Tag: Motivation

COMPARE AND BE GRATEFUL

Recently, much to my dismay, I found myself back in the hospital. I began experiencing severe chest pain Sunday night. Considering it has not been that long since my open heart surgery, I went into the Emergency Room at the local hospital. There I lay for several hours as they filled me up with a vast array of pain killers, none of which seemed to do very much. I received a CT scan which showed I had fluid around my heart. A decision was made to transfer me to the hospital that my surgeon works out of so he could take a better approach at observing me.

Very early Monday morning they boxed me up in an ambulance and whisked me away to the next hospital. The ride was bumpy, but they gave me a free stuffed alligator for being a good patient. I rather enjoyed that personally. I arrived at my new digs around 6 am and was told that I could not have anything to eat or drink, including water, in case they wanted to do a test. Mind you I ate dinner around 7 the night before. This lasted until 4pm, when the doctor left for the day and it was clear they were not going to test me. In other words, it was all for nothing. Having morphine and other heavy duty pain killers in your system on an empty stomach was not very thrilling. Worse yet, they informed me at 7 pm that evening I was back to no food or water in case they wanted to test me the following day. This lasted until 11 am the following day. After persistent “Test me or give me a damn cracker!” outbursts from yours truly, the finally decided they were not going to test me for anything that day either.

My alligator from the folks at Bell Ambulance

Here I was, day three in the hospital, still in pain and nobody could give me an answer as to why. They had added an ultrasound to the CT Scan and now informed me there was no fluid around my heart. Later, a chest x-ray was added. I think this was just so they could say they did all of the imaging tests. By this time I was growing quite frustrated. Even the nurses, who were wonderful and helpful people, were also growing frustrated at the doctors lack of appearances or answers.

I stayed in the hospital 2 more days. These 4 days amounted to the same amount of time I had spent in the hospital after my open heart surgery. I had seen 3 doctors that were not even ones I go to. It was not until one of them did a little more poking around that they came to the conclusion that I had a rare condition that affects 5% of heart surgery patient. It is a sort of late onset inflammation. By the time I was going to be released, I was pretty frustrated. In addition to enduring 18 hours of no food and water one day followed by 14 hours of the same the following day for absolutely no reason, it was like pulling teeth to get answers or talk to a doctor. Then, I refocused. This was aided by 2 events, one very tragic and one pleasant.

As I was putting all of my stuff in a bag to take with me, I received a message I was not expecting. I have been out of my day job since the 11th of January because of my surgery. I just learned one of my coworkers, only a year my senior, had passed away. Little did I know that 2 months ago when I saw him, it would be the last time. Sure, I was leaving the hospital with ‘best guess’ diagnosis and treatment, but at least I was leaving. My friends and family would be happy for my return and not mourning my loss. I suddenly felt a little guilty for feeling the way I was. I am sure this man would have preferred to return to his family and his friends.

That night as I went to sleep, I noticed how my mattress, that had always felt rather uncomfortable, felt like a cloud compared to the bed in the hospital. What was even better was that I was sharing it with the most beautiful woman in the world. The very one who snuck me in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in case they tried make me endure a third day of forced hunger strikes. This brief moment of pain and struggle was nothing compared to what it could have been. I made it out of the hospital. I was feeling quite better than when I went in. I did have a bed to return to. I also had someone extremely special to share it with. It was then I recalled the quote from Gandhi above. No matter how much life seems to be throwing at you, it is throwing a whole lot more at others. Not only that, but it will certainly remind you of all you have to be grateful for that you may have forgotten.

40 DAYS TO ACCEPTING WHO YOU ARE

For our Christian friends, Wednesday marked the beginning of Lent. This is a month of introspection, fasting or acts of service to help deepen their faith. I applaud this idea. Anything that not only helps improve yourself, but also deepens your spiritual beliefs is a win/win in my book. The irony, in my humble opinion, is that next month our Muslim friends celebrate Ramadan. What is that you may ask? It is a month of prayer, fasting and introspection to help deepen their faith. It surprises me how much we all have in common, yet still can find reasons to wage war in the name of God.

