gratitude Archives

The Blessings In Life

Posted on June 30, 2026 by Kristin Larsen

When we see the blessings in life, what allows us to see them?

If our focus is fixated on what we don’t have, what we don’t want, what is not aligning with our vision of possibility, what do we see?

If joy is overlooked in our lived moments, what is it being replaced with instead?

If our perspective is based on evaluating negative and positive outcomes, where do we miss seeing the blessings in life?

If love is our greatest fundamental value for well-being, what will bring us back to nurture its value?

If our intention is not held with conviction, what are we holding that is more important?

If living with an energy of connection is not chosen, what energy are we choosing?

If we believe that blessings happen only when we are worthy to receive them, when do we see them?

If gratitude is left unacknowledged, what takes its place to validate life’s experiences?

If our faith weakens, what happens to the perception of our world?

If being in a state of presence becomes unanchored, what happens to the details of our attention?

The Practice

What is the practice of seeing the blessings in life?

It starts with slowing down to appreciate. How we choose to appreciate is the repeatable practice.

It might be through actions such as acknowledging daily gratitude, journaling, meditation, and consciously reflecting more deeply into the challenges we face to uncover lessons or learning.

Maybe people don’t have the opportunity to see blessings in life because the repeated patterns disrupt how we function internally. Just like any habit, seeing the blessings requires discipline to repeat and create.

We may not know or understand;

How to embrace resilience
How to be present with our emotions
When to slow down
When to reframe and reflect

What prevents us from seeing the blessings in life?

It might seem ordinary to be distracted and consumed by our challenges and our suffering. To allow ourselves to think and feel isolated and alone.

Among these reasons are internal survival strategies that influence how we choose to think and feel in that state of being.

It is the misaligned choices of presence and connection that take us further from what we really want. They continue to keep us stuck and feeling unfulfilled.

Real life examples of seeing the blessings in life

Thankyou for…. or I am grateful for…..

I am grateful for the shelter over my head.

I am grateful for the food I have to nourish me.

I am grateful for my life today.

I am grateful for my breath in this moment.

I am grateful for the water available to me.

I am grateful for the functioning of my body.

I am grateful for the challenges I have overcome.

I am grateful for my family and friends.

I am grateful for moments of connection.

I am grateful for the lessons I have learned in my life.

I am grateful for the lessons I have yet to learn.

I am grateful for unexpected moments of pause.

I am grateful for the time I can rest my body and mind.

I am grateful for the kindness of others.

I am grateful for the opportunity to give and receive.

I am grateful for the availability of peace and calm whenever I want it.

I am grateful for the sunrise and sunset.

I am grateful for compassion.

I am grateful for the expression of love and caring.

I am grateful for having choices.

I am grateful for my faith.

I am grateful for infinite blessings.

What blessings do you see in your life today?

How we choose to see the blessings in life transforms our state of being. It is not forced or coerced into something imagined. It is real because it is honest. A true reflection of appreciation for the intricate mache of details in our life.

In the darkness, I get to see the light within myself. For that, I am truly grateful.

When the Heaviness In Life Opens Up

Posted on April 27, 2026 by Kristin Larsen

Life has been feeling heavy for a while. The presence of everyday emotions that get you through the day. Then there is that moment when the heaviness in life opens up.

“The distance to get there felt like a long, over-travelled journey.”

The moment you know it opens up

Awareness is the opening. The challenging pathway is to surrender and accept. To stop fighting the emotions. Being with them provides insights into understanding the thoughts that are creating them. In the process is possibility. A “yearning” to take a step towards an action. You may want to gain perspective by seeing things from different viewpoints. A willingness to acknowledge accountability. This could mean changing a personal viewpoint, a narrative that is no longer strongly supported because it doesn’t align with your values that are important to you.

You decide to utilize resources and tools that are accessible that will assist in moving forward.

An energy force inside pulls you forward from the “glued spot” you were standing in.

You now see new ways of “being” in thought, intention and commitment.

How you arrived at that moment

It was a combination of many empowered realizations. The challenge that was encountered was viewed as an opportunity for growth. In those moments you began to see a greater potential within yourself. An acknowledgement of the resilience that has helped navigate the experiences.

There was a new perspective that released some of the heaviness. This offered clarity into what was possible. An accountable acceptance that shifted the focus of what was serving and supportive.

