2015 is Yours to Live...

Prepare to wave goodbye to 2014.  Another year has passed. Another full circle around the sun. The days, the weeks, the months and the seasons have come and gone. A new year is ready to be lived.

Another year from now, how will you remember today? What decisions and commitments will you make, what course of actions will you follow, that will distinguish the year ahead from all the rest?  

2015 is going to be a golden opportunity for you. It can be your best year yet. It can be filled with success, achievement, joy and meaning. It can be all these things and more through your active and enthusiastic participation.

As you reflect back on 2014, think of how far you’ve come. Think of all your positive possibilities. Look ahead and see yourself becoming the person you truly want to become, accomplishing the things you really want to accomplish. You can surely do it, and today is a great place to start planning.

A new year is upon you. No golden treasure ever imagined could hold even a fraction of the value of what you have right now, today, as you prepare for the beginning of another new year. 2015 is yours to live. Make it great.

Preparing for 2015...

As you go into 2015, stop wishing or waiting for conditions to be perfect. You should accept and embrace each situation for what it is, and get busy making positive use of each one.

There will be times when you can’t be certain of what it is, but you can be sure that there’s a way forward. Even when there are no guarantees, there are plenty of reasons to be confident. 

When the situation is far from perfect, that’s the perfect time to make progress. For when you left much to be desired in 2014, there is much that can be accomplished in 2015. 

Remember, adversity does not prevent or preclude achievement. Instead, it is when things are not right that there is the greatest motivation to make improvements. 

As you go into 2015, remember when things go wrong, and they will, that it is not the time to complain. It’s the time to innovate and commit to making valuable improvements. 

When there’s much that must be done, that’s the very definition of opportunity. So make the effort to make things better, and you can make things great in 2015.

Season of Giving...

What brings more meaning and fulfillment to life than making a difference in the lives of others? What a blessing it is this time of the year, and every day, to be able to give. For it is through giving that life’s greatest joys are created.

Strive to sincerely give of yourself today, with no agenda other than to celebrate the pure spirit of giving.  It is in that moment that you truly experience life in all its richness.

When you give, you open your heart to life and allow great measures of abundance to come pouring into it. Nothing brings more meaning and fulfillment to life than making a difference in the lives of others.

You are in the season of giving.  However, giving is more than merely offering objects.  You can give your time, your attention, your love, compassion, consideration, patience and respect.

When you give a part of yourself, you will not ever lose it. When you give it away, that part of you takes on greater influence and value as it touches other lives beyond your own.

So today and every day, simply give because you can. You will get to know the unmatched joy that giving brings to life.

Willing to Help...

What makes you willing to help?  You are more willing to help only if you see people are putting forth their own best effort. No one willingly wants to help anyone that doesn't want to help themselves.

You want to feel needed. That is such a great feeling.  You want to help out and be a part of what is being done. When you satisfy the desire in people to help by trying to help yourself first, you receive their admiration, loyalty, respect and cooperation.

People can be a powerful source of ideas, of motivation, of business contacts -- if you encourage their participation. You will find that most people are only too willing to help. Most people are genuinely flattered when you ask for their opinion or their expertise.

On the other hand, you must not take advantage of people. Asking someone for their help out of laziness on your part will not win you any points. Remember, no one will want to help you if you don’t help yourself. However, if you’re striving toward excellence every day, people will jump all over themselves to be a part of what you are doing.

When someone helps you, always show sincere appreciation. This encourages people to want to help you even more, especially if you are truly grateful.

You have to be willing to “give” as much as you “take.” If you’re always willing to help and advise others, then there will be plenty of people whom you, in turn, can call on for advice and assistance.

It’s very, very difficult to accomplish anything alone.  It is also quite unnecessary as well. Look around you.  There are plenty of people willing to help you, if you will only ask.

Season of Giving

As you look around, what do you see?  What do you hear?  Bright lights, music playing, children laughing are all indications of this time of the year.  It is the season of joy.  A sure way to be joyful is to be generous. Don't waste your time away worrying about what you can get, instead enjoy giving all you can give. Generosity is not merely a matter of material offerings. Real and meaningful generosity is giving of yourself.

Life can be an incredibly beautiful and wonderful experience. Your generosity magnifies that beauty and wonder many times over. Living generously is living well and living richly. It makes you an active participant not only in your own good fortune, but also in the good fortune of others. 