What I would like to discuss, is the very act both of these periods of time accomplish and how we view them. In the example of Lent, which is upon us, one is to give up meat on Fridays. A little sacrifice to allow yourself to be more mindful, that is good stuff. If you accidentally eat a salad that has real bacon bits on it, what happens? Do you consider yourself a failure? Have you committed a terrible sin that has offended your creator greatly? No, my guess would be that you may chastise yourself and be a little more focused on what you eat in the future. The purpose here is to become more mindful. If you forgot you gave up eating sweets, as an example, and you accidentally eat a homemade doughnut your girlfriend made in baking class, do you quit and forget the rest of Lent? Of course not. The whole point in doing these activities is to strengthen your faith and your character.

One of the great lessons we can take from these wonderful moments of spiritual introspection is that success and improvement is seldom, if ever, a linear equation. We may stumble. We may make mistakes and not be as mindful or thoughtful as we should be. This does not make us failures and often leads to some of the greatest character building. We have to remember that these challenges make us who we are. We also can use these experiences to practice compassion for ourselves. Whether you are undergoing Lent this month, or Ramadan next month, may you see a great sense of spiritual growth and may you learn to be patient with yourself as well as others.

Even if you do not find yourself following either of these spiritual paths, there is something to be learned about periods of self-improvement and reflection. What we can learn is that we will go backwards and stumble as we make our way forward. A side-effect of improving ourselves or deepening our faith is that we must learn to practice compassion. For ourselves, for others and for the world around us. If we do not, we will not succeed with improving much in our lives, spiritual or otherwise.

HUMP DAY PONDERING

It is the middle of the week and we are all starting to wear down a little. I think there comes a time in all of our lives, mine happens several times, that we say defeating things to ourselves. Some of my not-so-self-serving thoughts include phrases like, “Why do I always go the extra mile for people who would not do the same?” “What is the point of working hard when your boss doesn’t appreciate you?” or “What is the point of always doing the right thing when it doesn’t seem to get you anywhere?” Trust me. I get it. Life can be hard and the rewards and purpose for giving it our all can be a little gray to put it kindly.

The picture above should make it perfectly clear as to why we keep going when the going gets rough. You may think if you are not a parent or a teacher that this does not apply to you. That couldn’t be further from the truth. You never know who is watching you where. It also doesn’t have to be a child. There are so many people that may choose not to give up because they have seen us do the same. I recall a gentleman thanking me for opening the car door for Margie because it reminded him of something simple he could do to make his wife feel loved and valued. I didn’t know this man. Haven’t seen him before or sense. I also wasn’t opening the door to inspire him. I actually do it as a sign of respect for the lady I love. Still, it inspired him.

It is the middle of the week. Hump day as it is known to some. The week may be starting to wear on you. Don’t slip, don’t give up that effort or discipline. You never know who you may be inspiring and you may never know. One thing you can know for sure is that you are inspiring someone.

A SIGN EVERY BUSINESS NEEDS

I love this sign! It goes a great way to show how people respond kindly to you when you treat them positively. This is reflective in my own life. I can recall quite a few times when the fine folks working at the coffee shops have told me things like “This one is on us today” or thrown in a few little extra items for me. I attribute this, not only to their kindness and generosity, but to the fact that I always treat them with kindness and respect. Still, there is a small change I would make to this sign. I would have it read as follows:

“Small coffee!” = a small coffee

“Small coffee, please” = a medium coffee

“Hello, one small coffee please” = a large coffee

I would word it this way because I believe that the kinder you are, the more life returns to you. Let me be perfectly clear, paying less or getting more should not be your main motive for being kind and respectful to others. You should do that because, as Earl Nightingale used to say, that is how we ought to treat each other. If all the self-serving folks did decide to be kind because they thought there was more in it for them, I guess that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. For the rest of us, it is worth noting that life will return what we give out. It may not be from exactly who we give it to, or in the exact same fashion, but it will be returned to us.

