Daily Gratitude: Maybe what you need to persist at won’t change the world but you should never give up hope if you’re working on something you’re passionate about. Does it give you joy and pleasure? Does it make you feel good and complete? Is it something you’d willingly give up sleep for? Then keep on working on it. It’s yours and no one should be allowed to take it from you. Don’t let others criticize or condemn your efforts. So what if it hasn’t changed the world or brought you any money? Are you in it for the money? Or for the fun and joy? It’s yours to pursue and you can just keep on working with it until YOU decide not to go after it any longer. Don’t let others determine what you should or shouldn’t be working towards. Don’t let others determine your happiness. You are the only one who can decide you’ll be happy. Keep on going.

Daily Gratitude: There’s too much noise around us. I find the best time of day for me is the early morning when I “do” my morning routine. There’s no music, no audiobooks, no tv, no cars zooming by, no people. It’s just me. I sit and listen to the silence. It is something you can hear especially when compared to the chatter the rest of the day brings. I feel much more in touch with myself. It took a long time to become comfortable with the silence. I had always had music or something on. But not once I became content just being with me, myself and I. It’s fun and beautiful and sets the day up right. You should try it sometime.

Daily Gratitude: How often do we sit and fester over not being loved or not being loved “enough”? Do we sit around and wonder “have I loved enough?”, or, “does my mother know how much I love her – do I show her every day?” Why don’t we spend more time contemplating the second set of questions? Have you ever taken stock of how you show love? And to whom? And maybe also who’s on the list of those you say you love but rarely take the time to show it? Can you create a challenge for yourself (or a game for those of us, including me, who are averse to the concept of all these challenges) that will increase the number of times you show your love for people or for certain people AND better yet, including more people in the list of those you conscientiously will show love? Keep track of your efforts and constantly ask yourself how you can do it better.