"Change your thoughts and you can change the world." Norman Vincent Peale

Every year at this time, I hear others claim they are glad the year is nearly over because it has been such a bad year for them. Most look to the new year with hope and a belief that the upcoming year will be better. While I don't knock their optimism, I am struck by the belief that turning the calendar to a new year will somehow change their lives for the better. Many will go forward into the new year without examining their beliefs and without taking any responsibility for the bad year they have had. Some continue to do this year after year without ever recognizing that if every year is bad, they may be contributing to that. If you catch yourself repeating this habit, it is time to stop and evaluate your part in your run of bad years.

Don't misunderstand, I recognize that some things are out of your control. Bad things happen to good people all the time. I know. Bad things happen to me too. Our family suffered a great loss this year with the passing of a family member, but that didn't make it a bad year and turning the page on the calendar won't suddenly make it better. But, changing our thoughts may.

Let go of looking at your life as a series of good and bad days or weeks or years and invest time into learning to change how you think and how you look at your life instead. The old adage to count your blessings and not your worries, really will change your life because you will begin to see it in a different light. As your focus changes from all that is wrong in your life to the wonderful blessings you have already received, you will soon discover that you are happier and have more energy for the things you want to do.

If you feel compelled to make New Year's Resolutions or set new goals for the new year, make changing the way you think the top of your list.

Today, I am grateful for snowflakes in their various sizes and shapes, for sun glittering off ice and for evergreens blanketed in snow.

I am grateful for houseplants that thrive in the midst of winter, for my Christmas cactus who will bless me with glorious blooms by mid January and for raindrops that will fall again in spring.

I am grateful for the light of the moon on dark winter nights, for the lengthening of days and for the bright light of the sun as the earth begins the journey towards spring. 

I am grateful for family and friends, for a home that provides me shelter and warmth, and for healthy food on the table.  

And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop to share my day. May you embrace the upcoming year by focusing on changing your thinking to change your world. 

Unless a tree has borne blossoms in spring, you will vainly look for fruit on it in autumn.

We can learn much from nature. To produce fruit, trees require sun, soil, nutrients and water. Planting a seed or tiny sapling is not enough. Without moisture and sun, the seed will not sprout and the sapling will quickly wither and die. 

So too with our dreams and goals. While setting our intentions is important, they must be nurtured and cared for so that they may bear fruit. Without care, our goals and dreams are nothing more than wishes cast to the wind.

• If your goal is to become more successful in your chosen field, you must also work to build the skills and set the stage for that success. Take a class, make new contacts, get involved in projects that allow you to shine.
• If you want to earn more money to provide your family with the comforts of life, or want to earn that important promotion, you must be willing to do the work to reach the goal. Become a model employee, treat others with respect and show that you are worthy of promotion. 
• If you want to improve the relationships in your life nurture those you love, be supportive and show them the love and respect you desire.

The goal or dream doesn't matter. It is the care and feeding of that dream that will bring it to pass. May you find ways to feed and care for your dreams and goals today that they may bear bountiful fruit.

Today, I am grateful for another day to pursue my goals and dreams. I am grateful for steady progress, continued drive, and patience as I watch the seeds grow and bloom that I may enjoy the fruit of my labor. 

I am grateful for sunny days and starry nights, for lightning bugs that flit through open fields, and for daisies waltzing to the summer breeze. I am grateful for the song of birds, the call of frogs and the gentle tinkle of wind chimes. I am grateful for leaves that dance and whisper secrets to the wind.  

And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop to share my day. May you work joyously towards your dreams and goals today that you may see them come to fruit.

"You don't need to know HOW the universe is going to rearrange itself." Joe Vitale

Many of us face the temptation to use our intellect to figure out how the Universe (or God) will bring our intentions to pass. According to the law of abundance, it doesn't matter whether we understand the process or not. We don't need to worry ourselves with how things will fall together or how the Universe will rearrange itself to bring our desires to pass. 

For those of us accustomed to doing everything on our own, this concept can be a difficult hurdle to scale. I know. I struggle with it too. Yesterday, I set my intention for financial abundance. Although I didn't post the specifics of that here, I did set specific goals privately. If you are following along with me, take the time to refine you goals and write them down in specific terms today. Think of it as drawing a roadmap to your future and always remember that if you don't know where you are going you will end up somewhere else.

