Thanksgiving

During this month of thanks I have pondered what I am most thankful for.  Many ideas popped into my head: family, religion, and freedom (the norms).  However, today I really do think I finally thought of the things I am most thankful for.  Ready....here they are: hope and potential.  They really do go together.

• I am thankful for the potential I see for the uprising generation and the hope I have that they can reach their potential.  They can really become anyone they want to become and be anything they want to be.  This is important because so many children have so many things going against them but if we can help them realize they power they have to be great things will happen!
• I am thankful for the potential I see in myself and for the times I allow myself to hope.  This is tricky.  It is hard to hope for oneself because the future is so unpredictable.  However, I have seen myself progress in life as I have grown.  This growth allows me to hope.   I hope to improve my times at the gym, continue my education, become a better teacher, become a better family member, or one day have a family of my own.  Hoping can be scary...but I don't know if anything bad can come from just hoping.
• I am thankful for the potential I see in each of my family members and friends.  They are all so amazing and bring so much joy and laughter into my live.  It would be impossible not to hope for the best things for them in life.

In closing, see the potential all around you and continue to hope for the best.  Things don't always go our way but I can't help but to feel that things happen the way they do for a reason.  We aren't always smart enough to figure out what the reason is...but I'd rather think that things don't go my way for a reason instead of thinking they don't go my way because I suck at life.  May you have a wonderful holiday season and see for world and people for what they may become.

21 Suggestions for Success

I love this!  It is so true!

1. Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.
2. Work at something you enjoy and that's worthy of your time and talent.
3. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
5. Be forgiving of yourself and others.
6. Be generous.
7. Have a grateful heart.
8. Persistence, persistence, persistence.
9. Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.
10. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
11. Commit yourself to constant improvement.
12. Commit yourself to quality.
13. Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.
14. Be loyal.
15. Be honest.
16. Be a self-starter.
17. Be decisive even if it means you'll sometimes be wrong.
18. Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
19. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did.
20. Take good care of those you love.
21. Don't do anything that wouldn't make your Mom proud.

H. Jackson Brown Jr.