All of this translated into a renewed inner connection.

A return to self.

What you might be realizing

It’s okay to feel what I am feeling. It can be uncomfortable and messy, and there is nothing wrong with that. The experience can be as it is. Shame doesn’t have to be part of it.

There is a shift towards the willingness to heal the wounded parts of the inner self.

A dedication to discovery your own truth.

Uncovering answers to the question, “how does this experience contribute to my truth?”

Where are you being guided

Things are becoming more in focus. Those things of focus are, expanded possibilities and inner leadership.

Inner leadership says, “I will no longer suppress the emotions. I now see them as valid.” In this acceptance is a respect for being vulnerable.

A change in perception of emotional expression as strength instead of weakness.

Self compassion is breathing a new practice of returning to wholeness. Being consistently gentle with yourself in the moments that are tough.

Being connected becomes more important than struggling alone. Making space for what is supportive and doable.

The insight reveals itself, “it doesn’t have to be more.”

When the heaviness in life opens up you will surrender to release the weight. It will feel like a readiness for healing, for necessary changes, and the anticipated return to self. The continual weight of exhausted emotional, mental, and spiritual wellbeing reaches it’s breaking point. You feel a transformational shift from being in the inner turmoil to accepting, from the choice of isolation to being in connection.

Surrendering to heaviness is a choice to let go of the weight of failure and expand the imagination of what is possible.

When Inner Leadership Overshadows Personal Growth

Posted on March 29, 2026 by Kristin Larsen

Personal growth is an important component in the continual process of developing knowledge and wisdom to expand one’s capabilities.

It is also important to be aware of the calling when inner leadership overshadows personal growth.

What is inner leadership?

Inner leadership harnesses personal growth through inner wisdom to regulate emotions and be authentic to one’s values. It is a dedicated focus of awareness for our intentions in the process.

The connected importance of both

Personal growth is usually focused on becoming better in some way, improving, or developing something that contributes to our overall well-being.

Inner leadership takes these valuable learnings and transforms them into actionable guidance. The learnings are used as tools to help regulate emotions and behaviours. There is a prioritized consideration for “being” the chosen intentions with a commitment to integrity.

The personal growth loop

The experience of continual improvement, combined with the feeling of growth, can become an obstacle to accessing our true potential. A personal growth loop begins to form because it becomes the only main strategic choice we are familiar with.

However, when we feel the need to constantly “fix” ourselves, the focus shifts away from the purpose of what we want to improve. Fixing is the narrative the ego suggests is important because of the feelings of not being good enough. There may be an absence of self-trust to lead ourselves through the challenges. What this means is that we are not able to manage our ego’s needs effectively.

The personal growth loop continues because we are continually trying to prove our worth and validate to ourselves and others that we are good enough and worthy.

The calling for inner leadership

In times of challenges, the focus might shift from personal growth and the “needing” to be better, to answering the call of inner leadership. Self-regulation may be more important for calmness in the moment while trusting the decisions being made in that emotional state.

When the desire to lead with authenticity becomes an important choice in the process, honesty and compassion help someone let go of the attachment to outcomes. In those moments, emotional intelligence is allowed to guide the experience.

Living our core values gives direction through resilience rather than reacting to external distractions.

External distractions, such as panic, anger, or people-pleasing, are instances when reactions control our decisions.

Sometimes we feel that our achievements no longer hold the same purpose that supported our inner security. We begin to question who we really are without the accomplishments and achievements. It no longer feels safe to operate in that way.

Another thought is, if we are constantly striving to be a “better version” of ourselves, where does gratitude get lost in appreciating the person we are now?

Most often, it is fueled by comparison, perfectionism, and the need for validation.

Inner leadership ensures that performed actions are inspired by value-driven, aligned intentions.

Inner leadership in your life

Inner leadership starts by asking, “Who is leading my inner world right now?”

The answer to that question initiates awareness. In that awareness is the opportunity to choose clear intentions for how you would like to lead yourself.

It is a practice that focuses on emotional regulation. A trust in our inner wisdom to guide us during stress without the reactionary dialogue that is conditioned for our inner safety.

Allowing our values compass to lead with aligned authority to our actions.