I intend to let the Universe work to bring my desires to pass, as I go about my normal routine and hope that you will too.

Today, I am grateful that I can set my own schedule, that I go to bed and rise when I choose, and that I have the freedom to choose when and where I work. I am grateful for the freedom to choose what I will write, for the insight to recognize good opportunities and the wisdom to choose wisely.

I am ever-grateful for the wonderous Universe that fills me with awe, for the ever-changing clouds that travel across my sky and for tiny leaves as they unfurl in spring. I am grateful for the sounds and scents of nature, for the inquisitiveness of squirrels as they venture near my garden chair and for timid deer that venture from the woods.

I am grateful for family and friends who I would be lost without, for strangers I have yet to meet and for all those who have crossed my path and helped make me the person I am today. 

And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop and share my day. May your journey be light and your day be bright as you learn to let the Universe work its magic on its own. 

“If you’re thinking of debt, that’s what you’re going to attract.” – Bob Proctor

Most of us spend our lives worrying about making that looming mortgage or car payment and stretching the current paycheck until the next. We have been conditioned to believe that is how life is supposed to work and even rejoice when we squeak by another week or another month. While keeping up with our obligations may be admirable, when those debts become our primary focus, we begin to limit ourselves and reinforce the conditions we are trying to avoid in our lives. 

I'll be honest with you. I am guilty, too. It's not easy to look past pressing financial obligations and envision a life free of those worries. It's not like I haven't been working on it. I have. I've read all the books. I've listened to all the motivational speakers. I am fully convinced that our belief is the key to getting the things we want in life. I have no doubt. Why then, do my intentions fall short and my goals loom just out of sight?

I recently read something - and I must admit the source eludes me - that stopped me in my tracks because it answered my question. It is not my belief that our thinking creates our reality that is at fault. Oh no. My belief is intact. My belief gives me a solid foundation for creating the life I want for myself and my family. 

What then, can account for my struggle? EXPECTATION. I know it sounds strange, but it isn't my belief it, is my expectation that is a faltering. Intellectually, I know that focusing on what I want and need in life will bring it to pass, but I have a problem with actually expecting it to happen.

For me, it goes a little like this: I decide I need and want financial abundance. I set my intentions and release it to the Universe (or God, if you prefer) and then I immediately take it back and try to make it happen on my own. Instead of letting go and letting the Universe (or God) bring abundance into my life, I begin to frantically double-check any source I can think of, as I attempt to do it myself.

That's why I have used a picture of a money tree for this post. I have decided to set my intention and give it time to grow without snatching it back and trying to do it on my own.  As a gardener, I can relate to the concept of reaping what you sow and already know that all trees produce fruit when it is time. So shall my tree of abundance.

Today I am grateful for fiddleheads, dandelions (although I don't eat them) and the fruit of the land. I am grateful for bats that sweep through the night air, for I know it means summer is close at hand. I am grateful for butterflies that soon will flitter through my garden beds, for lupines that stand so tall and proud, and for moss that envelopes the rocks. 

I am grateful for toast from homemade bread, for woodbine that creeps above my window and for the hummingbird who has once again returned. I am grateful for the scent of spring, for cozy blankets that take away the chill of evening air, and for the sound of the wind as it whispers through the trees. 

I am grateful for my family, for friends and for pets that make my life full. 

And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop and share my day. May you focus on abundance today as you go forward toward your dreams.

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. Hal Borland

Hal Borland may not have been speaking literally when he said no winter lasts forever, but for those of us in Maine it has seemed like winter would last forever. It's nearly the middle of April and there are still piles of snow covering my garden and raised beds.

The good news is: the snow is melting, the robins are singing and the sun has returned. Our world will likely transform from a snow-covered landscape to green grass within a few short weeks. With spring comes a renewal of the soul.

If you, like me, have found yourself struggling as you work your way to the light, it's time to celebrate the coming of spring. The shedding of winter clothes and throwing open the windows to air out the home always fills me with hope.

Today, I am grateful for the robin's song that has been gone from my life for way too long, for sunshine that melts the remaining snow and for the woodpecker who hammers away at still frozen trees. I am grateful for skies of blue, white puffy clouds and water that trickles down the road.

