COUNT YOUR BLESSING

Stop right now and think of five things in your life for which you are thankful. It should be fairly easy to come up with at least five. If you’re having trouble, start with life itself, the beauty of the world around you, the opportunity to learn and grow. Consider your family, friends, people who sincerely care about you, your work, your faith, your home, your community, the joys you’ve known, the things you have to look forward to.

Think of five things for which you’re grateful. Dwell on them for a moment and consider how richly blessed you are. Find five ways to be thankful, and you’ve discovered five ways to propel your life toward even greater joy and fulfillment. Because abundance begins with gratitude. The more we focus on the positive side of life, the more positive life becomes.

Whatever disappointments you may have, there is always something for which to be thankful. Appreciate the good things, and they will grow

RESPECT AND KINDNESS

Being rude doesn't feel very good even while you’re doing it. Being genuinely considerate, on the other hand, can leave you feeling more positive and empowered for a long time afterward.

Rudeness and arrogance are unmistakable signs of weakness and insecurity. Kindness and polite consideration are reliable indicators of rock-solid confidence and strength.

How do you treat those whom you have no reason to impress, from whom you have nothing to gain? It says a lot about you, and people do indeed notice.

Those who are truly in a position of responsibility have no need for arrogance. Any positive impression you seek to make through arrogance or rudeness is immediately contradicted by the arrogance itself.

Don’t let your own arrogance waste your energy and set you back. Use each encounter as an opportunity to offer genuine respect and kindness.

Lift up the lives of those around you. And you lift up your whole world.

PRECIOUS DAY

When you woke up this morning you opened your eyes on a treasure more precious than anything money could buy -- your life. Stop for a moment and remind yourself how very fortunate you are to be living in a world filled with limitless possibilities. Consider how truly blessed you are to be able to think, to experience, to learn, to laugh, to love. What are you going to do with this precious treasure that is your life today? Will you focus on the negativity around you and darken your day with despair? Or will you look for the positive possibilities and take steps to move your world forward? No one has a monopoly on the future. It is open and available for everyone who wishes to influence it by what they do right now. What kind of future are you working to create? What you do today will make a difference, in your own life and in the lives of those around you. It can be a positive difference, or a negative one. What would you prefer to spend this precious day of your life creating? It’s a great day to be alive. Fill it with the best you can imagine.

HOPE

Every situation starts out as hopeless. When there is hope, it is provided by you. Hope is not based on the way things are. Hope arises from your choice to feel it. You can give hope to this day. And then you can justify that hope by the way you live. Hope is not only for the young and strong and advantaged. Hope is for all who love life and its endless possibilities. Now, no matter what, you can give hope, and you can live that hope. Now, no matter what, you have as much reason and ability to feel true joy as anyone has ever had. So feel that joy, live with real hope, love and treasure all the goodness. Give hope, live up to your hope, and let your hope prove itself to be very well founded.

BE YOURSELF

Instead of striving to figure out what to do, just do. There is no need to program or plan out every last detail of your success when you are simply and elegantly living it. Rather than putting a lot of effort into understanding yourself, be yourself. Instead of collecting mere tokens of your desires, spend your time living and fulfilling your actual desires. Don’t frustrate yourself seeking some arbitrary ideal of perfection. Fulfill your best possibilities in each and every moment through the simple, direct honesty of being. Rather than striving for a specific result, put your energy into what you truly love. With authentic love as your motivation, the results you get will be very much to your liking. Stop trying and start being. Stop trying and just start doing. You can do truly amazing things when you give up the burdensome need to be amazing. Be, do, and live the wonder.

Uniquely you

Your most important job is to be you. There are contributions you can make, and gifts you have to give, that no one else can duplicate. You have a perspective that is unique and valuable. Share the insights and energy that come from that perspective. You have feelings and longings that flow from the core of who you are. Express those feelings and fulfill those longings in your own special way. There is great treasure in your authenticity. There are beautiful possibilities that spring from the genuine person you are. Through you, life experiences itself in a way that is unique and special. Live true to the best of who you are. Let your own bright and distinct light shine. Use this opportunity to make a difference in a way that only you can do.

BEAUTIFUL DAY TO BE ALIVE

Today is a beautiful day to be alive. It is a moment in time that is yours to live. It is filled with opportunity, and there are challenges as well -- challenges that will compel you to grow and become stronger. This day is yours from which to draw the priceless experience of living. In this day, right where you are, there is astonishing beauty to be found, if only you will stop to see it. There are valuable lessons to be learned, if you’ll take the time to consider them. This day is a blessing that has no equal and it is yours even now, as you marvel at its unique value. Just think of all you can do with this great and glorious day. Think and consider, then get up and do. The real value of today is in the living of it. Be thankful that this day is yours, and express your gratitude by making full use of it. Today is a priceless gift waiting to be opened, so by all means open it up and live its full promise. What a joy it is to be alive on a day like today. Be as fully alive as you can be and astonishingly, you’ll make it even better.

Lighten up and live well

You are an important, indispensable part of life on this day. Yet that is no reason to be arrogant. You have a vital job to do. Yet that doesn’t mean you must be stuffy and overly serious. You do things best when you do them joyfully. Lighten up, have fun, and spread true joy everywhere you go. Be mature and responsible, but don’t be dull and brooding about it. Be purposeful and determined, but don’t be uptight about it. Demonstrate your determination not with a rigid scowl on your face, but with joyous achievement. Life is an amazingly grand adventure, so allow yourself to experience and express delight in every moment. See yourself as happily dancing through the moments of this day, and nothing will be able to bring you down. Live lightly, live joyously, and live well.

LIFE SKILLS

 Integrity: to act according to your sense of what’s right and wrong.

Initiative: to do something because it needs to be done.

Flexibility: to be willing to alter plans when necessary.

Perseverance: to keep at it.

Organization: to plan, arrange, and implement in an orderly way; to keep things orderly and ready to use.

Sense of humor: to laugh and be playful without harming others.

Effort: to do your best.

Common sense: to use good judgment.

Problem solving: to create solutions to difficult situations and everyday problems.

Responsibility: to respond when appropriate; to be accountable for your actions.

Patience: to wait calmly for someone or something.

Friendship: to make and keep a friend through mutual trust and caring.

Curiosity: a desire to investigate and understand your world.

Cooperation: to work together toward a common goal.

Caring: to feel and show concern for others.

Courage: the ability to persevere and withstand danger, difficulty, or fear.

Essential to life

You are not too old or too tired or too broke or too disadvantaged. You are uniquely qualified to add substance to life. Don’t get caught up in making judgments about what is fair or unfair or easy or difficult. Just get on with the satisfying and fulfilling business of making a real positive difference in the world. You’ve done it many times before and you know you can do it many more times again. You know how great it makes you feel to know you truly matter. So get busy, get some good stuff done, and feel that great feeling again and again. Forget about the silly excuses and focus on the significant difference you can make. There are lots of great people in this world. Yet there is no one who can do a better job of being you than you. Life is great, and you are essential to that greatness. Do your part, in your own special way, and feel how truly great it is.