A grateful attitude is a pathway to happiness, joy, and love. When I view life through my heart’s lens, I see all life as a gift I have no time for sorrow, no time for envy, no time to crawl inside a personal prison. I jump for joy, for each moment is Christmas – it is all gift. Please enjoy this powerful YouTube video about gratitude.
Yes You Can
Do you need a mental toughness pick me up today? Jim Abbot is about to serve you up a healthy dose of a never quit, mental toughness attitude. Jim Abbot was born with no right hand. His dream was to become a pitcher in the major leagues. Watch the YouTube video and get ready for a large dose of YES I CAN!
President Kennedy said, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” His words echo Tony Melendez life. You and I have faced tough times. I’ve faced it with a good mind, a healthy body, and a loving family. Tony Melendez faced life without arms. Yet, he learned to play the guitar and sing well enough to play for Pope John Paul II. Here is his inspirational performance.
I wish life were easy. It’s not. We’re constantly faced with challenges, some of them seemingly overwhelming. What separates those who survive and thrive from others is their willingness to face adversity and never, ever quit. It was that spirit of never quitting in spite of an overwhelming adversity that I found in this YouTube video. I hope it encourages you to fight on and never quit.
When I first saw this YouTube video, I showed it to my students at The Ohio State University as a model for teamwork. I’ve watched it many times. The more I watch it, the more I see how it represents our need to compliment each other. Your strength compliments my weakness. My strength compliments your weakness. We make it work when we learn to trust each other at a deep level. It takes courage to let go and rely on another.
Here’s a motivational Youtube video to inspire you to give it the effort you need to take it over the top. We are never defeated if we continue to strive. Never Quit.
Fearful Of Trying Something New? Take heart from a young girls courage to conquer her fears.
I viewed this video on YouTube and the lessons offered by the Navy Seal commander at the 2014 University of Texas commencement are powerful motivators for anyone who wants to make a difference in the world.
“Your hammies a bit tight, Ray?”
“Cut me some slack, Y. I’m stretching. Getting ready to do my sleeping baby, then the happy baby….”
“Who came up with these names? The brainchild of a creative writing class? It sounds more like a group of your species after happy hour. Speaking of names, I’ve changed mine.”
“Why?”
“No, I’m not Y. I said I changed it.”
“Why, with a W and an h and a y.”
“My fans said your riding this pony into the ground. You need to come up with something a bit more original. So, I changed it to M because it rhymes with gem.”
“You’re a gem alright. Zirconium.”
“Oh, touchy. Can you pull your yoga strap a little tighter?”
“I’ll tear my quad or hamstring or bicep or deltoid.”
“Do you know what you’re doing?”
“No clue. But I think I’ll look cool when I walk into the gym with my yoga mat and yoga strap.”
“Are you going to join a yoga class?”
“Not unless they have a fantasy football league this fall.”
“So, you’re trying to be cool instead of flexible?”
“I’m flexible enough. I let you hang around the blog. I call that flexibility.”
“Good point. Why don’t you leave the mat and strap at the gym tomorrow before you hurt yourself.”
“Every once in a while, you have a good thought.”
Life comes at us fast with changes and challenges requiring us to stretch and learn things we’d just as soon not learn. If we’re not flexible, we hold ourselves back from the possibilities that await us. Flexibility helps us to grow, renew, and recreate ourselves.
I love my birthday. I love Christmas. I love surprise gifts. I enjoy giving gifts and seeing eyes light up. And, I enjoy receiving them as well – except for the one’s I re-gift. I don’t like to re-gift too often because my memory may trick me and I’ll re-gift to the giver. A wrong re-gift has all the makings of a relationship disaster.
When I give a gift, I think about the person to whom I am giving a gift. I want to make it special. When I can’t think of something special I fall back on a reliable, can’t miss, hit a homerun everytime gift: A Starbucks gift card. It’s only failed me once when I mistakenly gave it to a friend who later told me she only drinks herbal tea. I told her Starbucks sells herbal tea, she gave me a look that said she doesn’t do Starbucks and, “This relationship is over.”
Kids under the age of 12 are pretty easy to please. Once they hit the teens, God help them, and God help me in the gift buying department. If they have an iPhone, I gift an iTunes card. Oh, my backup? A Starbucks card.
Is a Starbucks card the answer to all problems in life? I’ve got to think more about this possibility. Maybe I’ll give myself a Starbucks card. No, I already have the app on my iPhone and collect stars. Here’s a question for you. I collect Starbucks stars, I have lots of them. Are they still stars if the iPhone records them in some form of cryptic code? If they are in cryptic code, are they real stars? I think I’ve had one too many cups of coffee this morning.
I began this blog talking about gifts. Each of us is a gift when we give the gift of ourselves to others. Our gift to others takes on extra meaning when it is received by a grateful heart. The more we give the gift of our self to others, the more we discover our true mystery and destiny.
