The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself.” Mark Caine

So often we begin to view our lives and our dreams in relation to the obstacles in our paths. We become overwhelmed with the false belief that the circumstances around us hold us captive and  we fail to realize that we already hold the key to our success.

Strive today to break free of negative thoughts and beliefs and rise above the seeming obstacles in your way.    Give no mind to the circumstances that wish to hold you captive and set your eyes upon your goal.

Today, I am grateful for the shimmering moon, for dark silhouettes of trees and for starlight that twinkles in the night. I am grateful for the sound of the wind, for dancing wind chimes and for soft, silent snowfall. 

I am grateful for words to express my thoughts, for songs that touch the soul, and for the crisp bite of cucumbers right from the vine. 

I am grateful for memories that make life rich, for quiet moment in which to think and dream, and for the future that lies before me - secretive and unknown. I am grateful for opportunities I have yet to realize, for confidence to seek them out, and for the wisdom to choose wisely. 

I am grateful for eyes that see, ears that hear, and feet that walk that I might live to enjoy another day.  

I am ever grateful for family and friends who bring me hope, for children who are unafraid to dream, and old ladies who share memories of when they were young. 

And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop to share my day. May you see past the seeming obstacles in your path as you go forward in the direction of your dreams.