Has anyone told you today how wonderful and amazing you are? It’s true in spite of what the little gremlin in your head might want you to believe. You are a magnificent manifestation of spirit right here, right now, just the way you are. You are beautiful beyond belief. A star shining brightly. A lantern in the night leading the way home for some weary traveler. A jewel gleeming brilliantly. A flower with it’s face to the sun. Forget the little gremlin, forget the mirror that allows you to see only imperfections (which are beautiful too, by the way), forget the grumpy boss, the dissatisfied co-worker, the guy next door who makes you feel small, less, not good enough. It’s not true. You are better than good enough. You are GREAT! Celebrate your astounding self. There is no one else like you. There is no one else with your thoughts, feelings, ideas. There has never been and never will be anyone just like you. You are one of a kind. A delight. A treasure. Thank you for being you. And in case no one else has told you lately, allow me to say that you are beautiful, wonderful, and amazing just the way you are. You are loved and cherished. I love you just because you’re you.

How often do you express gratitude. I don’t mean just saying a polite thank you, I mean real gratitude, from your heart. Do you ever think about it really, how many things you have to be grateful for? We take so many things for granted. We walk in a room and flip on the light without ever thinking about the miracle of electricity. We run to the store and fill our carts without ever considering what it took to get the food there in the first place. We hop in our cars, on a bus, or on a train and never give it a second thought. And what about flying. Good grief! How crazy is it that we can sit in a chair, two or three miles in the air and go 500 miles an hour? Television is still in it’s infancy compared to transportation, yet we can sit in our living rooms holding a small box in our hands and watch hundreds of channels. Do you ever think about how many people it takes for these things to happen? It’s astounding when you start to break it down and look at the multitudes of people and skills needed for just one of these things. We tend to forget, I think, that all of these miracles don’t just appear. There are lots of people working hard, doing their part every day. There is a lot of new technology available, but somebody had to think of it first. Then it had to be developed and delivered. So next time you flip a switch, hop in your car, channel surf, or buy groceries, say thank you. Thank you for all the wonderous things available to you each and every day and all the people that make it possible for you to live so well. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to say thank you to all the people in your life, your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers for doing their jobs and making your life better.

Are you too busy to take care of yourself? Most of us say we are. We have too many responsibilities, too many things on our to do list, too many people who are counting on us. Hmmm……let’s think about this for a minute It’s like saying you’re too busy to stop and get gas for your car. You know you have to have gas or you can’t go anywhere, right? What happens when your car runs out of fuel? You are forced to stop and make that embarassing call for help or take a hike to the gas station. It probably takes longer to do that than to have stopped to fill up in the first place. Same thing happens in life. When your physical or emotional fuel gage runs low, you have to refuel. If you don’t you are forced to stop and ask for help or wallow miserably in the bed for a few days. Or even end up in the hospital. How does this serve you or anyone else for that matter? If you think you’re too busy to refuel, then you probably really, really need to do just that. Whether you choose to meditate regularly, hit the gym several times a week, walk in the park, read a book, or take a long soak in the tub without distractions, it’s time to take care of yourself and refuel. You don’t have to do it all. You can learn to say no to some of the stuff that’s not that important. You can learn to say yes to you. Because you need it. You deserve it. And keeping your physical and emotional fuel gauge filled allows you to do the things that need doing without risking having to stop just when you’re needed most. So the next time you find yourself saying you’re too busy to take care of you, think about what happens if you don’t. Make some time to honor yourself exquisite and wonderful self and fill up your tank on a regular basis.

What if? How many times do you say this to yourself? If you’re dreaming of possibilities and ready to move forward to a better place then by all means, keep saying it. By that I mean something like what if I could start my own business, go back to school, learn to do something new, be a better person, help more people etc. etc. Now…get up and start doing something about it. But, if like most people you’re spending your time thinking about what if things had been different or what if I had done this or that or said this or that instead, or what if I lose my house, spouse, friends, money, whatever, then it’s time to change your thinking. I saw a quote the other day that said “ you are not your past, but who you choose to be right now.” I love this quote. While it’s true that our past shaped us into who we are today by our experiences, too many of us get stuck in who we were or who we thought we wanted to be. Stuck in the what if things had been different mode. Or afraid to change because what if something bad happens or because we might fail, or because someone else won’t approve. The simple truth is that none of us are who we were yesterday. Each day our experiences shape us into who we are today. And today we as always, we have a choice about who we are and what we do with our lives. We have a choice about how we respond to people and situations. We have a choice to change things that aren’t working. So what if instead of dwelling on something you can’t change or worring about something that may never happen, you start thinking about possibilities? What if you let go of regret, shame, guilt and fear and start chosing who you are right now? What if today you decide to just accept those things you can’t change and enjoy the way things are or change the things you don’t like? What if?