Day 102 in Gratitude

Brian Tracy has taught me many things...many, many things. Of all the lessons that I've learned in business and in my personal life, the one Brian Tracy lesson that has stuck with me for years is this; Wake each and every day and say out loud, "I feel terrific!" "I feel terrific!" over and over and over again until you've convinced yourself that you actually do feel terrific. For those of you who don't know who Brian Tracy is, Brian has dedicated his life and built a company on the training and development of individuals and organizations. So today, I feel the need to say thank you to Brian Tracy.I have learned much.

When a family member is going through a challenging health situation it always seems to help people put things into perspective. Today I made a commitment to myself that I was going to be very cognizant of how many times I complained about something trivial.

First it was the belt on my car engine. For the past week, every time I start and drive my car, this horrible screeching sound penetrates my ears and the ears of the drivers within a mile of my car. How embarrassing! As I drive down the street, everyone peers at me and makes this face as if to say, "shut that car up!"

The second time I complained was while I was at work. Going over a report, I was asked to re-structure and re-submit it. Ugh! After hours of logical thinking, strategically putting that report together and to be asked to re-structure it without the logic...what a waste of time!

The third time I complained was when one of my neighbors stopped by tonight to sell me candy for a fund-raiser. I was on the phone talking to a friend, catching up and I had to end the call to answer the door. After asking him which fund-raiser he was campaigning for, he told me it was for a start up not-for-profit. I came back in and looked it up, it didn't exist.

All of these things, all of these complaints were just annoyances. Distractions that annoyed me and/or took me away from something I thought was more important. How silly. The point of my challenge today was to bring attention to these things and when I realize I'm complaining stop, take a deep, long breath in and realize; I am healthy, my children are healthy, my husband is healthy. I can deal with and fix a squeeky belt on a car, re-do a report and take time to talk to a neighbor who I believe is just lonely. But by no means are these annoyances anything to complain about. My brother-in-law is sitting in a hospital room battling leukemia and if asked, he would much rather be home having to replace a belt on his car, re-analyze a report and take a few moments to talk with a lonely neighbor. I have my health and for that, I am truly grateful.

What are you grateful for? Share your thoughts, I'd love to hear from you!

Day 11 in Gratitude

Guard your thoughts carefully. The quality of your thinking determines the quality of your life." - Brian Tracy

I am bursting with anticipation on what this blog is going to grow into. I am planting seeds of gratitude and thankfulness in the knowing that it will become contagious. I will continue to post my daily thoughts and will also add articles and interviews from others on gratitude. So, today, I am grateful that I feel so inspired, strong and passionate with a purpose. A purpose to stay grateful in all things and to share my authentic self with my readers.

Today I am grateful that the universe continues to bring to me other inspirational, motivated and confident men and women so that we may feed off of each others enthusiasm and together make a difference in the world.

Tonight I am feeling a bit sad that I have to be out of town for 7 days and away from my husband. He is such a ray of sunshine for me. He's a bit kooky, just one of the things I love about him. He's also an intellectual, another aspect of him that I adore. He always says, "I'm a simple man" which is true and yet, not. He is simple yet complex. So tonight, I am grateful to have someone in my life that means so much to me and I will miss him so.

What are you grateful for?