No matter how busy you are, make sure to find some time over the next two weeks to reflect, think, give and plan.

The week between Christmas and New Year’s is the ideal time for this. Try to slow things down. Spend time with the ones you love and care about. Take some time to talk with your spouse and kids about goals and dreams for the next year. Use this as a time to recharge your batteries (and not just by watching TV the entire time), and with excitement, think about a handful of changes or additions you want for your life in the New Year.

I believe you will find the act of reflecting, thinking, dreaming and planning (with your family) to be one of the most important exercises you can do that will positively impact the next 12 months.

And, remember, do not neglect to commit yourself to set this time aside, or you will find that the business of life can and will get in the way.

So, let’s all take a moment to gather up the past year of victories and defeats, growing as well as those times of stagnation, and use it to wipe a clean slate and thoughtfully design the next year the way we truly desire it to be.

- Jim Rohn

PLEASE TAKE 3 MINUTES AND WATCH THIS VIDEO TO LEARN WHAT 4TH OF JULY / INDEPENDENCE DAY REALLY MEANS AND WHY WE CELEBRATE THIS DAY!

Variously known as the Fourth of July and Independence Day, July 4th has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution (1775-83). In June 1776, representatives of the 13 colonies then fighting in the revolutionary struggle weighed a resolution that would declare their independence from Great Britain. On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later its delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From 1776 until the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence! – History.com

I wanted to take a minute to send a thank you to all of the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces of the United States for their sacrifice. I honor those who have served in the past and given so much so we can have so much.

Becoming a US Marine was the best decision I ever made! In those 4 years I learned more and did more than most people will do in a lifetime.

No matter where you stand politically or ideologically it’s important to recognize what has been done and what is being done for us every second of every day.

Please, take a moment to reflect on, to think about or to pray for those who give or have given their all to keep us out of harm’s way. If you feel led, leave a comment to tell us about people close to you who deserve this kind of recognition. We need to hear about them.

Spend time with your loved ones and be sure to remember all those that have fallen in the line of duty. It was their sacrifice that allows us to kick-back and relax this weekend.

Freedom is never free!!!

God Bless our Military Men & Women and God Bless America.

Happy Memorial Day!

Enjoy these great videos…

by: Jack Canfield

Giving thanks should be more than an occasional exercise. We already know that appreciation is one of the highest emotional states you can be in. So why limit this fulfilling experience to just a few times a year?!

Today’s article walks you through five different ways you can implement a daily ritual of gratitude, appreciation and thanks … creating a year-round rampage of gratitude!

Be Thankful for Your Blessings:
5 Ways to Practice a Daily Appreciation Ritual

The practice of giving thanks is commemorated today in America as a national holiday. But if you want to live an abundant life, appreciation shouldn’t be confined to a solitary day. It should be incorporated into your daily living.

Appreciation is one of the highest emotional states you can be in. It is the state of abundance. The Law of Attraction states that like attracts like. If you are grateful for what you have already received, you will attract more for which you can be grateful.

Many people find that it requires great diligence to cultivate an attitude of appreciation. We are culturally conditioned to focus on what we don’t have, rather than appreciating what we’ve already received.

“There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.”
- Mother Teresa, Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize

Appreciate the Smallest Blessings

Activate your gratitude by acknowledging the gifts most people take for granted.

If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes in your closet and a roof over your head, you are better off than 75 percent of the world’s population.

If you eat three meals a day, you are far better off than the 1 billion people on the planet who eat once a day at most. Celebrate these simple blessings.

Do you have a phone? Be grateful – millions don’t. How about a car that allows you to travel to work or to explore the country? Is your family healthy? Do you have a computer and Internet access to stay in touch with the world, get access to education, and perform work for which you are paid? Do you have clean water to drink?

These daily conveniences are gifts that most people in the world do not enjoy.

Daily Appreciation Habits

Here are five easy ways to make appreciation part of your daily routine:

1. Take 7 minutes each morning to write down all you appreciate in life. Starting your day this way primes you to be receptive and grateful for everything your day will bring.
2. Appreciate at least 3 people every day. Most people enjoy receiving verbal appreciation. But written notes are also nice because they can be saved and re-read. (For ideas on expressing appreciation, grab your copy of The Success Principles and review principle 53; Practice Uncommon Appreciation.)
3. Play the Appreciation Game. As the saying goes, “Every cloud has a silver lining.” Look for the good in all situations. When my wife was in a car accident a few years ago, she could have chosen to berate herself or question her judgment. Instead, she focused on her gratitude for suffering only minor injuries and for the help she received from other drivers.
4. Carry a physical token of gratitude in your pocket, such as a stone, crystal or some other small item. As you reach into your pocket throughout the day and feel the token, use it as a reminder to stop, breathe and take a moment to fully experience the emotion of gratitude.
5. Appreciate yourself. We all need acknowledgement, but the most important acknowledgement is what we give ourselves. In addition to celebrating your big successes, acknowledge your small daily successes too.

It may not feel natural at first to focus on appreciating what you already have. But by faithfully practicing the Daily Appreciation Habits outlined in this article, you’ll begin to change your conditioning.