Inner leadership is a shared partnership with personal growth. To lead ourselves effectively, it is essential to understand ourselves and develop our inner resources through personal growth resources.

Being an effective inner leader means taking responsibility by being a valuable, giving contributor to the shared human experience.

Inner leadership is an invitation to act upon the full potential that already resides within.

Moving Through The Seasons Of Grief

Posted on October 2, 2025 by Kristin Larsen

While driving on a local rural road, I noticed the leaves beginning to change color. My windows were open, and the smell of the fall season was in the air. Suddenly, emotions flooded within me like a tidal wave. It felt like moving through the seasons of grief.

Has it happened to you?

One second, you are in the presence of life, and the next, memories invade your current space of peace.

Triggered by the reminder of something you see, a familiar smell, a word or a phrase you hear, a flavor from a food, a texture that you touch.

It reminds you of someone who is no longer physically there in your life. Your heart begins to ache, and you miss them. The imagery created in that moment takes you back into memories of the past. A place that carries an open wound of grief from something that feels like it was lost.

Surrendering to love

There is an opportunity to acknowledge the hurt and pain that surfaces. In this opportunity, there is an invitation to surrender to love. A way to appreciate and honor the person who has moved on to the next phase in life. It is a reminder of how important they were.

There are many ways to honor and appreciate them. One way is through the expression of emotion. Cry, journal, or share your thoughts and feelings with others.

It doesn’t have to mean staying in the loss of suffering. The perspective of love can assist with moving through the seasons of grief.

Choosing the perspective of love

Celebrating and honoring the person or memory amidst the grief could mean seeing the perspective of love in the memories. The way to do that is through a self-compassionate lens. Accessing the lens requires acknowledging the love for that memory. The love for the person.

Be open to what is calling for attention from the surfacing grief.

Each chosen effort to acknowledge the grief, to see through the perspective of love, expands the capacity to fully love.

As the seasons change, so too will the grief pass through.

Focus transmutes grief into an appreciation of love that was never lost.

What Is The Human Experience?

Posted on July 1, 2025 by Kristin Larsen

How do we interpret what we think the human experience is?

One person’s interpretation may differ from another person’s interpretation of what they believe the human experience is.

What influences someone’s belief in their interpretation of what the human experience is?

Superficially, the interpretation of the human experience could be conceived as the theory of cause and effect. One of the meanings of cause and effect is described as; “the direct relationship between an action or event and its consequence or result.”

Logic prevails in seeking interpretation. Beliefs reinforce the conceptual understanding of what the human experience is supposed to be.

If you look back at your childhood, and every five years after, how is your interpretation of the human experience compared to this current moment?

Did it change or is it the same?

If it changed, what created the change?

What has allowed it to remain the same?

The external environment, culture, or society is usually a contributing influencer to how someone may interpret the human experience as their reality.

Psychologically, cognitive rationality is essential to form a sense of reality in the living moment.

What is the relationship between the interpretation of the human experience and reality?

Can there be a right or wrong interpretation of the human experience? If each person has their beliefs of what the human experience is, can it be a neutral experience?

What we are born to know is the physical, mental, and emotional side of the human experience. The spiritual element can be learned, practiced or realized.

The physical side is the realization of birth, growth, emotions, and death.

The emotional side is the internal feelings that are associated with the emotion.

The mental side is how our thoughts, emotions, and perceptions are processed.

The spiritual side is the connection to something greater than self, which contains meaning, purpose, and a sense of belonging.

Residing deeper within the main elements of the human experience is profound consciousness. It involves being aware of what is being experienced within the elements.

The riveting part of awareness is choice. A choice to live into experiences as an individual or an interconnected being.

The interpretation of our experiences is always evolving. What is deemed important about our experiences today, may not hold the same importance tomorrow.

The acceptance of the human experience is what leads to fulfillment within it. Setbacks, grief, and suffering don’t feel the same as opportunity, joy, or love. Acceptance is the possibility to invite appreciation to the whole human experience. To transform what is perceived as negative, into a deeper awareness of what is within the experience. An appreciation for the challenge, the opportunity within it, the connection, the love, the possibility, and the shared moments.

Is it the continual quest for meaning and purpose that clarifies what our interpretation of the human experience is?

If you knew it was your final day to live in this physical world, what interpretations would become clear about what the human experience is?

