Daily Gratitude: “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”

This is often difficult to embrace. Even if you’re not completely a “everything is either black or white” person, sometimes the sky seems filled with clouds and you can’t spot even a tiny break.

This is why it is so helpful to have a “hope partner” or whatever you want to call it. This person can help “clean your glasses” or can simply look for the breaks in the clouds where there might be hope….despite the fact you can’t see any.

If you listen to that person and trust them (why else would you have picked them to be your “hope partner”?), and keep an open mind, you’ll be able to find something you can grasp onto.

Then your partner can continue to encourage you and help you hold on. The longer you try to see the hope, and the calmer you and your partner can make your nervous system, the clearer the skies will become.

Daily Gratitude: “We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”

As usual this is a recurrent theme here. We really have to learn that the universe knows what’s best for us and if our planned out life seems to be getting derailed, there’s a reason and it’s usually that we’re not on the best path for us.

I can tell you that EVERY detour that my “planned life” has taken has been for the best despite the fact that I sure didn’t feel that way at the time. I was like a toddler kicking and screaming that life wasn’t fair and why me and all the pity party phrases you can think of.

It’s funny in retrospect because no matter how loud I yelled, nothing changed. Had I had the wisdom and knowledge I have today, I would have just said something like “I see. Must be I’m not on the right road. Maybe I should turn my GPS over to greater powers than me”. That would have been so much easier.

Talk to others – friends and family and see if they don’t agree that the way things ended up was actually better. This may not be apparent for a long time so don’t make snap judgements. Keep the faith though.

Daily Gratitude: “Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.”

Great plans don’t get us anywhere. Lots of small actions taken get us where we want to go.

So many people don’t realize this. It’s the compound effect and it applies to everything we do.

The key word is “do” (action). When my friend was recovering from chemotherapy she started her walking program by walking to the end of our small cul de sac. It wasn’t a marathon mileage wise but it was definitely a marathon effort wise.

She didn’t care what the distance was. She just knew she had to get out and do her walking. She kept doing it, with more distance as the days went by. She got back to full effortless walking. If she hadn’t “done” anything she would not have built her immune system back.

Wish you read more but don’t have time? Start reading one page a day. Then read one page whenever you have time to pick up a book (or your kindle).

Break everything down into tiny pieces and keep doing those tiny steps. You will be amazed at your results if you keep doing it.

Be consistent and persistent. You’ll be happy with your results.