Let Gratitude Be Your Attitude

How can I thank thee, let me count the ways.

1.    Thanks for washing the dishes

2.    Thanks for picking up the kids from soccer

3.    Thanks for your support in words and actions

4.    Thanks for giving me the opportunity to pursue my hobby.

At certain times of the year; Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Memorial Day we as a nation take stock and reflect on what we are thankful for.  Of course, we should be doing this on a regular basis but there’s nothing like a national holiday to drive the point home.  There are even products out there to help remind you to be grateful.

  §  Cards – There’s a card for everything.
        §  Journaling - Writing down what you are grateful for on a continuing basis
        §  List – Making a list of all the things you are grateful for and then keep it handy so that you can read it periodically.
       §  Gratitude Rocks – A special polished stone, sometimes with a saying on it, is put in your pocket or purse to remind you whenever you see or touch it to be thankful.

All of these are great ideas to start using.  Pick whichever one you feel would be the most useful to you.

When we look for things to be thankful for we tend to look outward.  I want you to do something different.  I want you to take a look at yourself and be thankful for the times you have done something for yourself.  Just like when you are in an airplane, you need to put on your own oxygen mask first before helping the person next to you.  Therefore, what have you done for yourself?  What have you done to take care of number one, you?

Have you been eating healthy, exercising regularly, reading a good book, got a massage, took a college course, or anything else you have done just for you?  Thank yourself for putting you at the top of your list for a change.  Oh! And while you are at it, be in gratitude for all the natural talents you possess.  If you aren’t sure about what you have to offer Your True Heart's Desire can help you with that.

The whole point of being in gratitude is that it puts you in a different frame of mind, your outlook on your friends, family, work, community, and even the world changes.   Even when things did not turn out the way you would have liked, be grateful for the learning experience because now you have gained the wisdom to handle the situation differently.  Being in a state of gratitude effects your whole being from your language, to your demeanor, to how you carry yourself.  It becomes a part of you.  You embody the emotion and it shows up in everything you do.  And who doesn’t like being around someone who is always in gratitude?

Let gratitude be your attitude.

If You Got it Flaunt it

"As simple as it sounds, we all must try to be the best person we can: by making the best choices, by making the most of the talents we've been given."  ~ Mary Lou Retton

Every day you make choices that determine your future outcome.  Every choice you’ve made, every decision you made has brought you to the place where you are today. From the friends you chose to hang out with to what you did with the education you’ve received has transformed you into the person you are today. 

Did you study hard throughout the class year or did you decide to cram for the test at the end of the year. That was your choice and so was the end result.  You chose who to date and marry some good and some not so well.  Throughout these choices you were given the opportunity to learn from your choices, to filter out what you want from want you don’t want.  The choices you make give you clarity to make better choices with the intention of making you better person.

Has there been a time in your life when everything was clicking, you were operating on all cylinders, you were at the top of your game, in the zone?  How did you feel? Was it easy? If so, you were in harmony with who-you-are and using your talents to their fullest.  That’s the funny thing about being who-you-are, you not only get to do what your good at but it’s easy. Sweet!

So many people spend their time working on what they’re not good at, hoping that one day they will somehow become balanced, a complete person. The Gallop poll has proven that the most successful people work on their strengths and find someone or something else to cover for the rest.  The best advice is to focus on what you’re good at and let the rest take of itself.  You will always find someone or something to cover for your weaknesses.

Rock it!

Give Money to Receive Money

Give money to receive money. It’s the law but you won’t find it in any book. No. It’s one of the laws of the universe, the law of Giving and Receiving.

Ever notice that there is always an equal but opposite to everything; up/down, back/forth, give /receive.  It’s different aspects of the same energy and absolutely everything has energy even the seemingly stagnate coffee table beside you. Its nature harmonious intelligence in motion, everything seen and unseen constantly flows without us having a conscious awareness about it.
Your mind, body and spirit are in a constant dynamic exchange of energy but stopping that current of circulations is like stopping the flow of blood.  And what happens when blood stops flowing, it begins to clot and becomes sluggish in its movement. Somewhat like our economy right now.  The flow of money is moving very slow and it’s having a hard time getting back into the current. How do we fix that?

