Month: November 2008

55 Things to Be Thankful For – The Affirmation Spot for Wednesday November 26, 2008

Today’s Affirmation:

“I am blessed beyond belief in my life.”
(click the affirmation to hear it in mp3)

As we celebrate the American Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow, here are 55 things to be thankful for. Some may seem counter-intuitive. However, even the negative sometimes is worthy of our thankfulness. I’ve probably left some off my list. Leave a comment today and let me know what you are thankful for.

  1. Sun – without it’s warmth and light we could not exist.
  2. Earth – the beautiful planet that sustains us.
  3. Water – the sauce of life.
  4. Life – each and every morning we wake up is a new chance to be the person we want to be.
  5. Shelter – something to shield us from the elements.
  6. Children – the happy nature and innocence of children remind us how we are meant to be.
  7. Food – an absolute blessing for those who struggle for it and something to be more appreciative of for those of us who never worry about our next meal.
  8. Faith – our faith in ourselves and in something greater than ourselves.
  9. Minds – the power to think, to reason, to grow, and to adapt.
  10. Lines – for making us slow down and enjoy where we are.
  11. Compassion – for getting over ourselves to consider and understand someone else.
  12. Hope – reminds us there is a potential upside to every situation.
  13. Giving – when we give we remember that nothing truly belongs to us and it frees us from our attachments.
  14. Receiving – the opportunity to have our needs met while allowing others to give.
  15. Fear – for teaching us love, strength, and humility.
  16. Work – whether a career, a hobby, or community work; the sense that we have something to do when we get up in the morning is something to be thankful for.
  17. Friendship – those people who choose to spend key parts of their lives with us.
  18. Family – those people we wound up with by fate, but stay with out of love.
  19. Anger – for teaching us the benefits of peace.
  20. Peace – peace within and as much peace without as we can muster.
  21. Sight – the ability to see the beautiful world we inhabit.
  22. Love – the glue that holds us together.
  23. Difficulty – for making us strong and giving us something to compare with the heights.
  24. Stars – the wonder and glory of the night sky.
  25. Hatred – for reminding us to love (may we need ever-less reminding)
  26. Surprises – the wonderful things in life that we didn’t expect.
  27. Visionaries – people who see the world not as it is, but as it could be.
  28. Change – the ever-present possibility of improving ourselves and the world.
  29. Purpose – the plan to achieve something in this life and the firm belief that you can.
  30. Wind – a source of comfort, energy, and a metaphor for change.
  31. Music – the soundtrack of our lives.
  32. Possibility – the memory that something more and different is out there.
  33. Today – an opportunity to make the most of what we have.
  34. Tomorrow – the hoped for opportunity to continue our dreams.
  35. Joy – the deep and intense happiness about being alive.
  36. Freedom – the ability to think, act, and be who you are.
  37. Acceptance – the ability be at peace with how things are for the moment.
  38. Learning – the opportunity to enhance our potential.
  39. Success – the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of our work.
  40. Adversity – for reminding us how strong we can be.
  41. Grass – for carpeting our planet and being a nice place to lie and look at the sky.
  42. Soil – a medium to grow food and plants.
  43. Moon – the most beautiful object in the night sky and the timepiece marking our lives through its phases.
  44. Innovation – for improving our experience of life.
  45. Dreams – the fuel that drives us through tough times and gives a reason to aim high.
  46. Options – the ability to choose.
  47. Sharing – the opportunity to pool our talents and resources.
  48. Flowers – they add beautiful sights and smells to our world.
  49. Mountains – they provide beauty, challenge, and the ability to see a long way.
  50. Oceans – beauty, unimaginable power, source of life and transportation.
  51. Competition – the opportunity to test ourselves and to improve.
  52. History – for teaching us the lessons we need to learn over and over until we get them.
  53. Future – for giving us the opportunity to try again.
  54. Death – for reminding us of life’s value.
  55. Meaning – the search for which makes our lives the journey that they are.

Five Principles of Gratitude

 

little girl and teddy bearIn The United States, we are entering the Thanksgiving season. It’s a moment to stop and reflect on how much to be thankful for – your spouse, children, grandchildren, your health, your job, or even food on the table. Even if you have none of those things, you have life and the opportunity to grow and to change. That is a the greatest blessing of all and everyone has that.

Here are five simple principles of gratitude that help you achieve it.