Our life tends to be more positive and rewarding when that is how we are to the world. This is not terribly mind-boggling. If you are a fun smiling sort, people look forward to your presence and thus, treat you with more kindness and respect. Do this wherever you go and soon you will find kind people wherever you end up. “What about those people who are not kind to me even though I am kind to them?” I can hear some of you asking. First of all, those are the people who need it the most. They me broken in ways that we cannot perceive. Maybe they just lost someone they love, had a break up, told there job will be outsourced or simply were not raised with manners. Not only is it essential we lead by example, but the next time around they may remember the kindness we showed them and return the favor. Maybe they will simply treat the next person in line with a little more gentleness and thus we have still done our part to make the world a better place.

In life we are here to serve one another. One of the easiest, yet most important ways to do this is through treating each other with kindness and respect. It will not only improve and add joy to our life, but to the world at large. It doesn’t cost us a single dime, but the returns can be worth their weight in gold.

WE WILL BE RIGHT BACK

I APOLOGIZE FOR THE LACK OF POSTS. MANY OF YOU HAVE WROTE ME EXPRESSING YOUR DESIRE FOR CONTINUING INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION.

I HAVE BEEN BUSY WORKING ON MY UPCOMING BOOK CHRONICLING MY JOURNEY THROUGH OPEN HEART SURGERY. YOU WILL LEARN THE LESSONS I LEARNED, GAIN THE ENLIGHTENMENT I RECEIVED AND SHARE IN THE JOURNEY. I FULLY EXPECT THIS BOOK TO BE AVAILABLE BEFORE MY BIRTHDAY ON JULY 29TH.

IN THE MEANTIME, WE WILL DO OUR BEST NOT TO NEGLECT OUR SERVICES HERE. WE SUGGEST YOU SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG SO YOU WILL BE ALERTED AS SOON AS WONDERFUL NEW CONTENT IS POSTED. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT. 😀

LEARN FROM MY REFLECTIONS

TODAY MARKS 3 WEEKS SINCE MY CRAZY HEART SURGERY. MY PATIENCE WITH GETTING BACK IS WEARING THIN, BUT NOT MUCH I CAN DO. I USE A LOT OF TIME IN REFLECTION. AS WITH ANY CHALLENGE, I ASK MYSELF “HOW CAN I USE THIS?” THIS INCLUDES THINKING OF THE LESSONS I HAVE LEARNED. I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE A FEW WITH YOU.

AS I MENTIONED, PATIENCE IS A LESSON I’M LEARNING. THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS I CAN BE PATIENT WITH, BUT FEELING BETTER ISN’T ONE OF THEM. I USUALLY TRY EVERYTHING TO GET BETTER AND GO WITH WHAT WORKS. THIS CAN INCLUDE SUPPLEMENTS, DIET,EXERCISE AND A MILLION OTHER THINGS. WITH HEART SURGERY, ALL YOU CAN DO IS WAIT. PAINS COME AND GO, YOU CAN’T REALLY DO MUCH WITHOUT RUNNING OUT OF BREATH. THE DOCTORS TELL YOU “THAT IS NORMAL. IT WILL JUST TAKE TIME. ” PATIENCE…A LESSON I’M LEARNING.

ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITE QUOTES. IT ALSO HAPPENS TO BE SOMETHING I WAS REMINDED OF. IN TODAY’S WORLD, A LOT OF US PUT OUR LIVES TO THE SIDE WHEN OUR JOB NEEDS US. YET, WE KNOW FULL WELL OUR JOB WILL REPLACE US IN A HEARTBEAT, BUT OUR LOSS TO OUR TRUE FRIENDS AND FAMILY WILL BE FELT FOR A LONG TIME AFTER WE ARE GONE.

