“Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude. Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed.” – Denis Waitley

With the Holidays coming up…

I want to take this opportunity to thank YOU. Without your kindness, compassion, courage, and devotion to what I do and who I am, my journey would not be as complete as it is today. Thank you for being such great people and doing so much to help yourself and others.

GRATITUDE and its sibling APPRECIATION help us remember the good things in our lives. It's a way to see things that don't make it onto our lists of problems to solve, and it's a chance to highlight the people who improve our lives.

Being thankful doesn't make problems or threats go away. Even grateful people face obstacles. I have persevered through many challenging times and have encountered a large number of blocks throughout my journey.

That's when I think about being thankful. We know that changing a habit takes about 90 days, and it could become a habit to be grateful. This means you and we have a better chance of making it through hard times and being happier when things are going well. Even though we can't ignore, deny, or downplay the hard times, we CAN increase the resources and people who can help us face them by practicing gratitude daily.

Researchers have also found that people value something less when they take it for granted.

Also, look around you. What are you taking for granted? Who are you taking for granted?

Try going without something for a few days and then really enjoying it when you get it back. If you take someone for granted, take a step back and think about what your life would be like without that person. The point is that being away makes you appreciate what you have more.

Grateful People:
On average, give more time and money than others
Build a stronger bond with those around them and within the community
Have a greater chance at higher income
Have a lower stress level
Have a lesser chance of stress-induced illnesses
Have a longer lifespan
Are generally more physically fit
Are habitually specific.

When you look at a life experience through gratitude, you don't have to ignore the bad parts. Instead, it means realizing that you have the power to turn a challenge into an opportunity. It means turning a loss into a possible gain and turning something wrong into something good that can lead to gratitude.

I challenge you to be grateful for 30–90 days. But right now, take a moment today to write down everything you're thankful for that comes to mind.

Marques Ogden, Keynote Speaker