An Attitude of Gratitude
By Sandra Couts

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow”.  Melodie Beattie

The above quote clearly defines the wonders of gratitude. Being grateful is a tool used by people from all backgrounds to create a better life. Recovering alcoholics and food addicts use gratitude as a recovery tool. People wanting to create abundance and wealth in their lives use gratitude as a means to align with prosperity consciousness.

Having an attitude of gratitude is simple. It simply means you appreciate and are thankful for anything that is good and positive in your life. And regardless of anyone’s circumstances, there is ALWAYS something that is worth appreciating.

Here are true examples of what makes some people smile in gratitude:

• My computer
• My children
• My partner
• That I only broke my arm
• That I recovered from cancer
• That I can read
• That I can write
• The sun
• The rain
• My garden
• Finishing my book
• Passing my exam
• Healthy food
• My friends

You can create and maintain an attitude of gratitude in two easy ways. Some people like to have a special gratitude journal. You buy a blank journal just for your gratitude list. Date your entry. Write I am grateful for…………  Write at least three things you are grateful for. Do this every day.

Some people like to state out loud all what they are grateful for. This can be done upon rising, throughout the day or as you are going to bed. Try singing out loud all that you are grateful for-that can really boost the joy.

Another action that promotes an attitude of gratitude is to express your gratitude to others on a regular basis. Let others know what you appreciate about them. Thank them for the small, big and positive contributions they bring to your life. Taking time to appreciate those whom we sometimes take for granted, especially family, friends and co-workers, does wonders.

WHAT IS INTUITIVE COUNSELING?
By Sandra Couts

If time and money were not an issue what would you do with your life? This very question is what led Sally, a happily married woman and the mother of four children, to seek intuitive counselling. Although she thrives on juggling her many roles, she does not know what to do with a slight dissatisfaction with her current job. She gets along well with her co-workers, greatly appreciates her monthly paychecks, and enjoys her leadership role. Yet she knows she is not doing what she really loves.

As she drives home with this inner discontentment, an idea of her starting her own business comes to her mind. She is eager to talk with her husband and she does as soon as she sees him. He listens attentively to her fears and concerns. She is delighted by his gentle nudge that encourages her to follow her dream. Sally decides to take the risk. She realizes she needs assistance in moving forward and chooses to seek help through intuitive counselling.

Sally wants to understand how she can transition from her current job to starting a new business doing what she loves. She identifies the following questions as key for the assistance she wants from her sessions. Is this the right time for her to begin this new business? If so, what is blocking her from moving forward? What can she do to clear the blocks? Why is she so afraid to start the business? What can she do to let go of the fears?

Her intuitive counselor answers one question at a time by connecting with her inner guidance.  She helps Sally identify the specific steps Sally can take to start her new business. They work together to energetically clear the blocks and the fears. Sally is given the support and information she needs to proceed forward. Sally states, “The guidance I received showed me how and where to begin my business. The support I got allowed me to see my fears and let them go. I saw how a negative message that I heard as a child was stopping me from going ahead with my idea. I changed the negative message to a positive one. I was then able to start thinking of the name for my new business. Intuitive Counseling helped me through this process and gave me the boost I needed to face my fears, get self-confidence and start my new business.”

To counsel is to give advice or to consult. Intuitive counselling adds an additional piece to this definition--intuition. Seeking help through intuitive counselling is similar to receiving help from other forms of counseling. The common goal is to find solutions, answers, direction, suggestions and guidance. Intuitive counselors use their intuitive abilities to receive answers, information and solutions by connecting with their inner guidance. A holistic approach is used that provides understandings and solutions from a physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and energetic perspective.

The foundation for intuitive counseling is based on the belief that everyone has a physical body, an emotional body, a spiritual body, a mental body and an energetic body. Intuitive Counselors know how to work with these bodies in a way that gives people a deeper understanding of the source of their concerns/problems or questions. Practical guidance, simple suggestions, and important information are given from this intuitive and energetic perspective.

Common areas of concern often brought to an intuitive counseling session include relationships, family problems, purpose in life, inner work issues that address limiting beliefs and constrictive patterns, and emotional wounds from the past. Questions often asked related to these areas include the following examples:

• Relationship--Mary wants to know why her boyfriend left without explaining why. Is it a good idea for her to pursue him?

• Family problems- -Tom wants to know how to help his teenage daughter heal from a breakup with her boyfriend.
• Purpose in life--Larry wants to know if he is on the right career path. Kathy wants to know if she ought to stay in school or go back to work.
• Inner work--Betty wants to heal the hurt from her parent’s divorce when she was eight years old. Peter wants to know the patterns that keep him stuck in a job he despises. Lucy wants to know more about her spiritual path.
• Emotional wounds from the past--Vanessa wants support in grieving the childhood she feels she never had. Athena wants to stop attracting relationships that don’t last.

Intuitive Counseling works on a deep yet practical level. Sessions are structured according to the individual needs, questions, and concerns of the client. Every question, every concern, every problem is welcomed. People are empowered through the information given to them. What they do with the information is a free choice and completely private. Many comment that the information and suggestions they received during the session have led to profound changes, inner peace, and new understandings of some difficult challenges.