SPEAKING OF TRUE FRIENDS AND FAMILY, YOU LEARN THE PEOPLE THE CARE AND WOULD MISS YOU. I DO MY BEST TO ENCOURAGEME AND INSPIRE EVERYONE I COME IN CONTACT WITH. I FIGURE THE WORLD HAS ENOUGH CRITICS, IT COULD USE SOME MORE CHEERLEADERS. WHAT SHOCKED ME WAS WHO BECAME CHEERLEADERS FOR ME. THIS WAS BOTH GOOD AND BAD.

IN MY DAY JOB, I WORK WITH ROUGHLY 50 PEOPLE. I DO MY BEST TO BRING A LITTLE JOY AND LAUGHTER TO AS MANY AS I CAN THROUGHOUT THE DAY. THE NUMBER OF THEM WHO CHECKED ON ME? IT WAS GREATER THAN ZERO… BUT LESS THAN TWO. ONE OUT OF 50. YET, THERE WERE PEOPLE I HAVEN’T SEEN IN PERSON IN SOME TIME WHO FOLLOW MY WEBSITE OR YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND THEY REACHED OUT. FRIENDS I DON’T SPEAK TO REGULARLY, EVEN FRIENDS OF MARGIE’S OFFERED TO HELP OUT. A GREAT REMINDER TO GO WHERE YOU ARE CELEBRATED, NOT TOLERATED.

THERE ARE ALSO THE THINGS THAT FILL MY LIFE WITH JOY THAT HAVE BEEN REMOVED OR LIMITED WITH MY RECOVERY. I LOVE GOING FOR WALKS IN NATURE. I’M GOING TO TRY A SMALL ONE TODAY, BUT NOT BEING ABLE TO KEEP GOING CAN BE FRUSTRATING. I LOVE GOING TO THE GYM. GREAT STRESS RELEASE AND HELPS WITH MY SANITY. CAN’T LIFT MORE THAN 10 POUNDS FOR 3 MONTHS, SO THAT WILL HAVE TO WAIT.

THE END RESULT OF ALL OF THIS IS THAT THE GREATER THE CHALLENGE, THE MORE LESSONS TO BE LEARNED. THERE WERE AND ARE MANY MORE LESSONS THIS HAS TAUGHT ME. THE SECRET HERE IS TO BE ABLE TO SEE THEM AS GIFTS INSTEAD OF OBSTACLES. ANOTHER LESSON THERE…PERCEPTION GOES A LONG WAY TO DETERMINING YOUR REALITY. YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ THAT LAST LINE AGAIN. I ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO FIND THE GIFTS AND LESSONS IN YOUR CHALLENGES.

BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, I’LL BE DEAD

Yes, you read that right. As I am typing these words, it is a little over 12 hours until my heart will cease to beat. You see, I am to undergo open-heart surgery. I have an aneurysm on the aorta in my heart and it needs to be repaired. Kind of a replace that pipe with this one sort of thing. In order to do that, they will need to cut open my rib cage, stop my heart and do a little slicing and dicing. I will be hooked up to machines to keep things moving I am told. However, for a brief period of time, everything will be shut down. That’s right folks, the store will be temporarily closed.

It is my sincerest desire that they will be able to jump start me and get the whole machinery up and running again. Making me a sort of modern day Lazarus, if you will. There are things about this whole procedure that make me a tad unsettled, but even more that have me intrigued. In the brief moments my life will have expired, will I see anything? A light? A guy with horns and a pitchfork? Maybe Buddha will come and give me some sage advice? Maybe Bob Marley will come and jam for me? That would actually be kind of cool. Does this mean I technically have 2 birthdays now? The one I came into this world on, July 29th and now the one I came back on, January 11th? I never was a big fan of winter, so perhaps having a birthday might give me a little something to look forward to.

