Be Grateful Everyday
steffani

Be Grateful Everyday

These moments.

This precious life.

It all goes by way too fast.

And we’ll never have them again.

There will be so many “last times.”

The last time we carry them up the stairs.

The last time they climb in our bed.

The last time we tell our mom we love her.

The last time we wave to that neighbor.

The last time we have dinner with that beloved friend.

The last time we hold our lovers’ hand.

We never know when each of these “last times” will be.

When we recognize that each precious moment is fleeting and that they may not happen again, then we can treasure them a little more.

A Powerful Way to Live

Recognizing the brevity of time forces us to live in the present moment.   By not taking TIME for granted we can have gratitude for that moment.

Because when it’s gone, it’s gone.

This was a game changer for me. When I grasped this concept I started going B.I.G. every morning.

Begin. In. Gratitude.

I started thanking my life for my life daily, expressing conscious gratitude for everything and everyone in it. The minute I opened my eyes, gratitude became the first item of my morning routine. Now, I start the day in gratitude and end the day in gratitude.

I’m SO grateful on this day of Thanksgiving, and for this life.

For my family. For my kids. For John. For my body. My breath. My friends. My house. My passion. My purpose. My gifts. My lessons. Everything. I’m grateful today and every day.

Steff.

 

On Getting What You Want
steffani

On Getting What You Want

In college, my roommate applied for a college program at Walt Disney World. It sounded awesome so I applied too.  They came to EIU to interview everyone and I still remember what I wore for the interview.  I wore a white turtleneck and a red sweater. 

I had a great interview. The women I interviewed with seemed to love me.

A few weeks later, we got a letter. My roommate was accepted and I WAS NOT.

What?! I was shocked.

How could they not accept me? I was totally Disney material. I’d already been planning on doing the job. The minute I’d heard about applying for the program, I considered it done.

Clearly, they weren’t on board with my plan.

I remember getting mad. And then sad. I even threw myself a mini pity party. F them. They don’t know what they’re missing!!!

And then it hit me.

They really don’t know what they’re missing.

So I called to tell them. I talked to everyone who would listen. I explained that I was Disney material. That this must have been a mistake. That I was already planning on it. That I would work SO hard. They would be so happy if they hired me.

I begged. I pleaded. I stated my case.

And you know what happened next? They hired me.

They finally gave in. And said “Fine. Come on down.”

I did not take “NO” for an answer.  I followed my heart, stepped up with courage and made my dream come true.

It was a great lesson in going after and getting what you want.

Nothing is ever impossible.

What do you want? Can you go after it?

Day 9 – Belief Challenge
steffani

Day 9 – Belief Challenge

Believe In Your Dreams

This may sound a little ‘out there’ but I’m going to lay it out there anyway. Here it is:  Your dreams have chosen you as much as you’ve chosen them.

They’re as important as you let them be.

I used to dream of writing a book. It was a big dream that I never thought I would ever achieve.

I was plagued with negative thoughts:

  • Who wants to read what I have to write?
  • Why would anyone listen to my message?
  • Who do I think I am?
  • That’s reserved for people who are smarter than me, more successful than me, better writers than I am.

I could never have written a book and become a best-selling author had chosen to listen to that little voice.

I had to believe in my dream. And not just to believe in it, I had to have faith,  to step into it AND take action on it.

Belief always has to be accompanied with action if we’re going to make a dream come true.

My belief that I couldn’t do it was accompanied by the action of not doing it.

Once I started to believe, I started taking action and with little steps forward, I did it.  Simple as that.

The belief is the trigger. The action makes it a reality.

“If you think you can do a thing or you think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” Henry Ford

Believe in your dreams and you can achieve them. You can achieve ANYTHING.

What dream are you following right now?  What are you going to make happen?