I am grateful for tiny blades of grass that somehow find their way through the snow and ice and stand proud and tall around foundations. I am grateful for fresh air to breathe, for windchimes that sing into the night, and for stars that adorn the sky.

I am grateful for the promise of another year to grow flowers and veggies in my backyard, for the vision of colors that will soon burst forth and for my garden chair that has silently awaited my return. I am grateful for the sounds of spring that have nothing to do with emerging birds a wildlife - for the far-away sounds that tell me the snow is gone and the muffle of winter air is gone.

I am grateful for my family who is always there, for my friends who offer me support and for strangers who are not yet friends, but who will cross my path today. 

And I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop to share my day. May you celebrate the coming of spring with great joy and happiness today. 

Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow. Doug Firebaugh

The snail does not worry that the journey is long and the pace is slow. He knows that setting his sights on the goal and working steadily toward it will get him where he needs to go. Why then, do we insist that we must work harder and go faster to reach our goals?

Maybe the fast-paced world we live in has colored our view and made us believe that speed is the ultimate weapon. Maybe it is because we have been conditioned to think that we deserve to enjoy the fruits of our labor now - not later. Maybe we are just short-sighted and are afraid of losing sight of the goal if we slow down our pace.

I suspect that, like me, you are guilty of expecting to move too fast as you rush headlong toward your goals. I am reminded today to slow down and take stock of where I am, to take a close look at how far I've come and only then look at what still needs to be done to reach my sometimes elusive goals. I will practice doing something every day that will inch me closer to my dreams, but I will let go of the notion that life is a race and that I must accomplish everything today. I will celebrate the knowledge that I am on my way and that I will reach the goals when it is time.

Won't you join me today? Take a moment to relax and make the decision to do just one thing today that will lead your forward. We can always find a way to improve our lives, even in meager circumstances. If you are homebound, do something to make your home more enjoyable. If you join the masses and work outside the home, do something to improve your workplace. If you are like me and work from home, take a moment to organize your desk or hang an inspirational poster. Smell a flower, hug a child, listen to the wind. Do something to start you on your way.

Today, I am grateful for new opportunities that come my way. I am grateful for the rain that promises to finally whisk away the snow, for the deer that bounds across the road in search of green shoots, for the birds who await the arrival of spring, and for gray clouds that burst open and shed water upon the earth.

I am grateful for indoor plumbing that my mother lived nearly her entire life without, for a cozy home that keeps me warm and safe, and for healthy food to fuel the body. I am grateful for great minds that share their knowledge with the world, for authors who share their vision of the world with me, and for artists who make the world a brighter place.

I am grateful for the vast beauty of the Universe, the song of birds, and the smell of spring. 

And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop and share my day. May you be blessed with the knowledge that doing just one thing a day to inch closer to your goals is enough to get you there.

“Memory is deceptive because it is colored by today's events.” Albert Einstein

by anitapatterson

We are so accustomed to the belief that our memories reflect our past, that it may be difficult to accept that what we remember is also a reflection of our current beliefs and values.

We remember the events of our lives by the feelings they evoked, by the values we attributed to them and by our individual perception at the time.

Surely, we have all experienced recalling a memory when a spouse or sibling suddenly reveals new information that alters our perception of the event. What we have held dear as the truth in our memories suddenly takes on a new appearance and we realize that what we remember is only a glimpse into our past.

New knowledge and new beliefs have the power to change memories and in essence change your past. If you are faced with negative memories that cause you pain and discomfort, consider the fact that your memories have been colored my your own beliefs. Let go of old fears of not being good enough or not being smart enough, and look at your memories from a fresh perspective today.

Today, I am grateful that our ancestors gave us the written language and that translators have the ability to transform the word from one language to another, so that all may read freely regardless of language.


I am grateful that the great minds of those before us preserved their words in written form, that we might learn from them even after they are gone.


I am grateful to be blessed with family that I love dearly, for a bright future and for today.


I am grateful for moments to simply relax and take in the beauty of this world, for the energy to pursue my dreams and the wisdom to find my way.


And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop to share my day. May your memories fill you with joy and happiness as you learn to view them in a new light.