Remember, generosity is not just a matter of material offerings. When you are participating in real and meaningful generosity, you are giving of yourself.

Choose to give your love, your attention, your compassion, your interest, curiosity and genuine caring this season. Chose to give your time, your understanding, your peaceful, positive presence and your commitment.

I challenge you to give each day with a generous heart. You will find that you make life’s abundance even more abundant by giving the best that you have.

Stretch Yourself

Do you know that everything you want is within your reach?  You just have to stretch and get it.  Your grasp never exceeds your reach. You have to decide that whatever you want to have, or be, or accomplish, requires you to set your sights a little higher. It is better to attempt too much and fall short, than to attempt too little and have to live with the regret.  Refuse to live a life of regret.

I challenge you to go for it, and then some. I challenge you to stretch yourself. You’re capable of more than you think you are, so don’t hold yourself back. Once you know what you want, and why you want it, you’ll find a way to get there.

Challenge yourself. You’ll discover skills and resources you never knew you had. You’ll grow to be the person you want to be.  You grow to be the person who can indeed attain the goals you’ve set for yourself. Remember the the higher you reach, the more capable and effective you become.  So start your day stretching, so you can reach even higher than you want to go. Today may be the day that you get there.

Burdened or Blessed....

Are you burdened or are you blessed?  Are your consequences a burden on your life, or is your life blessed by the consequences you create?  The answer lies in the choices you make.

It may seem at times that life is so bad that the consequences are there to punish you. Actually, they’re there as a manifestation of your thoughts, your actions and your attitude.

You cannot change the consequences that flow from specific actions. However, you can change the actions you choose to take.  Making good choices enables you to decide which consequences you create.

Look at it this way, consequences are gifts you give to yourself.  Consequences are created by the choices you make. If you don’t like the consequences you’ve been getting, that’s a clear and valuable message to yourself to make better choices.  

When you have positive, authentic, meaningful thoughts and actions, you will get desirable consequences. Just as day follows night, the way you live creates the life you experience.

Decide today to take control of your consequences by putting positive intention into your choices. You have the power so make good use of it.  Choose wisely.  Are you burdened or are you blessed?   The right choice allows you to go wherever and do whatever you choose.  

Never Satisfied...

Are you ever satisfied?  It is said that humans are never satisfied, that if you give them one thing they will want something more.  Think of all the great accomplishments which have come about because people were not satisfied with the way things were. They pursued satisfaction.  The same is true for you and I.  We are in constant pursuit of satisfaction. In the process we achieve some measure of greatness. We invent, we create, we express, we cooperate, we build, we challenge and we think, all because we can never be completely satisfied.

Our fulfillment comes not from ever reaching a state of absolute satisfaction, but rather from continually moving toward it. If, and I do mean if, we ever achieved absolute satisfaction, we certainly would not be satisfied with it. There would no challenge against which it could be applied.

Think of it this way, money would be worthless if there was nothing to buy, just as the sense of satisfaction we get from our accomplishments would be useless if there was nothing more to accomplish.

It's okay and acceptable to never be satisfied.  That means there’s always something more to be done. Strive today to find your joy in doing what you do everyday, pursue satisfaction.  

Angelic Thoughts...

Cheerfully Live Your Life...

Do you know you create the life you live?  Every morning is a new opportunity for you to create the day you want, which leads to the week you want, which leads to the month you want, which leads to the year you want, which leads to the life you live.  

Life can often be serious, complicated and demanding. It’s not all fun and games. However, it is up to you how you respond to what life presents you each day.  Each day, no matter what it holds, is a chance for real fulfillment. Every situation is a situation to which you can bring positive meaning and purpose.

Don’t be resentful of your responsibilities. Instead, choose to be thankful for your abilities.

Don’t feel burdened by your obligations. Instead, choose to feel the freedom and possibilities in the opportunities you have to make a difference.

If you get hung up on fighting against what you have to do, you can miss out on some of the most valuable and enriching things you’re able to do. If you waste a lot of energy on resentment, you will find you have much less energy available to create achievement.

Choose today to cheerfully do what there is for you to do, then step up and do even more. Life is yours to be lived, so give your life the richness you deserve.  Cheerfully live the life you love.  

Let Your Light Shine...

