Gratitude is an attitude.  Gratitude is a choice.  Gratitude is one of the secrets of contentment!

Contentment is recognizing the sacred in the ordinary.  We recognise the sacred when we take a moment to give thanks for the wonders in our lives we so often take for granted. The cooling breeze on a blistering hot day.  The sticky kiss from your toddler’s lips.  The reassurance and warmth of your husband’s hand at your back.  The plate of food full of variety, colour and nutrients designed to keep us healthy.  Gratitude is in every one of us.  Gratitude is a God-trait but only some people choose to make use of it and enjoy the benefits of a grateful heart. 

Being grateful is easy when life is sunshine and roses.  It is when it is dark and gloomy that having an attitude of gratitude fades.  In times of difficulty, it is important to practice gratitude as much as possible.  Giving thanks and being grateful for each day builds into us a great expectation, as if something wonderful is going to happen.  Everyday becomes alive with possibilities.  We cannot control what is outside of us but we do have full responsibility for what takes place on the inside of us.  Make a quality choice today to rise up in thanksgiving, in praise, with gratitude.  Your life may never be the same again.  This moment is all you have.  Make the most of it. Gratitude is totally within our reach.  Gratitude is a choice.  We are always only one decision away from changing our perspective, because truth be told, the world is not really the way it is, but it is the way we see it.  Just imagine if we started seeing our lives and our circumstances through the eyes of gratitude.  Gratitude can replace bitterness with sweetness.  What has happened has happened and no amount of regretting is going to change that, but gratitude can give you reward in place of regret.

With thanks to www.LifeSupportSystem.com
for a life-giving message.


WHAT IS YOUR ROPE TIED TO?

You may have heard of the man who decided to repair the roof of his
house. The pitch was steep, and to be safe, he tied a rope around
his waist and threw the other end of it over the top of the house.
He called his son and asked him to tie it to something secure. The
boy fastened the safety rope to the bumper of their car parked in
the driveway. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

But a little while later, his wife needed to run a few errands with
the automobile. Unaware of the line securing her husband, she
started the car and proceeded to drive away. The rope immediately
tightened and jerked the man over the roof and into thin air. Now
before you become alarmed, let me assure you that this never really
happened. But I chuckle at the image of the poor guy sailing over
the top of his house like Evel Knievel without a motorcycle.

This story, factual or not, points to a great truth. It is a truth
about where we place our security; about those things to which we've
tied our safety lines. What is your rope tied to?

Think about it. What do you depend on to keep you from disaster? Is
your rope tied to a good job? Is it tied to a relationship with
somebody you rely on? Is it tied to a company or an organization?

In her wise and sensitive audio LESSONS IN LIVING
(http://tinyurl.com/3vyjufo), writer Susan Taylor tells of
discovering how unreliable some of our safety lines really are. She
tells of lying in bed in the early hours of the morning when an
earthquake struck. As her house shook, she tumbled out of bed and
managed to stand underneath an arched door-way in her hall, watching
in horror as her whole house tumbled down around her. Where her bed
had once stood, she later discovered nothing but a pile of rubble.
She lost everything - every button, every dish, her automobile,
every stitch of clothing.

Susan huddled, scared and crying, in the darkness. In the pre-dawn
morning she cried and called out for help.

As exhaustion set in, she thought that maybe she should be listening
for rescuers rather than making so much commotion. So she grew still
and listened. In the silence around her, the only sound she heard
was the beating of her own heart. It occurred to her then that at
least she was still alive and, amazingly enough, unhurt.

She thought about her situation. In the stillness, fear abandoned
her and a feeling of indescribable peace and happiness flooded in,
the likes of which she had never before known. It was an experience
that was to permanently change her life.

In the deepest part of her being, Susan realized a remarkable truth.
She realized she had nothing to fear. Amazingly, whether or not she
was ever rescued, whether she even made it out alive, she sensed she
had nothing to fear.

