and for the blessing of being on this journey towards a greater sense of Being and self-esteem. Be thankful for the hardships you are experiencing at this point in your life. Be thankful for the heartache you may feel deep inside. Be thankful for the confusion you feel about which direction your life is heading in. Be grateful for any anxiety, or worry. Be thankful for the things in your past that make you angry and sad. Be thankful for the limitless opportunity that THIS MOMENT gives you. All of these things are part of your own soul-making. They are part of your growth. And as long as you are growing, you are living, you are in life. And everything is okay.
Happy thanksgiving.
I am thankful to be able to share my little seeds of spiritual and fashion knowledge with readers who care.
Keep the gratitude, because attitude determines your latitude.

All my bi-costal and Turkey Love

"We may not be enlightened masters today, but we can be just a little more open-hearted than we were yesterday. Thats a beginning. You slowly learn there is no end. Just new beginnings every day."