Giving thanks should be more than an occasional exercise once year. Let it become a daily discipline that allows you to attract more of what you want from life. I invite you to experiment with this discipline over the next 30 days and watch your blessings multiply!

Jack Canfield, America’s #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you’re ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

Great article from the amazing Jim Rohn…

You may be wondering why I would call this article “A Thankful Thanksgiving.” Aren’t all Thanksgivings thankful? Unfortunately, no. As a person who has experienced over 75 Thanksgivings, I recognize that being thankful is something that we have to work at, even on Thanksgiving.

If your home is like most, your Thanksgiving Day will be very busy, with either traveling to where you want to go or preparing your home to have others over for the day. Either way, that can be very hectic and emotionally trying, which doesn’t lend itself to preparing your heart to be reflective and thankful. In fact, Thanksgiving weekend is the most traveled weekend in America. Airports are full, and not always providing much room for contemplation of your good fortune.

This means all the more that if we want to be the kind of people who are characterized by thankfulness, then we must make sure that we focus on it, and not just on Thanksgiving Day, but at all times during the year.

Here are a few key words as well as some thoughts that are simple and practical to apply; something you can use right away in your quest for becoming more thankful:

Time. Set aside time regularly to be quiet, to reflect. We live in the fastest-paced time ever. From the moment we awake to the moment we collapse into bed, we have the opportunity to go at full speed and never slow down. If we schedule time every day in which we can be quiet and reflect, we will free our hearts and minds up from the tyranny of the urgent and rushed.

Thought. Give thought to the many blessings that you have. Living in a consumer culture, most of us are fully aware of what we do not have and how we absolutely must have “it.” But how often do we reflect upon that which we already have? Take some time each day and think of one or two things that you have that you may typically take for granted and then take a moment and give thanks for those. In fact, I make it a part of my reflection time to review a list of things that I’m thankful for.

Generosity. Be generous toward those with less and not envious of those with more. We tend to look at others who may be wealthier than ourselves and think, “I sure wish I had what he does.” That kind of thinking breeds envy and jealousy rather than contentment. What can we do to break that cycle? I would suggest being generous to those who are less fortunate than yourself. Go to work at a food bank. And not just during the holidays—everybody works there then—but on a regular basis during the year. That will remind you of how good you really have it.

Ask. Ask a friend what they are thankful for. The next time you are at lunch with a friend, ask him or her what they are most thankful for. You will be amazed at the answers you receive, and you will create a meaningful bond with your friends as you focus on this powerful question.

Acknowledge. Lastly, tell those you love how thankful you are for having them in your life. So many times we neglect to take the time to craft the words to express to those closest to us what their presence in our lives means to us. Take the opportunity of Thanksgiving Day to write them a note or sometime during the day put your hand on their shoulder, look them in the eyes and tell them. Let them know what they mean to you, and in return you’ll begin to create the possibility of deeper, richer, more fulfilling relationships with those you love.

Of course, we should do what we can to make the most of the day we call Thanksgiving, but wouldn’t it be a shame if the only time we reflected on our blessings was that one Thursday in November? And the answer is, of course! So let’s do our best to be aware of the many great gifts that we have each and every day of the year. As we do so we will feel our hearts soar and our minds will experience more and more peace as we regularly remember and remain aware of our good fortune.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here is some great info I got from the Jack Canfield Coaching Team…  Let me know what you think.

It’s that time of year when most of us make a conscious effort to acknowledge what we are grateful for in our lives. Some even have a family tradition of asking each person at the holiday table to share what blessings they feel they’ve received. Regardless of the trials or difficulties we may have faced or are currently facing, we walk away from the exercise humbled, but feeling indebted for what the universe has brought into our lives.

How would your life change if you made this more than a once-a-year event? What if you made the time to express your gratitude and show appreciation for what is going on in your daily life?

Jack teaches that expressing gratitude is one of the ways to activate the Law of Attraction in your life. A key element in creating and attracting what you want is to focus your thoughts and attention to the great things that are already in your life. By doing so, you open yourself up to receive all the goodness the universe has in store for you.

Keeping a written daily account of the abundance in your life, in addition to mentally recognizing your good fortune is important. Jack teaches the importance of keeping a Gratitude Journal, something to help you log your personal expressions of gratitude. Journaling your gratitude will help raise your awareness of all the beauty and joy that surrounds you each day that you may have otherwise taken for granted.

Happy 4th of July!!! Enjoy this time with your friends and family. Have fun and be safe!

Don’t ever forget WHY we celebrate Independence Day!

This sentence has been called “one of the best-known sentences in the English language”… “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” – The Declaration of Independence

“It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you.” – Author unknown

This is one of my favorite times of the year… When we take time to reflect on what and who we are thankful for no matter how chaotic it may be.

I invite you today to take a moment and reflect with me on what we have to be thankful for. It may be different for each one of us, non the less, I encourage you to spend some time today and think of those things.

I am so grateful and blessed to have such a beautiful wife and happy / healthy daughter with another baby on the way!

