It's Nice When The House Is Also A Home....

Last week the family and I took a trip up to Seattle to go to some of our favorite destinations as well as to visit a friend of the family.  She recently divorced from her husband of 25 years after finding out that he was involved in an extramarital affair.  Upon arriving at the house, she and her 18 year old daughter came out to greet us and after exchanging a few hugs, my wife, daughter and I went into the house.

I had memories from previous visits of the house being filled with furniture, pictures on every wall and a vibrant, loving atmosphere permeating as a result of a strong family structure being in place.  What I saw now was a house that was sparsely furnished, lots of relatively bare walls, in a state of semi-disrepair and without a state of any positive feeling whatsoever.  What went from a home that housed a family consisting of a husband and wife with two children along with a few pets was now a structure that provides basic shelter for a single mother accompanied by an angry and emotionally devastated younger daughter whose older sister had since left home.

Absent was the sense of having a place to go to and enjoy life while in the presence of loved ones.  All that I found in place now was a location that seemed to make a basic existence a challenge.  There was no vibrant energy and support that comes from being in a cohesive and close-knit family.

As I was driving on the way back home, I thought how blessed and fortunate I am.  It really is wonderful being able to come home each night and be with people I truly cherish.  Thinking about this gave me an even greater sense of gratitude for what I have.  Granted we do have our share of arguments and bickering now and then but we quickly get over it.  The chance to be in a home filled with love is something I wish for everyone while knowing that this is not the experience that is shared by all.  I hope and prey that the friends of ours whose lives have been forever changed by this situation will one day find peace and comfort in their lives.

So if you are one of the fortunate ones who does have a happy family life, take time to realize what a great thing it is that you have.  I know I do and for me it makes all the difference in the world.

More on "The Power to Change Today"

I recently finished reading Gregory Dickows' awesome book "The Power To Change Today."  This is an amazing book that I found to be truly life transforming and I will probably need to read it again in an attempt to soak up all the good messages that this book contains.

For me the chapter that got most of my interest was the final one titled "Leave Your Country."  This deals with looking at your circumstances as they currently affect your life.  Guidance and suggestions are given on how you can take a look at your current situation and take steps to make it better.

A really major benefit I have gained from reading this wonderful publication is learning how to let go of things that have happened in the past and to not allow them to affect me in the present.  This is huge!  So if you are someone who feels that they have some demons that are preventing them from achieving a more positive and joyous experience out of your daily life, by all means get a copy of Gregory Dickows' book and give yourself "The Power To Change Today."

Get Your Power To Change Today | A Great Book For All To Read!

I received a wonderful gift in the form of a book last year at Christmas.  It is entitled "The Power To Change Today" and it is written by Pastor Gregory Dickow.  A native of Detroit, he is the founder of the Chicago based Life Changers International Church and in his book he gives a series of "secrets" that provide guidance designed to help people achieve a more satisfied life.

This wonderful book gives an uplifting depiction in the author's words of how God's love applies to all and that in knowing this, one can free themselves from many of the emotional bonds that hold them back today.  Right now I am still in the process of reading this book and so far it has been both inspirational and renewing.  Pastor Dickow also touches on the concept of gratitude and how we can use gratitude to bring more good things into our lives.

For me, this book carries the same impact as Joel Osteen's books (i.e. "This Is Your Time", "Your Best Life Now") and has helped me to sustain a more positive outlook on life.  Even while in the process of reading this, I have found myself able to find additional ways of looking at things in a new (and very positive) light.

So if you can use something that should definitely boost your spirits, by all means take a look at The Power To Change Today.  This will not only change your today, but many more tomorrows to follow.  Enjoy!

Some things to keep in mind to help you move forward in 2011.....

As we have just inched forward into the new year, I would like to share some tips with you that I came across from a recent post in Katie Freilings blog (KatieFreiling.com).  Her most recent post is entitled "11 Tips For A Successful, Rockin' 2011!" and has some great advice on how to tune up your outlook on things and to proceed on a various positive note.  It never hurts to stop and take an inner look at yourself just to get an indication on how things are going.

Enjoy!  Click Here to read her very uplifting blog post.  Thanks Katie!!

Here is a video you will also enjoy to go along with this post.  Many thanks to it's producer!

As we start the New Year....

Now that a new year is upon us, no doubt you have heard the term "new years resolution." Lot's of people decide that they will endeavor to accomplish things such as weight loss, get a new job, eat better, etc. Earlier this week something happened with a friend of mind that made me think of something that we all might wish to consider as a resolution.

For the past couple of years she had been submitting applications and interviewing for promotions. But in one possible career field she had been telling herself that she was not qualified for the position.  I decided that I would work with her to help her boost her self confidence as well as coach her on what she could do to improve her chances for professional advancement.  She confided in me that she was nervous and anxious about taking the required promotion exam because she needed to achieve a high qualifying score in order to be considered for the position.  Over the past couple of years that I have known her, I noticed from time to time that she was plagued on occasion by a lack of self confidence.  That day, I gave her the authorization to go home early in order to prepare for the examination and later on that day she called and joyfully told me that she obtained the score that she needed.  I congratulated her and told her that all along I knew she could do it.