To accept the whole human experience with appreciation introduces a choice for conscious awareness of the deeper elements within it.

Spiritual Side of Personal Growth

Posted on May 26, 2025 by Kristin Larsen

Various moments in life invite a call to access our inner capabilities. In those moments are growth opportunities. There is a spiritual side of personal growth that is often unrealized.

It is a continual learning process that never stops if it is allowed to develop.

Important attributes of personal growth could be habits and behaviors that assist with achievement or facilitate a desired outcome.

It is important to acknowledge that personal growth assists with learning new skills, completing goals, taking responsive action while embracing challenges that arise.

Personal growth is an important part of life. It necessitates “doing” what is envisioned in life.

Unrealized Side Personal Growth

What is the unrealized side of personal growth?

Awareness is one unrealized spiritual aspect of personal growth. Awareness initiates the inner path of authentic transformation when practiced and developed.

It can involve developing self-reflection practices, deepening intuition, and learning to maintain alignment with self.

A second unrealized spiritual aspect of personal growth is redefining and aligning to what success is through the lens of spirit.

Incorporating the objective of being into the process of doing infuses purpose into achievement. Alignment with values becomes an important consideration as the task of growth develops. Awakening to evolvement of inner self.

The third unrealized spiritual aspect of personal growth is to listen to your inner knowing. In that listening is trust and connectedness to the spiritual self.

The fourth unrealized spiritual aspect of personal growth is the embodiment of wholeness. The practice of awareness enhances the ability to balance ambition and alignment with oneself. The priority is placed upon honoring the soul side of performance.

Layering Personal Growth with Spiritual Growth

Using spirituality as a source for personal growth cultivates a deepening of the soul.

The presence of spiritual embodiment invites compassion and connection. Emphasizing understanding for others and self through empathy. One can develop a sense of unity and connection with humanity. This can enhance the strengthening of relationships with alignment to something greater than self through choices.

A pathway to inner peace and resilience is formed in the spiritual embodiment. This supports grounding in calm throughout uncertainty and challenges.

Cultivating Habits of Spiritual Growth

Spiritual growth habits that support personal growth are traditional practices that promote mindfulness, gratitude, and forgiveness.

Some practices may include:

mindful breathing
body scan
meditation
self reflection journaling
self compassion practice
forgiveness letters

Integrating some of these practices into your daily life can create a positive and fulfilling life. This can support both sides of personal growth.

Spiritual embodiment supports the evolving fulfillment of personal growth with the constructs of inner alignment.

Accepting The Invitation To Slow Down

Posted on December 28, 2024 by Kristin Larsen

The reluctance to go slower obstructs what many people believe is the true definition of what being productive or efficient really is.

However, accepting the invitation to slow down can be the core basis of connection and efficiency.

Resistance To Slowing Down

One main reason that makes it difficult to practice slowing down is the mental reasoning that slowing down equals loss of progression or efficiency.

Within that are the expectations that things must be done quickly to overcome, get results, and move forward. If they are not done in this way, sometimes the meaning that is made of ourself reflects what could be concluded to be inefficiency and transforms into self judgement of how we are functioning. It starts to feel restrictive and counterproductive.

Exploring deeper into the resistance might reveal an unwillingness to be present with other factors in the experience.

A desire to move through the discomfort as quickly as possible without fully processing or “being with” what is being experienced.

Benefits Of Slowing Down

Many benefits of slowing down attribute to connection. It helps to open the choice to process emotions while acknowledging what is happening in the experienced moments. This can lead to seeing other perspectives that are commonly overlooked. There are glimpses of joy in those perspectives. Feelings of contentment and gratitude.

Reducing stress is a direct result of slowing down because of how it calms the nervous system stress response. An opportunity to reacclimate to functioning from a neutral plane of calm and peacefulness.

When someone embodies calm, perspective, and gratitude, there is often clarity that emerges which assists with one’s own trust in their inner guidance.

Ideas To Embrace Slowing Down

Steps for slowing down in life can be accomplished in many ways. It can be implemented in the tasks being completed, the intentions of BEING that are simultaneously within the tasks and integrity of functioning. The art of slowing down in the day can also be comprised of micro-habits.