For the first time in her life she understood that her true security
did not depend on those things in which she had placed her trust. It
lay deep within. And also for the first time, she knew what it was
to be content in all circumstances. She realized that, in an
ultimate sense, whether she had plenty or hardly enough, somehow she
would be all right. She just knew it.

She later wrote, "Before the quake I had all the trappings of
success, but my life was out of balance. I wasn't happy because I
was clinging to things in my life and always wanting more. My home,
my job, my clothes, a relationship - I thought they were my
security. It took an earthquake and losing everything I owned for me
to discover that my security had been with me all along . . .
There's a power within us that we can depend upon no matter what is
happening around us."

She had tied her rope to the wrong things. It took a disaster for
her to understand that those things are untrustworthy. So she let go
of the rope and discovered peace. She found that her true security
was a power within - dependable and sure.

What is your rope tied to? And what would happen if you found the
courage to let go of it?

-- Steve Goodier

Take the Leap from Knowing to Doing

WHAT HAPPENS BETWEEN KNOWING & DOING?
Knowledge without application is meaningless information.

WHEN YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, YOU HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO DO IT

The longest distance in the world is between what we know to do and what we actually do with what we know.  The greatest gap in our life is between knowing and doing.  A wise author with a great sense of humour wrote a book entitled, “If we all did what we know to do, we would all be skinny, rich and happy!”  It’s a truth!  Getting out of denial and facing reality must be a decision,  if we sincerely want to experience fulfilling change in our lives.  It is having the courage to come face to face with where you are right now, and armed with that truth, you can then apply common sense to the situation, and establish a plan to take you onto the next level of desired change.

One of the reasons people stay in the destructive cycle of debt or bad relationships, or they continue eating unhealthily or not having an exercise routine, is that they choose to live in denial, and hope it will all smooth out along the way, instead of facing head-on what needs to be challenged and changed.  It is the pain-pain-pleasure principle!  You discover, for example that you have gained 10 kgs over the past year.  That is painful!  However the truth is, it is going to take another type of pain to get back into shape.  This is the pain of eating less and choosing healthy foods, starting an exercise programme and most importantly, sticking to it.  You will only be able to pay the price of this pain if the pleasure is really worth it.  The pleasure will be felt in having greater confidence in your appearance, wearing clothes two or three sizes smaller, experiencing the elation that comes with the ability of disciplining yourself and being able to harness those cravings.  This pleasure then becomes a way of life.  Making the right choices today means no regrets tomorrow.  Personal growth and development is not an option.  Don’t wait for crisis to force you to bring about change in your life.  You make the decision to design the kind of life you want to live, and with persistence and diligence, you will reap the harvest that comes from sowing the seed of good quality choice.

WORK YOUR PLAN

No idea is ever executed without the plan first being laid.  Yet having a plan and not putting action to it is equally as ineffective.  Focus on what is really important for your life and start with the obvious.  What do you want to achieve with that which is really important to you?  How committed are you to living in the outcome you so desire?  What is your why, your reasons for wanting to achieve these plans?  Your why must be strong enough to push you through the opposition that will come as you pursue your ideals.  Are you willing to pay the price, and are you prepared to do whatever it takes?  There are no shortcuts to achieving the meaningful things in life.  Everything nice has its price.  The end result may take longer than you had anticipated, but stay the course.  Never give up on your ideals and dreams.  There is a harvest if you do not faint in the process.  Let your reward be what others thought to be impossible.  Face reality and choose the life you want!

"Life is too short. Grudges are a waste of perfect happiness.

Laugh when you can, apologize when you should and let go of what you can't change. Love deeply and forgive quickly. Take chances. Give everything and have no regrets. Life is too short to be unhappy. You have to take the good with the bad.

Smile when you're sad, love what you got, and always remember what you had. Always forgive, but never forget. Learn from your mistakes but never regret. People change, and things go wrong but always remember... life goes on!"

Great advice to shift your life, your business and your future.