Daily Gratitude: Perhaps this is a cause of the frustration many of us feel right now – “how can I possibly make a difference? I’m just one person. I can’t change anything.” And yes it may be true that your or me cannot change the whole world by ourselves. Instead, though, ask who you can influence. Is there someone in your small sphere who can benefit from the love and care you can provide? Is there someone you can mentor, even unofficially since some people might resist such an official designation? How can you impact someone else’s life. I’ll give you an example. Yesterday I was at Target and at the self-checkout as I only had 2 items. One was a can of Red Bull and the other was a blouse. It was on the hanger. The gentleman supervising that area (meaning making sure we didn’t steal things I imagine) came over and asked if I wanted the hanger. I said “no” and then said “when you get that off, could you please scan it for me?” I’d already realized that the blouse was going to flop all over and getting the tag to scan with one arm/hand was going to be an acrobatic feat. He was so pleasant and kind and said “of course” with a smile. As I was leaving, he added “I hope you heal well”. That kind of made my day. He could have begrudgingly said yes when I asked him to scan it for me and didn’t have to say anything when I left. Instead, he used kindness to help my day be better. That entire interaction took less than 2 minutes yet it changed how I felt for the rest of the day. Can you spare two minutes to lead by example? Can you spare more than 2 minutes? What can you do today that will affect “the one” even if it doesn’t affect the masses? Ask yourself this question every single morning. Right it on your bathroom mirror so it’s the first thing you think of. Get out of yourself and get into others.

Daily Gratitude: I find this not only funny but pretty prophetic given that many people (including me ) often forget this part of life. It’s not uncommon to sit back and moan when things don’t go as planned, expected or hoped for. Sitting on the couch never got anyone anywhere, except maybe to sleep when their bed partner is snoring. We can sit there for eternity saying “when one door closes, another will open”, or some variation on that theme. But in the long run, we’re still left just sitting there. Or, we sit and plan what we have to do, step by step, downloading new project management apps and researching online all we need to know. But, we’re still sitting on the couch. We’re immobilized by so many things when what we need to be doing is taking action. “But I’m getting prepared to take action” you might say as you put your feet up on the coffee table. Or. “How am I supposed to know what action to take if I don’t plan?” Here’s the answer – take the very next small step you have to take. Stand up from the couch – be careful or all the potato chip fragments will spill onto the floor. Once you’ve stood up (and cleaned up your mess), move to that door, the one right in front of you) and put your hand on it. That’s right! Now turn the knob. If your house (your life) is like mine, you have no idea what might come tumbling out. However I would bet that your continued next step is stating you right in the face. We just need to be open to what the universe thinks is right, even if we don’t think so!

Daily Gratitude: This idea or way of life seems to be lost today. Can you resurrect it in your life? Is it worth it to you? Are you willing to be “different” than all those around you? Do you think changing your behavior might be recognized by these others …. And perhaps after awhile they might seek to emulate that behavior? It’s certainly worth asking yourself these questions. Which is easier for you – to feel hateful and spiteful? Or, to feel love and attempt to understand someone? How can you start changing the way you feel about something or someone? You have to start small though. No one expects you to automatically love the opposite political party today? That’s unreasonable and a setup to fail. When you begin a weight lifting program, you don’t start out with 500 pound weights. You work your way up, giving your muscles a chance to grow then rest then grow again. Same with making this change. Start with some THING, not someone. Ask yourself how you feel about it right now? Then examine what the basis for that opinion is and remember that it’s just your opinion – it’s not the gospel truth. Remember that nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so (thank you Willie – Shakespeare). Now, how do you want to think of this thing? What can you do to make that happen? You have to do the work but I bet you’ll be ecstatic when you find that your attitude towards this one thing has changed. Appreciate the joy and the effort you made to get to that point. Then pick something else and keep working. You can do it!!