Do you want to increase your own hope? Try these suggestions. They are guaranteed to work. Or your money back!! (Get a small notebook that you can carry with you everywhere and be ready to use it) 1. Begin noting how others on your path demonstrate their hope. Do this for a month. 2. Keep track of the times you extended love/hope to someone else over a seven day period. What effec[...]
45 1. Ask God for help. 2. Let go! 3. Surrender. 4. Do one thing to inspire joy in some one else’s life each day. And make a note of this in a small note book. 5. Choose kindness with every response and feel it change your heart. 6, When feeling hopeless, choose a fond memory to change your perception. 7. Make a gratitude list to help you recall the good that has already happened.[...]
I have always loved the holidays. I love the sparkling lights, the decorations, the carols and giving gifts to loved ones to let them know they matter to me. I have fond memories of how my family celebrated Christmas. We kids woke up early and hurried downstairs to see the gifts placed under the tree, while my parents sat watching, probably more tired than any thing else, pretending[...]
This simple aphorism is a bit of shorthand for living the good life. And I have been given the good life and my intent is to give away what I have learned from the many who are wiser than me. Among those things I want to give away at this gift-giving time is the suggestion that you, that all of us, slow down a bit and enjoy the simple pleasures that surround us. Every person on your p[...]
I am a proponent of simple principles as my guideposts for living. One that greatly resonates with me is live and let live. The wish to control other people can be so strong and seductive. I have fought the urge to try to control others much of my life. I think insecurity and fear is what prompts it. But I know that every one of us is here to live out a very specific journey and I[...]
Have you ever considered how really important to your growth every person you've met has been? Nary a one of them showed up accidentally. Amazing isn't it? I used to believe it was a coincidence when I met some one who felt special to my journey. Now I know they simply waited for the right time for our paths to intersect. I love this idea. It has given me comfort in myriad situ[...]
I am not your typical shopper. I don't run to shop the day after Thanksgiving. However, don't get me wrong; I am not above a good bargain. I simply choose to wander the malls, leisurely, until something strikes my fancy. I will pay my visit before the holiday actually arrives, but in the meantime, I do believe there are many additional ways to spread the joy of the season. The[...]
I woke up this morning so happy to be alive and so grateful that I have been given, through my books and personal interactions at workshops and lectures, millions of opportunities to connect with all of you. In 1974 when I first entered a 12 Step room in Minneapolis, MN, I was terrified and hopeless. I couldn't fathom that I'd ever feel the way all of you looked that night. The laught[...]
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day but I feel a strong sense of gratitude every day of my life. I have recently started another 4th Step inventory, recalling fond memories from my childhood. The less fond ones don't need my attention any more. But I do think each memory, those painful ones as well as the happier ones, have served a very important role in my life and for all of them I now p[...]
What a glorious opportunity we have to shift the universe just a tiny bit if we look into the eyes of the many people we see for just one day, offering them a smile or a nod of the head. This simple acknowledgment lets them know they have been seen; that they are not invisible beings with no connection to the world around them. Too many people live lives of quiet desperation, knowing li[...]
