Give Thanks Forward

First of all Happy Thanksgiving to all of my BLOG readers. When I sit before my Thanksgiving table tomorrow, I will be saying a little prayer of thanks for bringing so many of you into my life and work. I have truly been blessed this past year and I can thank so many of you for that.

As I was reflecting earlier this week on the concept of Thanksgiving I found myself caught up on the concept of giving thanks for what I have already received. I think Thanksgiving of course gives us all an ideal opportunity to look back, to reflect on all that has happened this past year and truly give thanks. I have done it for as long as I remember. But tomorrow I challenge you to do something a little bit different.

Instead of just giving thanks for what you have already received...Give Thanks Forward for all that you are about to receive in the coming year.

Imagine all that you would like to achieve, accomplish, earn, discover, learn, etc. in the coming year and give thanks as if you have already received all of it. I am a strong believer that if you open your heart and mind to all that is possible and act as if you are fully expecting that which you want to happen it will. Or at minimum, you at least put yourself in a better frame of mind to receive it should it come. Does that make sense?

I am not going off on one of those Law of Attraction ramblings. Just because you think it won't make it so. There is a lot of work involved in obtaining that which we really want and the only time success comes before work is in the dictionary. But getting yourself clear on what you want to be looking back on this time next Thanksgiving and truly giving thanks for can't be a bad way to prepare yourself for the upcoming year.

So I Give Thanks Forward for.....

Focusing on drinking up every moment of preciousness with my boys.
Getting into the best physical shape of my life.
Taking my speaking, training and my writing to a whole new level.
Being an all around better man, motivator and contributor to this world.

You get the picture.

Use the old noggin noodle a bit tonight in preparing for your moment of giving thanks tomorrow. What will you be giving thanks forward for?

Just a quick side note...If you really want to make an impact on someone else's perspective of Thanksgiving....try forwarding this BLOG post to them! Who knows what Ripples might come from this way of thinking.

Happy Thanksgiving to you my Ripple Friends!

Be safe and good to one another.

Ripple On!!!

Steve

The Power of You

Do you realize that you are powerful?

I am serious.

You are important!

You have a defined purpose and reason for being here.

You mean something.

Your job, your friends, your family, your church, your community are all better off because you are who you are and because you play the role of being you. Say that outloud to yourself....things are better because I am here. Empowering self statement if I ever saw one!

Understanding and appreciating that we are all here for a defined purpose is something I myself have only begun contemplating for my own life but I have to admit the process has been amazing and incredibly enlightening for me. Maybe this is something that comes with age and experience but I honestly believe that isn't it. For me it was focusing on the wrong sorts of things; waiting somehow for life to magically make things good for me. My life has always been incredible and I have been lucky to have abundance of enormous proportions much of which I have always failed to understand and appreciate. But yet it wasn't until I started looking inward and seeing me for who I really am (and destined to be) that the real blinders came flying off.

What would your life look like if you rose tomorrow, looked at yourself in the mirror and thanked God, the universe or whatever you believe in for having another day on this Earth to make your contribution; a literal thank you for having the ability to be powerful in your presence and impact on the here and now! How might your perspective be shifted? How might your priorities magically realign to focus less on the small stuff and perhaps embrace more of the bigger picture? What challenges might not look so insurmountable? What changes in the world might you decide right there that you are going ot be responsible for? What brush strokes might you use to paint the new landscape you call your life?

I write this tonight knowing that I am a valuable person and I am here right now living my life for a specific purpose. I honor that which created me by embracing this fact and trying each day to find yet another piece of the puzzle to complete the picture of what makes Steve Harper Steve Harper. I also realize that I have largely spent a huge portion of my 36 short years taking with no thought of giving back.

The landscape isn't perfect. Life is hard...especially at certain times. Things aren't always going to go my way. I am owed NOTHING! But somehow that's okay. The good and the bad is what makes me who I am. It's all of that and then some and that's what I think people somehow seem to be drawn to. The power in me is the fact that "me" is a work in progress and my comfortableness in knowing that and verablizing it is what I think at times inspires others. They find power in what powers me and that fuels me to get out of bed every day. It inspires me to continue working towards being me and to further my journey and collect more pieces of my puzzle.

I also write this tonight knowing full well that the same can be said of you too. Take the time to recognize the enormous power that you bring to the lives that you touch and those you have yet to touch. Decide to take the time to realize that you are here for a purpose and give thanks for the opportunity. If you, like me, are still trying to figure out exactly what that purpose is...that's okay. Your journey of a million miles begins with that first step. Let your power be your guide and the steps come easier I promise. I guarantee a new perspective, a new reality awaits.

And imagine what Ripples this just might bring forth for you!

Ripple On!!!

Steve