I requested this guest post from Law of Attraction Coach Flavia Daay after I heard Flavia talk about the Jaycee Dugard story in a very positive light.  Flavia’s post makes it clear she was simply following Jaycee’s lead in finding the best from a high-contrast experience:

Most stories of survival are stories in which the person can’t help but feel victimized, stories of being so overwhelmed by it all that they seems stuck in the past and unable to embrace their new freedoms.

Not so with Jaycee Lee Dugard! In an interview she gave to ABC’s news anchor Diane Sawyer, we saw a serene, poised woman, a genuine example of the power of forgiveness. Hers is a triumphant story of letting go of the past and moving forward in a state of gratitude, a story many can draw strength from.

When asked about feelings of anger or bitterness she replied by saying she refuses to let him have anymore of her. Even after 18 years of being kidnapped and giving birth to her captor’s children, this girl had the wisdom to realize that however she feels right now is not going to change what happened. When asked if there’s anything she’d like to say to Philip Garrido, she replied that he couldn’t steal anything else from her, that he can’t steal her and her mother’s love for each other and in fact never could.

After seeing the interview one person commented, “the next time someone tells me they can’t, I will say three words, ‘Jaycee Lee Dugard.’”

In my opinion, one of the reasons she was able to tap into her strength and do what she had to do to survive was having her children. Even though she first gave birth at the age of 14, this was a chance for her to connect outside of him – a real blessing. She promised herself she wouldn’t let anything happen to them. And she kept it. Her two girls were never outwardly harmed.

Even more amazing is that she home schooled the girls, even though all she had was a 5^th grade education.

During her years in captivity, she secretly wrote a few dreams she had for the future which included seeing her mom and even riding in a hot air balloon. And see her mom she did! The night they were reunited she even woke up her daughters telling them “I’m so happy! I’m so happy!” Jaycee shared that she doesn’t see their father in the children but had concerns that her mother would be uncomfortable. Luckily those concerns were quickly put to rest as her mother feels the same way and declares that she loves them with all her heart.

Her therapist taught her that a way of vanquishing the past is through gratitude for the present moment. Among the things Jaycee feels grateful for is dinners with her family, having real food everyday, nature and horses.

She revealed employing humor as a way of coping. Jaycee explains that her young, smooth skin is due to her being locked up and not seeing the sun for years. That is truly impressive!

This beautiful, insightful young woman even created a foundation to help all members of the families that have gone through a trauma, emphasizing that it’s not just the victim who needs help in recovering.

She wrote her story in a book as a way of looking at what happened “until it doesn’t scare you anymore.”

Dianne Sawyer was very surprised to learn that Jaycee doesn’t think love is impossible. For her it’s not out of the question, she is open to finding love, the kind she reads about, she adds, but she’s quick to say “If it happens, it happens, if not, I’ll be happy anyway.” What a powerful lesson!

And she fulfilled her second wish on camera, that of riding in a hot air balloon while commenting on how peaceful it was.

Her final words to us viewers were “Live each day to the fullest whatever life brings you.”   What about you? What inspires you to forgive or live life fully even though you may have experienced some exaggerated contrast?

Flavia Daay is a Law of Attraction Life Coach, founder of Yes Yes Yes Coaching, and faculty member at Good Vibe University who helps people find vibrational bridges from where they are to where they want to be.

Her joy is helping you remember the perfection of who you really are, to give you back to yourself. Find Flavia online at Yes Yes Yes Coaching.

Last week I sat on a Gratitude Panel; tomorrow night I guest on an Appreciation & Gratitude radio show; this morning someone shared with me the Attitude of Gratitude fan page on facebook.

I’m starting to feel on overload with the reminders to get grateful.

(Sheesh, one of my most popular ebooks is all about self-appreciation!  I can be as noisy about this as anyone.)

But, I get it.  Appreciation is not just a high vibe but the solution to all our problems.  It’s how we get aligned and how we make the most of life.  I get it.

