Living Life to the Fullest: Step One

You only go around once! Right?

Well, sort of: once on planet Earth, but…(that’s a different discussion).  Let’s focus on this go-around. This life. Your allotted 120-something years plus or minus ever how many.  I found the key to truly living life to the fullest in the Lord’s Prayer example.  Here is the first of seven steps that – I hesitate to say…use – live is a better word. If you’d ike the whole EBook, use the form on this page and I’ll email it to you for free.

Step One: Be Grateful

(Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be your name)

First, we need to be stop and take a moment to be thankful. From this day forward, start each day this way, before your feet hit the ground (or as soon thereafter as possible). “But, Vickie, there’s not a lot to be thankful for at the moment; I’m broke, I’m sick, and life really sucks at the moment.” I know it can get pretty rough at times, but here are a few things we can always pause and give thanks for:

• We live in the United States of America. While it seems like the country may be coming apart at the seams, it hasn’t. This is still the land of opportunity, and as long as you are here, you can find and make a way out of the worst of situations. Be thankful that you live in America.
• You have access to clean air and water, and there is someone or some agency who will help you with food. These same places will also provide temporary shelter. Be thankful that you have water, and it’s probably in a really cool Yeti or Rtic container that you are proud to carry around!
• You have your mind (I can’t help myself here), and it is a terrible thing to waste! It may be cliché, but it is, perhaps, your greatest asset. If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. It is a muscle you can build into whatever you can imagine. Be thankful for your ability to think and choose. Choose to be thankful!

I didn’t mean to go down the road of worst case scenarios of being left with nothing but air and water of which to be thankful, but it proves the point. I mean to help us realize, there is always something we can find to be thankful for. There is something about pushing aside the negatives, the not-so-goods, the hurts from a friend or a loved one, the physical pain – and simply pausing and being thankful for what we do have, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. It gives your mind and your spirit a place to go that is good.

ACTION: Stop right now and list at least 5 things you can be thankful for, and smile as you think of them. You may find that way more than 5 come to mind.

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