Some ideas to help embrace slowing down are:

Begin with the routine when waking up. What will help to establish aligned intentions of slowing down from the moment the day begins?
Eating meals mindfully to fully enjoy various aspects of the experience.
Checking in with self throughout the day to be present with the current inner state of thought and emotions.

Inviting small moments of silence by disconnecting from cell phone use and other distractions that prevent the commitment to slowing down.

If you were to start by thinking of your day as opportunities for inner connection, you begin to appreciate the importance to the commitment of slowing down.

The intention of slowing down presents an opportunity for deep inner connection.

Trust In The Unfolding Journey

Posted on October 30, 2024 by Kristin Larsen

The journey is continuously winding through peaks and valleys. It meanders through all types of weather. Various points along the way moving towards each stage of destination. All these paths will appear and be reached throughout it’s own unfolding. The joy often resides in the trust in the unfolding journey.

Does it make the journey any less extraordinary if things unfold differently than what was imagined?

There are parts of the path that seem clear. The steps are visible. The momentum is fluent with motivating guidance to reach the envisioned destination.

Then there are other parts of the path that are unclear. The way forward is not visible. Each step feels like a struggle.

What makes the path seem unclear and feel like a struggle?

Self Limiting Barriers

Inherently, we want to know. We worry about the outer abstracts. The things that either define, validate or fulfill a desire within a self-made construct in which to accomplish or complete.

The attachments to an obsession that it must unfold in the way that is envisioned. The attachment transforms into inner statements of,

“I will be/I will have _____ if ______ only when “X” happens.

These barriers prevent the invitation to surrender to what is being created through the unfolding process. The limitations force a fixed definition that makes an outcome unworthy of being appreciated.

Not Knowing The Way Forward

What if the journey was the objective instead of the destination?

It becomes the objective when the pressure of arriving at a destination in a set time or exact way can be released. Setting intentions that open space to enjoy all parts of the journey. Trust that things will unfold as they will in their own way.

In the welcoming of trust and enjoyment are dedicated intentions that allow them to be openly accepted.

The dedicated intentions such as gratitude, mindful, patient, peaceful, resourceful, courageous, compassionate, etc.

Can you still be with the parts that are painful, challenging, while appreciating the journey for what it is?

Why does it have to be more?

What is creating the thoughts that it has to be more?

Where We Get Lost In The Process

Being able to trust and appreciate what is unfolding allows a view into what wants to emerge. What wants to emerge in ourselves, along with an invitation to what wants to emerge in our life.

What is the guiding belief or thought that it has to be more than what it is?

We want our experience to be more than it is, and at the same time, we acknowledge the potential of what it can be. It really doesn’t have to be more. Our focus is usually attracted to the perception that it doesn’t meet our expectations. Within that, we are also acknowledging the possibility that our own potential did not meet our expectations. Where the paradox presents itself is when our judgement of what is happening in our experience is right or wrong, and good or bad.

If we let go of this, what can be invited in?

Shifting Perspective In The Unknown

There is acknowledgement that awaits in each step of the journey. We don’t need to have everything figured out to appreciate the magic, mystery and wonder in the unfolding.

What are the gifts that the journey is offering?

What will help to see what wants to emerge?

What will help us to acknowledge our potential within what wants to emerge?

Examples might include;

the connection being made to the emotional and mental state within self
the learning that is assisting with growth and understanding into our own beliefs and perceptions
the perspective to see the opportunity that is available in the experience instead of dwelling on the perceived negative effects

Could it be a shift in self that invites transformation into a new way of functioning from the commitment to another inner state of being?

The opportunity to transform curiosity over fear. Having trust in the unknown. Letting go of control to be in flow.

To acknowledge what wants to emerge means accepting where we are at in the moment. Viewing the current moment as a part of growth and evolution in who we are becoming. There are opportunities to explore the inner questions that are circulating in the mind. Trust in taking steps in the unknown which may feel uncomfortable. Choosing opportunities that align with growth and evolution of self. Continuing to embrace the ideas that are being called into existence. Living the passion of the path that is unfolding with a purpose that combines the talents and abilities that we possess.

Opening up to the guiding light that illuminates the way to our truest self.

A shift in self happens when trust guides the readiness towards the embodiment of what wants to emerge within the core of our being.

Ideas That Ignite Curiosity To Love With Courage!