Daily Gratitude: What a great reminder of the fact that we are made up of all these invisible components. I was listening to a Michael Crichton audiobook and the “good guys” had been shrunk to about an inch high. They discovered so many different life forms that are too small for the normal human eye to see. They were all astounded at the number of animals and bugs there were and how sophisticated their ecosystems were. That was a good reminder that there is so much beyond our field of vision. Think about sitting in your house. Do you really know what’s out there and going on beyond your wall (without a window)? You can imagine it but don’t know unless you get up and look. When you see two people talking but you can’t hear what’s going on, you can guess based on body language but you don’t really know since you don’t have the details. Pay attention to the little things in your life. See how they all fit together and if they aren’t fitting, look closer at all the details and see what’s missing. When teaching ACLS (advanced cardiac life support) when things go wrong, we teach that the first thing you do is check the basics – the ABCs. But you know what most students forget? To check to see if the machine is plugged in! A detail you can’t afford to forget. What details have made up the activities and results of your day? This is one reason I recommend an evening review of your day. That is the perfect time to examine all those details!

Daily Gratitude: This follows yesterday’s post about using stepping stones as true steps. I always like it when I find quotes from two different people that tell you the same thing. And how different these two authors are. Wow. This is key to remember and get through our minds in this time of instant gratification. The end result of something has multiple component. It doesn’t just happen. And just as a house takes a long time to be built, the same goes for anything else that’s significant. In order to continue the construction after the foundation is laid, you have to wait for it to set or dry (or whatever it’s called). If you don’t, then you’re in for trouble. No matter how much you desire your house to go up fast, you absolutely have to take these things as prescribed. It’s like that in your life too. Take all the races my friends do (and me too). They don’t just decide to run 314 miles and go out and do it. You have to build up or you risk injury or overtraining and that will defeat your ultimate goal. I am learning patience and can now take some time to wonder why the next step hasn’t happened yet. And I’m able to do it better but there’s always room for improvement.

Daily Gratitude: Nowadays we’re all about the end result, the destination. We forget about the journey at the same time we tend to forget that every result is composed of many parts. It’s very rare that something is created with just one step. The other thing we frequently ignore is that the universe (and whatever higher power you believe in) knows what’s best and when we are able to relinquish control and let things happen, they generally go more smoothly. That is NOT to say that you can simply state “I want a million dollars” then sit at home watching TV all day and expect the money to flow in. What it does mean is that once you have a plan and chunk it down, relax and keep working. Take any adversity in stride and take one stepping stone at a time. You can’t reach the top of the cliff without using each of the the stepping stones – perhaps you can take two at a time but you can’t do the whole group at once. I hope this makes sense. Just enjoy each little piece of the process and make the most of it all the while maintaining faith that you are on the right path.