Being that this may be the last collection of wisdom I am able to share with all of you, I wanted to distill what I think would be important. Ironically, the first thing that popped in my mind was a line I always heard a game show host use – “Be kind to yourself and each other.” In my mind, that is what it all boils down to. When we learn to love ourselves, we can afford more compassion and understanding for others. I think it is very important to make this a lifetime project and to start that project today. Whether you are 8 or 80, we all can learn about how to love ourselves and be kind to one another. In the very unlikely chance that I do not make it through this, I am determined to haunt those I care about. Not in the usual way. No, I would be the ghost that would whisper “You can do it!” when someone is feeling down on themselves. The little mysterious voice that lets everyone know that someone believes in them.

As I wrote those words, it occurred to me that we can, and should be, that voice while we are alive as well. The simple words, “I believe in you.” can make almost anyone’s heart soar. Much like the lessons we learned on appreciating each other last week, letting someone know you believe in them can change their world and all it will cost you is a breath and a second of your time.

When you are faced with a situation such as having heart surgery, it certainly causes you a moment of reflection. I looked back on my life and there was a lot of things that I shook my head at. I am sure we all have those. “Why did I say that?” “Why did I treat that person so harshly?” we all know those thoughts. What I did notice that gave me a great deal of peace, is that I worked on getting better every day. Sure, I might have done a lot wrong up to this point. I might continue to do some wrong in the future. What is true is that every day I tried to correct the mistakes I had made that day and to become a better version of myself. Not only did this benefit the world and those around me, but in a moment where you are quite honestly looking in the eyes of death, that is something that gives your soul some peace. With that thought in mind, I implore all of you to work on getting a little bit better every day. The world will thank you. Those around you will thank you. Most importantly, your soul will thank you.

As far as what will happen when they cut me open. What will I see? What has this whole journey been like? I am currently writing a book about the entire thing and it should be available in April of 2022 if everything goes according to plan. In regards to improving yourself and becoming the best version of you, that can be found in my 2 books, A Happy Life for Busy People and Living the Dream. Both of which you can find on the link below this post. I hope to see you all on the other side. Remember I believe in you and to love yourself and each other!

CLICK HERE TO GAIN ACCESS TO MY BOOKS

DO IT NOW!!!

I am about to go through some intense personal issue. More about that in tomorrow’s post. To help my thinking through this challenge, and to help those who may share the same challenge behind me, I am writing a book about the entire journey. While doing so, I recalled something that got me through some of the toughest periods of my life. It wasn’t so much one thing as several things that could be included under one major activity. That one activity that helped me more than anything was working on improving myself.

If 2020 taught us anything, it is that the world can be turned upside down in a second. It can also do so with little or no warning. Take having to quarantine. Early in March of 2020, Margie and I had to spend 14 days locked in our house together. At that point, they knew little of the pandemic that was to sweep the nation and the world. It was fortunate for us that we had worked on our relationship non-stop up to that point. In doing so, we were able to enjoy the time we spent together and it felt like one big sleep over. In fact, we were a little sad to have it end and have me return back to work.

The sad part of the story is that many couples were not this lucky. I personally know of a few that ended up splitting up after being forced to spend more time in close physical space together than they were used to. These couples never spent the effort to continue to work on their relationship and help it to grow and evolve. Things such as working on healthy communication, conflict resolution and just really listening to your partner can come in handy in situations like this.

The same can be said for a health challenge. If you are faced with a needed procedure or surgery, it is a little late to worry about whipping yourself into shape. When the doctor tells you that your arteries are blocked and you need emergency surgery, it is a little late to think about eating more oatmeal and less burgers. There is a quote that says “It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one, than to have one and not be prepared.” The same is true with a challenge. That is why I encourage you all to work on improving yourself and your life today. Find fun and enjoyable ways to become the best version of yourself. Even if your world doesn’t turn upside down, you will still be better prepared for any opportunity that comes your way.

DO YOU WANT TO BE AN INFLUENCER?

A LOT OF PEOPLE THESE DAYS HAVE THE GOAL OF BECOMING AN INFLUENCER. THEY SEE THE LAVISH LIFESTYLES OF PEOPLE LIKE THE KARDASHIANS, INTERNET MODELS AND GAMERS AND THINK, “WOULDN’T IT BE GREAT TO HAVE THAT KIND OF INFLUENCE?”