  1. Acceptance – we may not always like the way things are. We may want to change them. Acceptance is not acquiesence. However, to feel gratitude, we must learn to accept what is in this moment. It does not mean giving up on the change we hope to create, but rather surrendering to what is at this moment.
  2. Appreciation – we experience more gratitude when we take the time to more fully appreciate the people around us and the many blessings that come into our lives. If you feel a lack of gratitude, things to be thankful for are right there for the remembering. (58 Things to be Thankful For)
  3. Giving Back – we often feel gratitude when we receive. However, the reciprocal nature of giving and receiving promises that the more we give the more we will receive. By giving, we are setting ourselves up for more opportunities for gratitude in our lives.
  4. Honesty – gratitude is definitely one of the most sincere, authentic emotions we can experience. There is nothing phony or contrived about true gratitude. It is a feeling of connection and genuine love for our time here on Earth.
  5. Happiness – Happiness and gratitude are inseparable twins. It’s almost impossible to be happy without a sense of gratitude and certainly gratitude breeds happiness. If you want to feel more gratitude, be more happy. If you want to be happier, try a little more gratitude.

I recently wrote and recorded three gratitude affirmations and posted them to my website.These affirmations are written to help you remember to be thankful for the wonderful things in your life.

Click Gratitude Affirmations to view the text of these affirmations, hear excerpts, or download them in mp3 format.

Stay inspired and be thankful!

Ray

anunnaki_cover_full_colorAuthor Graham Hancock has called humanity, “a species with amenisia.”

Ray’s speculative fiction novel, Anunnaki Awakening: Revelation delves into the mysteries of the human past and speculates on humanity’s possible future. The book is the first in a trilogy and follows White House Correspondent Maria Love as she uncovers an age-old deception holding humanity back. The fate of two worlds hangs in the balance.

Order your signed copy today at AATrilogy.com.

Who Are You? – The Affirmation Spot for Tuesday November 18, 2008

Today’s Affirmation:

“Each and every day I am learning how magnificent life can be and how magnificent I can be.”
(click the affirmation to hear it in mp3)

Today’s post may not apply to everyone. However, if, as you read it, you find it applies to you in many ways; here is your message. The time is now to empower yourself to find out who you truly are and let that person shine in the world.

woman_confusedWho you are is not a clouded issue. Only your illusory perception of yourself and your life has made it seem so.  You have come to see yourself in terms of your limits.

The roles you play, the masks you wear, and your feelings of separateness have all led you to conclude that you are weak, powerless, and alone. You have lived your life according to your fears rather than your dreams. You have come to deal with yourself and the world in terms of those limits and fears.

You have erected so many layers of emotions and beliefs to prevent you from simply feeling what you feel and being who you are that you have lost touch with your true identity and purpose. You spend your life pretending and playing roles trying to be what your limited perception says you should be and, worse yet, what you think others want you to be.

You limit your actions, your speech, and even your thoughts to playing these roles.  So controlled are things at every level that your words are pretend, your feelings are pretend, and even your actions are pretend.  You have isolated yourself from your true motives, goals, and purposes in this life. You don’t even know how you feel only how you think you should feel.

If we can agree that something in this scenario does not match with who you truly desire to be, then we have a starting point for making changes that can lead to a happier life. The core issue is that somewhere along the way your right to create the self you desire was short-circuited by forces outside you and you bought into it. There is no shortage of people and institutions who are more than happy to help you create you in some image they believe will serve you.

The truth is until you rid yourself of ALL of these systems and get down to the business of listening to your heart you will never really be you. The good news is that you have everything you need within you to claim your greatness and live with the authenticity that comes from being who you are.

Stay inspired!

Ray

We All Make A Difference – The Affirmation Spot for Monday November 17, 2008

Today’s Affirmation:

“Blessings fill my life and I am thankful for each and every one.” (click the affirmation to hear it in mp3)

Today’s blog feaures a song I discovered on YouTube over the weekend. The song has a great message and will definitely give you some things to think about this Monday morning. Runtime is 5:59.

The song is titled “We All Make A Difference”

If…By Rudyard Kipling – The Affirmation Spot for Friday November 14, 2008

Today’s Affirmation:

“Aging gracefully…I am aging gracefully. I am gladly trading youth for wisdom.” (click the affirmation to hear it in mp3)
 

Rudyard Kipling (1865 – 1936) was a British author and poet born in colonial Bombay, India – modern-day Mumbai. He was best known for his childrens’ books The Jungle Book  and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. However, he was quite an accomplished poet. Some criticized him later in life as a proponent of British Imperialism. That said, his writing was accomplished and has been read by generations of children and adults alike.

 “If…” was written in 1910 and is every bit as motivational and true today as the day it was penned. It’s simply timeless. It is one of my absolute favorite poems. Parts of this poem have proliferated greeting cards for many years.

Absorb the message and you will be empowered.

If…

By Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with wornout tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run –
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man my son!

 

Stay inspired!

Ray