Would you like to have less stress in your life? There is a simple solution.  Quit creating so much stress.  The choice is yours. 

Instead of jumping at the chance to be offended, choose to be amused. Rather than filling your thoughts with resentment, fill your heart with forgiveness. If someone is rude to you, let it be that person’s problem and not yours. Choose to quickly move beyond each disappointment, while savoring, extending and sharing each joy. 

The world around you is what it is. But your life in particular, and your experience of it, is the way you choose to make it. 

The next time you encounter difficult, frustrating situations, remember it is your choice to respond with patience and understanding. When things don’t go your way, see it not as a disappointment but rather as an opportunity to make positive improvements. 

Choose to take each occurrence in stride, confidently knowing that you can make the best of it. Life is good when you see it as good, so decide to let your light shine and always see life in the best light you can imagine.

Speak Kindness...

Would it hurt you to speak kindness into the lives of others?  What if, just once each day, you were to stop yourself before making a cruel remark and replace it with a sincere word of encouragement?  You know that a snide remark gains you nothing, yet it costs you much. You know that a selfish act brings no lasting value, yet it attracts the enduring resentment of others. A kind word, on the other hand, costs you nothing yet it can bring about a lifetime of value.  Such a thing would cost you absolutely nothing, and yet it would bring real, positive value to your life and your world.

Cruelty is a waste of precious time and energy. Kindness is an investment which pays endless dividends.  Choose to speak kindness into those around you and those you encounter each day.

If you desire a life of value, then it is up to you to do the things which bring true value, as often as you can. Strive to fill your moments with kindness, and fill your world with value.

Angelic Thoughts

Your Kindness...

We’ve all heard about the tough, no-nonsense business person who is highly successful in spite of their blatant disregard for everyone. Yes, that happens, but it is a rare exception. And though that person may have a degree of success in business, there’s much more to life than that. No one can be successful by himself or herself. 

Trying to succeed in life without kindness is like running a race with your feet tied together. It can be done, but it puts you at a major disadvantage right from the start, and who would want to do it anyway?  

When you give your kindness to someone, it’s not gone -- it’s invested. We all need each other. Remember, no one can be successful by himself or herself. Sincere kindness builds relationships that enrich your life. That's why I say that kindness and success go hand in hand.

Kindness doesn’t mean that you should let people take advantage of you. Kindness doesn’t mean that you should be indulgent or permissive. In fact, many times the kindest thing you can do is to be firm with someone.  They may not realize it, but it is out of concern for their well being. As in “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.” 

The kindness and respect you give will come back to you, greatly multiplied. The best thing you can do for yourself, is to show true, sincere kindness toward others.

Your Golden Moment

This is your golden moment.  You have been blessed with the power to change your future. Everything you do today is building your life. Everything you do today is making a difference in the course your life will take. The question is not what are you doing, but are you making the most of it? 

Every thought you think, builds your character. Just as bricks are laid, one on top of another, to build a house, so do your thoughts build on each other, moment by moment. The person you become, the things you accomplish, the joy and fulfillment you find, all depend on the thoughts you use to build your life.

So if every thought or every moment is used to build a stronger you, that means that no achievement of any value can just suddenly appear. It must be built. You have the power to build the exact life you want. Yes, you have the power.  That power comes in the moments you live, the choices you make, and the actions you take.

Remember, right now you are building your life. Right now, you are making a difference in the course your life will take. This is your golden moment filled with power.  Make the most of it.

Happy New Month

Let's celebrate the start of a new month.  It doesn’t matter what has happened before. Today starts a new day, a new month, and new opportunities.  Your past has brought you to where you are in this moment.  Every shortcoming, disappointment or bad decision is all in the past now. They have nothing to do with what you can accomplish from this point forward. Every morning, you are granted the chance for you to start with a clean slate. Strive to take every moment as an opportunity to begin the process of turning your dreams into reality.

No matter what has happened before, today is a new day. Remember the past has brought you to where you are. The path before you splits off in an infinite number of directions. The choice is yours as to which one you take.  

I challenge you to learn from the past and then let it go. Wishing that it had been different, is a waste of time and energy. Continuing to live with your past limitations, is a waste of your life’s enormous potential.  Celebrate your new day, your new month, your new opportunity.  

Remember, your past does not define who you are or what you can accomplish. YOU DO!!!