First let’s back up a bit and explain a few things. “The word affluence comes from the root word “affluere,” which means “to flow to.”  The word affluence means “to flow in abundance.”  Money is really a symbol of the life energy we exchange and the life energy we use as a result of the service we provide to the universe.  Another word for money is “currency,” which also reflects the flowing nature of energy.  The word currency comes from the Latin word “currere” which means “to run” or to flow.

Therefore, if we stop the circulation of money – if our only intention is to hold onto money and hoard it – since it is life energy, we will stop its circulation back into our lives as well.  In order to keep that energy coming to us, we have to keep the energy circulating.  Like a river, money must keep flowing, otherwise it begins to stagnate, to clog, to suffocate and strangle its very own life force.  Circulation keeps it alive and vital.” (The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success – Deepak Chopra)

Getting back to the Law of Receiving is simple.  In order to receive you have to give. It’s not give and take but a free, loving and joyful type of giving combined with allowing the receiving to come to you.  If you stop the flows of either you interfere with nature’s intelligence.  The more you give the more you will receive.  It will keep the abundance of the universe circulating in your life. And this just isn’t for money but for everything.  If you want joy you give joy. If you desire to be loved than you need to love others, want peace – give peace, want more clients – help others to get clients. You have to give freely and with joy the thing you wish to receive.

Giving isn’t just for birthdays, anniversaries and holidays.  You can give freely anytime, anywhere and to anyone.  It’s your choice.  Go for it!

Retire! Bah Hum Bug

You’re as young as you feel , saving the best for last or it isn’t over till I say it’s over might describe the individuals who continue to learn, achieve and grow well into retirement years.  It’s as if they’re just hitting their stride.  Age is but a number.

They have such drive and sense of purpose that it propels them to continue to learn and grow.  Now with the wisdom they’ve earned through the years they’re able to continue to make their mark. What’s interesting is that their achievements are from different venues; fashion, political, athletic, education, science, music and the arts. It’s a true testament that it’s not over until you say it is.

The achievements of the following individuals didn’t happen overnight but were an accumulation and extension of what they’ve already experienced.

    
“Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another” ~John Dewey

Take a look at just some of the well known individuals who made or continued to achieve and grow in their 70’s.

70 – Dr. William Mayo founds a medical clinic which will bear his name.

71 – Fashion icon Coco Chanel debuts the Chanel suit.

72 – Karl Wallenda, of the famous Flying Wallendas, walks a high wire between the Eden Rock and Fontianebleau hotels in Paris.

73 – Ronald Reagan is elected President of the United States.

74 – Ethel Andrus founds the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).

75 – Piano virtuoso Claudio Arrau stays busy ion his seventy-fifth year, performing a total of 110 concerts.

76 – Thomas Jefferson begins designing buildings and developing curricula for the University of Virginia.

77 – Astronaut (and Senator) John Glenn returns to space on the Space Shuttle Discovery mission.

78 – Grandma Moses begins her career as a serious painter.

79 – Giuseppe Verdi composed the opera Falstaff.

There are people all around that are still learning and growing well into their retirement years.  Take my grandpa for example.  He finally gave up dairy farming at the ripe old age of 75.  That’s hard work at any age.  However he didn’t retire, that wasn’t his nature.  He rented out his land to another farmer and took up raising heifers and peacocks.  He also had taken up woodworking in his later years and now that he had more time he began making even more and difficult pieces. No he wasn’t famous but he did set an example for his children and grandchildren to follow.  He finally passed on when he was 91 years old.

What does this tell me? That when you stay engaged in life, have a sense of meaning and purpose you are more likely to live longer and enjoy it more too.

What does it say to you?