We met the next day and she told me that after reading the qualification requirements for the new position again and in more detail, she realized that she could have applied for this new position years ago.  She had been stopping at the point on the application where it referred to needing a certain amount of college credits and neglected to go beyond to see where it mentioned about having equivalent professional experience that could be substituted for the college requirement.  It was mentioned that she was imposing restrictions on herself that in actuality did not exist.  We then discussed the possibility in life of how often people do not accomplish what they set out to do because they feel they are confronting obstacles that aren't really there.  It turns out that the only obstacle was themselves.  "Self imposed barriers" was the term we used.

Which leads me on to what I would like to encourage people to pursue for the new year.  Ask yourself if there is anything that you would like to do but feel you are not able to accomplish.  Is the reason due to circumstance or due to your mindset?  Think about it long and hard.  If you see other people achieving what it is that you want to do, start believing in yourself.  Start visualizing in your mind that you have already accomplished what it is that you wish to do.  See it internally and feel it as if it has already taken place.  Imagine yourself enjoying the satisfaction of already having accomplished your goal.  If it's a place you want to travel to, take a picture and paste an image of yourself onto it.  If it's more money that you desire, close your eyes and picture yourself already having it.  In the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill, he describes in detail a visualization technique that you may find to be very powerful.

So as you begin the new year, take some time to thing about what it is you would like to accomplish if you have not done so already.  Should any doubts exist, make it a resolution that you will develop a more positive outlook on things and take a stronger belief in yourself.  You can do it!  Best wishes to all for a prosperous 2011!

I was hit with a random act of kindness........

One of the things (sometimes way too many things) that I am involved with is coin collecting.  During the past 10 years I had been quietly assembling a collection of the 50 state quarters that were being released for circulation and for some reason decided I would go ahead and gather enough to make 10 complete sets.  The first book I began to work on came with some clear plastic sheets that would slide between each of the pages holding the quarters in order to hold the quarters in place.  The other nine books that I was in the process of filling up just had a space to press the quarters into.  By the time I had gotten up to 45 quarters having been issued, for some reason I misplaced the sheets that were for holding the final five quarters in place and for the life of me I could not find them.  So I continued to fill up the other nine books and the 10th book remained incomplete.  This went on for the last several years.

Earlier this month I decided I would make an effort to finish the final book regardless of what was required.  I went to the bookstores to see if they had any of the books designed for the 50 state quarters similar to what I had and I could not find any.  The books themselves had also been changed to allow for the US territory quarters that had recently been released to be included as well.

I decided to go the the coin shop located here in town to see what they had in stock.  After all, this was one loose end that just needed to be tied off!  Much to my chagrin, they did not have any of the books I needed.  I decided I would go ahead and get one of the coin books that included spaces for the US territories but I was then informed that they no longer had any of the coins for either the states or the territories!.  Feeling somewhat disappointed, I began to leave the store when suddenly it occurred to me to ask the lady if they had any of the transparent plastic sheets I needed so that I could use the book I already had.  She did!  They happened to be just the right size and when I offered to pay for them, she declined and said they were mine to keep.  So I was able to achieve what I set out to do and no cost was involved thanks to her generosity.  Needless to say I was feeling pretty good about how things turned out that afternoon.

So with that in mind, I will always remember how significant a small gesture can be and endeavor to "pay it forward" at some time in the future.  A little be of kindness can make a big difference for someone!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

A nice blog to share for the holiday weekend and all year long

Thanksgiving has come and gone and my son is on his way back to college.  I was reminded that he will be returning in three weeks for the Christmas holidays.  My daughter is here for a few more days and then she will be returning to Washington, D.C.  I really enjoyed having the two of them here at the same time especially now since that will not always be the case.  This makes me think of a marquee in front of a church that said " Don't wish for more to be thankful for, be more thankful."  I will definitely not be more appreciative of the time when the kids are home.

Earlier today I came across a blog that applies to the positive thinking forum and I was impressed at the wide variety of related topics that were posted in addition to the depth of detail that was provided in the posts.  I immediately bookmarked the site for future reference and decided that this was a "must-share" item as well.  The name of the website is www.yourpersonaldevelopmenttips.com and the post I read today was titled "7 Easy Steps for Positive Thinking."  It's always good to keep some ideas in place to ensure that positive thinking is maintained!  I am also going to include this blog on my list of blogs that I follow and will make it a point to be well read on the information that this site provides.

So if you come to a point where you find that life's daily challenges are getting a bit much, by all means take some time to review this site as well as read some of the posts contained within.  I am very confident that you will be glad you did.