Which for some reason kind of puts me in the mood to embrace grumpiness.

Because pressure of any kind pushes us in the opposite direction – even when it’s “good” pressure like a bazillion reminders to be grateful.

But I do know not to resist grumpiness (or anything I’m feeling), and can already feel some relief in letting myself have some fun with this …

… so today’s post is a rah-rah session for when it’s okay to be unappreciative, to take something for granted, and even to be critical sometimes.

Dare me?  This sort of feels like LOA sacrilege.  Because this may seem directly contradictory to everything deliberate creators know to do about sending the higher signals – except it isn’t.

Because we can’t really truly be grateful or appreciative until we’ve felt our way through the other stuff.

If I’m irritated about neighbors that let their dog run loose, or worried about the insurance bill next month, or mad at my computer, or ticked off about my ex who still owes me that apology – whatever I’m feeling, if I pretend I’m not feeling it and push myself to dial in on appreciation – it just doesn’t work.

Denial doesn’t fly.  That’s why Abraham says “Own it and get over it.”

That’s why they tell us that putting a happy sticker over the empty fuel gauge doesn’t change the fact that we’re out of gas.

So when is it okay to be ungrateful?  When you’re not (grateful).

Feel how you feel.

Whatever it is.

It’s okay.

And after getting that mini-rant out of my system, I’m finding it IMPOSSIBLE not to appreciate this Nelly song playing in the background.  (Thank you, Jay!)  And the Verizon commercial that makes me want to dance.

And the kitty sleeping on my lap that made my feet fall asleep and kinked my back from typing sideways.  And my incredible wisdom to have brought the phone and water bottle nearby so I don’t disturb lounging kitty.  Because Elvis sleeping on my lap is probably my greatest joy.

That’s why grumpy works.  That’s how ornery serves us.

So this Thanksgiving if you find yourself feeling something besides love and light for whatever’s up in your life, relax.  You won’t undo all your manifesting efforts by getting a little dark.

In fact, feeling less than fab may very well be what gets things moving again, if you’ve been denying those less elevated emotions.

Double in fact, this is directly related to tomorrow’s GVU call topic with Harmony Harrison of Hissy Fits and Tantrums and their role in successful manifesting!  How perfect is that timing?!

Wait a minute … am I starting to sound appreciative?  And a little bit happy?  I didn’t mean to – just a natural consequence of feeling the feelings, whatever they may be.

So it is with heartfelt love and appreciation that I wish a Happy Thanksgiving to you U.S. folks – or Unhappy Thanksgiving if you prefer.  Either way works.

Update: excellent comments as usual from you brilliant readers!  Keep an eye out for Chip’s response below, too.

If so,  you’re not alone.

In fact, I experienced it myself this year with 29 gifts, and the 40 day abundance mantra.  It happens with pray rain journaling, too.

Why is it so challenging to consistently engage and benefit from the things we know would serve us?

Maybe it’s the way we go about it. Or maybe it’s the expectations we have of ourselves. 

What if it were easier than we were making it out to be?

Mom shared with me a Reader’s Digest article on how “Life is better with an attitude of gratitude.”  In it author David Hochman suggests that instead of practicing gratitude every day, we may be better off engaging it less frequently (like weekly):

“Focusing on gratitude once a week is often more effective than doing it more frequently, according to Lyubormirsky (author of The How of Happiness).  She compared subjects who kept gratitude journals three times a week with others who did so only once a week.  The result: The once-a-week crowd became happier over time. ‘But choose what fits you personally,’ she says.”

Perhaps we’re setting ourselves up for failure by expecting a powerful engagement of our manifesting method every single day? 

Even as I type that I hear Chopra Center meditation instructor, David Ghee, repeating in my ear “every day, wake-pee-meditate.”  I’m pretty sure the once-a-week routine wouldn’t fly with him. 

What do you guys think?  How have you managed to keep a powerful manifesting technique fresh? 

Have you noticed better results when you engage it infrequently?

Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences!