Day 63 in Gratitude

1. I am grateful for friends who love me unconditionally.
2. I am grateful for kind words from others.
3. I am grateful for friends who stand by my side and help support me when I need it most.
4. I am grateful for good food and great conversation.
5. I am grateful to be able to hear and be a part of laughter among friends.
6. I am grateful for friends who guide me to forgive easily.
7. I am grateful for quiet mornings spent in thought.

What are you grateful for?

Day 38 in Gratitude

My oldest son is expecting his first child and I couldn't be happier. I adore the woman in his life. She is beautiful, grounded, full of love and makes my son happy. Within three months they will bring a miracle angel into this world to bless us all and for that, I am grateful.

I have wonderful friends. I know I blog about that topic quite a bit but I'm okay with that. Over the course of these 365 days, I'm sure I'll blog over and over again how thankful I am to have my friends in my life. They make me smile, they challenge me, they love me unconditionally, they make me feel whole. You know who you are - Thank you - I love you!

I am grateful that I continually stretch myself to grow and become more of my true self than ever before. We're all conditioned by others in our lives; teachers, parents, loved ones, friends. We are born with dreams and aspirations and sometimes those around us will tell us those dreams are silly, or we should focus on what can be accomplished, or we should take the safe route. I get so charged when I hear someone tell me to dream the impossible. To stretch beyond the imaginable, to reach for that which I never thought possible. Those are the people I want close to me in my life. That manner of thinking is what I want to convey to others. I have always believed that we are here for so much more than what we end up settling for. Why? I am glad I keep asking myself that question.

What are you grateful for?

Day 9 in Gratitude

Today has been an amazing day. I had the opportunity to speak with an entrepreneurial woman from South Carolina who is starting an Elite Mastermind Group. She was focused, passionate and driven. I always marvel at the power of women who know what they want and go out and get it - very inspiring. I am grateful to have had an inspiring conversation with such an amazing woman. You know who you are - thank you.

My youngest son was home for a very short time this weekend. I mentioned in a previous post that he was home to attend the wedding of a dear friend of his. I am thankful to have spent the time I had with him, I enjoy him so.

I'm leaving out of town in a few days. I'm not ready to go on this trip. Tomorrow night after work I have a class from 7-9pm. I have Tuesday after work to pack and leave Wednesday morning. My fabulous husband helped me in every way today. He had gone out to run some of his own errands and stopped at the health food store to buy me some of the things I need to go on my trip. Then as I was starting to get my clothes ready for the trip, he came into the bedroom with fresh fruit because he knew I was hungry. I know, I know, you're all falling in love with him...how can you not?!? I am so thankful to have him in my life!! Thank you baby, I appreciate you.

What are you grateful for?

Day 5 in Gratitude

Today I went to a wake for a 30 year old woman who gave up her battle to lung cancer. She was adopted as a baby and reunited with her biological family about 6 years ago. Sitting at the funeral home, watching the dynamics of a blended family. Some were mourning the loss of a sister they had known for 30 yrs. Some were mourning a sister they had known for 6 years. I don't even know where I'm going with this thought except to say that I was so moved by all the love in the room.

I am blessed to have my family. They love me unconditionally and I them.

I am grateful for being able to witness the dynamics of that blended family. It gave me such a sense of that same unconditional love.

I am grateful that my husband is feeling better. The antibiotics are starting to kick some bacteria butt. He's still lacking energy but coughing less which means we'll both get a better night's sleep tonight!

What are you grateful for?

What motivates you?

I was asked today by another Life Coach, "What drives you?" "Is it good food, love, wealth,interesting people?"

Gosh, I hope this Life Coach has a bit more awareness of what some if not most of her clients are going through day to day. I hope that if she is aware, that she has more compassion and is readied to offer some sound coaching and motivational input.

Please understand, I love a good bottle of wine, I love...no, wait, I LOVE shoes, I love to shop. But with the economy the way it is, and hearing stories day after day from clients and friends who have lost their job, not able to make a mortgage payment, or taking lesser jobs, etc. That dose of reality does not have me or anyone else I know being motivated by good food, love, wealth or interesting people. Just being brutally honest here.

Here was my response;

The motivation to make a difference in this world, not only for me but others as well.

The challenges facing us all at this time are exactly what we don't want yet which give us a unique opportunity. An opportunity to look inside our hearts and ask, "If I am truly committed to having an outstanding, brilliant, fantastic life, one where I live and treasure each moment and share that with the rest of the world to contribute to it's magnificence, what would that look like, feel like, be like?"

Am I willing to rely on the government to make my life better? Am I willing to rely on outside forces or influences to make my life better? I ask myself this, "if not me, who?" "Who else is going to make MY world great and how can I expect anyone else to do something I'm not prepared to do myself?"

That's what motivates me every single day.