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

This is your LIFE! It’s time to STOP complaining, making excuses & looking for reasons. When you claim accountability for your life you are no longer a VICTIM, claiming ‘poor me.’ You are the CAPTAIN of your own ship. You can CHOOSE to buckle up & head in the direction of your dreams. CLAIM it; OWN it & MAKE things happen!

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

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 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.

On November 10, 1775 the Marine Corps was born!

I served from 1998-2002, most of which was at Camp Pendelton.

Birthday Message from the Commandant and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps…

Here is just a taste of what Marine Corps boot camp is like…

FROM THE HALLS OF MONTEZUMA
TO THE SHORES OF TRIPOLI
WE HAVE FOUGHT OUR COUNTRY’S BATTLES
IN THE AIR ON LAND AND SEA
FIRST TO FIGHT FOR RIGHT AND FREEDOM
AND TO KEEP OUR HONOR CLEAN
WE ARE PROUD TO CLAIM THE TITLE OF UNITED STATES MARINE

OUR FLAG’S UNFURLED TO EVERY BREEZE
FROM DAWN TO SETTING SUN
WE HAVE FOUGHT IN EVERY CLIMB… AND PLACE
WHERE WE COULD TAKE A GUN
FROM THE SNOWS IN FAR OFF NORTHERN LANDS
AND IN SUNNY TROPIC SCENES
YOU WILL FIND US ALWAYS ON THE JOB
THE UNITED STATES MARINES

HERE IS HEALTH TO YOU AND TO OUR CORPS
WHICH WE ARE PROUD TO SERVE
IN MANY A STRIFE WE FOUGHT FOR LIFE
AND NEVER LOST OUR NERVE
IF THE ARMY AND THE NAVY EVER LOOKED ON HEAVEN’S SCENE
THEY WILL FIND THE STREETS ARE GUARDED
BY UNITED STATES MARINES

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARINES PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE

Chances are, you have already heard of Randy Paush, but I wanted to share his world famous speech anyway just incase someone out there has not. This is so awesome and can truly inspire anyone that watches it!

Randy Pausch’s “The Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” has been viewed over 10 million times on YouTube!

Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch (Oct. 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008) gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving presentation, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals.

A lot of professors give talks titled “The Last Lecture.” Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can’t help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn’t have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave–”Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”–wasn’t about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.

In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come.

Please take an hour of your life to watch this video… It will be well worth your time!

Here is a shorter 10 minute version of Dr. Randy Pausch on the Oprah Winfrey Show:

Randy Pausch on Good Morning America:

Inspirational Nike commercial with US basketball player Matt Scott…

These 3 Michael Jordan commercials are awesome!

It will take less than 3 minutes to watch these videos and I know they will inspire you!

Michael Jordan on Failure:

“I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot . . . and missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why . . . I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan on Persistence – Become Lengdary

Look Me In The Eyes – Become Legendary