In my workshops, coaching and training, a great amount of energy is put towards gratitude.  With having just passed Thanksgiving, I have been putting a large amount of attention into thankfulness.  Christmas coming right on the heals of this holiday puts my focus onto the ideas of giving and receiving.

     One of the energy concepts I attempt to consciously live by is the Law of Creation or as is more popularly known, the Law of Attraction.  Simply put, the Law of Creation states that like energy attracts to it like energy.  This law applies to any energy source including the energy each person produces through their thoughts, actions and feelings.  If I feel grateful, then the Law of Creation says that I will attract to me more for which to be thankful.  I have applied this principle for years.  It has brought me much joy and satisfaction.  What I have realized over the past few days is that I have cheated myself out of many more gifts available to me.  I would have even more joy in my life if I had an increased capacity to receive.

     I have felt tired lately and coming into this Holiday Season, this season of giving and receiving, well if I am tired now, where will I be in month?  (Perhaps in bed with a cold or something more sever?)  I began to put together the act of being grateful, the processes of giving and receiving and this unique (to my life) notion of rest.  I thought "you know, I pull all this great stuff to be thankful for to me, but I am too darn tired to enjoy most of it."  If I am saying that I am to tired to appreciate than something is not functioning quite right.  After a bit of listening and writing I realized that I have remedial receiving skills.  I can easily manifest things for which to be grateful, but I cannot totally appreciate these people, situations or things because I cannot fully receive these gifts.  Part of the reason my skills are slack is because I lack the ability to rest.  During one's downtime is when he or she gets to enjoy the fruits of his or her labors.  If I don't "stop", how can I receive?  Giving is the action part of life's cycle, receiving, the passive.

   This all started coming to me back at the end of July.  A dear friend brought me a gift from Japan.  When she gave the gift to me, I opened it and was thankful, but still in a hurry for her to open the gift I had purchased for her.  She commented that I enjoyed giving presents more than getting them.  This wasn't quite the case.  What I know now is that I didn't have the ability to receive.