I am thankful that you are taking the time to read my blog and I wish you a very happy, memorable and safe Thanksgiving!!

ENJOY YOUR THANKSGIVING WEEKEND!

Learn to Be Thankful for What You Already Have by Jim Rohn

Is thankfulness a survival skill? Perhaps most of you would respond with, “No, Jim, thankfulness is not a key to survival,” and I would tend to agree with you. Most of us have probably already solved the necessary problems of survival, gone beyond that and are now working to achieve our desires. But let me give you this key phrase, “Learn to be thankful for what you already have, while you pursue all that you want.” I believe one of the greatest and perhaps one of the simplest lessons we can learn in life is to be thankful for what we have already received and accomplished.

Both the years and the experiences have brought me to where I stand today, but it is the thankfulness that opened the windows of opportunities, of blessings, of unique experiences to flow my way. My gratitude starts with my parents who raised me, gave me an incredible foundation that has lasted me all of these years and continues with the mentors that I’ve met along the way who absolutely changed and revolutionized my life, my income, my bank account, my future. I am also very thankful for the people, the associations, the ideas, the chance to work and labor, and to produce results; all of that has brought me to this place, to this weekend. I’m grateful for it all.

What a unique opportunity each one of you here has, so many of us; representing different countries, nations and cultures, to appreciate the uniqueness of our own experiences that has brought us all here, together, for these three days to learn new skills and sharpen old ones. For the countries we represent, we have freedom and liberty. These are extraordinary times, about 11 years ago the walls came tumbling down, in Germany, and it started a wave of democracy and freedom like the world has never seen. We as a country and as a world have so much to be thankful for. Always start with thanksgiving; be thankful for what you already have and see the miracles that come from this one simple act.

Now thankfulness is just the beginning; next, you’ve got to challenge yourself to produce. Produce more ideas than you need for yourself so you can share and give your ideas away. That is called fruitfulness and abundance. Here’s what I think fruitfulness and abundance mean: to go to work on producing more than you need or yourself so you can begin blessing others, blessing your nation and blessing your enterprise. Once abundance starts to come, once someone becomes incredibly productive, it’s amazing what the numbers turn out to be. But to begin this incredible process of blessing, it often starts with the act of thanksgiving and gratitude, being thankful for what you already have and for what you’ve already done. Begin the act of thanksgiving today, and watch the miracles flow your way.

This Veteran’s Day, we honor those who have so bravely served this country.

America is founded on the principle of freedom, justice, and liberty for all. Our nation’s soldiers serve every day to protect our country and its ideals.

This is a very cool video of the Declaration of Independence done Hollywood style…

I also wanted to share with you this great email I got from Glenn Beck today…

Hello America,

Here it is, another Fourth of July. Traditionally, this is a day to gather with friends, maybe fire up the barbeque and play with kids until the sun sets and the fireworks start. But in thinking back on the meaning behind this day, we must never forget that our nation was baptized in the blaze of a very different kind of “fireworks.” Yes, this is a day of rest and relaxation, as well it should be, but this year…I’d like to ask you a favor. At some point during the day, I hope you’ll take time to think and reflect on what it is we’re truly celebrating on the 4th of July — our Independence Day. Of course the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th, 1776 but it’s so much more than that. On this day, 233 short years ago, a small group of men dedicated themselves to a higher purpose, an ideal they believed in so greatly, they signed their name to its expression and in doing so put their very lives at risk.

Never has a simple act of signing one’s name carried such weight, such a profound commitment. By signing the Declaration of Independence, 56 men stood in direct defiance of the British government. They became marked men, and willingly so. As I was doing some research on the significance of July 4th, I came across some interesting facts about these men. Today as we all enjoy the freedom our forefathers guaranteed us, join me in honoring the extraordinary sacrifice of 56 extraordinary Americans.

Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence:

Five were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes burned to the ground. Two lost sons serving in the Revolutionary Army, and two more had sons captured. Nine fought and died in the Revolutionary War.

If you ever feel like your lone voice can never be heard, that the political system isn’t set up for “regular” Americans to change the course of history, remember: The signers were flesh and blood, mortal men with a divinely-inspired aim.

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists, eleven were merchants, and nine were farmers and large plantation owners. They were well educated, smart enough to know that by signing the Declaration of Independence, they were signing their own death warrants. They did it anyway, and God bless them for it.

As we enjoy our liberty on this 4th of July, or any day of any month, we must never take that liberty for granted. Too many have given too much. In the words of the Signers themselves, “For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”

Their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor — I think that’s a price paid worth a few minutes of reflection, don’t you? But let’s not be solemn in that reflection. I say rejoice and share this information with your friends and family, especially your kids. The Signers asked for nothing in return for their pledge, but I say that we show our thanks with a pledge of our own: To remember, to be grateful, and to carry on in their spirit. America is the greatest country this world has ever and will ever know, and it will stay that way so long as “we the people” remember that just like in 1776.

It’s US that surrounds them, and we’ll never back down.

Happy Independence Day, and God bless America.

Glenn