LET US LOOK AT WHAT AN INFLUENCER ACTUALLY IS. SIMPLY DEFINED, IT IS A PERSON WITH A GROUP OF FOLLOWERS WITH WHOM THEY HOLD SWAY AND AFFECT THEIR CHOICES AND ACTIONS. THE STANDARD THOUGHT IS THE GREATER NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS, THE MORE OF A SUCCESSFUL INFLUENCER YOU ARE.

I HAVE TO DISAGREE WITH THAT DEFINITION OF SUCCESS. I CERTAINLY WOULD SAY THAT QUALITY TRUMPS QUANTITY EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK. I BELIEVE THE STRONGER YOUR INFLUENCE AND THE MORE POSITIVE AND INSPIRING IT IS, THE MORE SUCCESSFUL YOU ARE. IF YOU HAVE A MILLION FOLLOWERS, BUT WHAT YOU SAY HAS LITTLE, IF ANY, POSITIVE IMPACT ON THEIR LIVES, YOU ARE NOT A VERY INFLUENTIAL PART OF THEIR LIVES.

HERE IS A GREAT SECRET – YOU ARE ALREADY AN INFLUENCER! WHETHER YOU ARE A BOSS AT WORK, SOMEONE YOUR COWORKERS LOOK FORWARD TO INTERACTING WITH, A PARENT, A GREAT FRIEND OR EVEN JUST SOMEONE WHO HAS CONTACT WITH OTHERS (THAT SHOULD COVER EVERYONE) YOU ARE AN INFLUENCER. HERE IS THE QUESTION, HOW DO YOU INFLUENCE AND IMPACT THEIR LIVES? DO YOU INSPIRE YOUR EMPLOYEES? DO YOU APPRECIATE YOUR COWORKERS? DO YOU ENCOURAGE AND MOTIVATE YOUR CHILDREN? DO YOU SUPPORT YOUR FRIENDS? DO YOU SHOW KINDNESS AND COMPASSION TO STRANGERS AND THOSE YOU INTERACT WITH?

THINK OF HOW YOU INFLUENCE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE TODAY. EVEN MORE IMPORTANT, PLAN HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO IN THE COMING YEAR.

ARE YOU WILLING TO DO IT?

WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE QUESTION I AM MOST OFTEN ASKED IS, “HOW DO YOU DO IT?” THIS CAN BE IN REFERENCE TO MAINTAINING A POSITIVE OUTLOOK, BEING ABLE TO OVERCOME OBSTACLES, HAVING A RELATIONSHIP THAT IS AMAZING AND ALWAYS GETTING BETTER OR A HOST OF OTHER THINGS.

THE ANSWER IS NOT A SECRET OR A SIMPLE HACK. IT IS WORK. NOW, I’VE DEVELOPED PROCESSES THAT ARE BOTH ENJOYABLE AND REQUIRE VERY LITTLE EFFORT, BUT THEY STILL REQUIRE YOU TO TAKE SOME ACTION. WHY WOULDN’T YOU? IT IS YOUR LIFE WE AT TAKING ABOUT HERE! A FEW SIMPLE TWEAKS TO YOUR EVERYDAY CAN HAVE HUGE IMPACTS ON THE OUTCOME OF YOUR LIFE.

THERE ARE LOTS OF FUN SECRETS YOU CAN EMPLOY TO TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE INTO ONE OF YOUR DREAMS AND THEY CAN ALL BE FOUND IN MY BOOKS, A HAPPY LIFE FOR BUSY PEOPLE, AND LIVING THE DREAM. A LINK TO THEM WILL BE AT THE END OF THIS POST. I’M GOING TO GIVE YOU WHAT I THINK IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL TOOLS I PERSONALLY USE IN THIS POST. I USE IT WHILE WORKING OUT, AT WORK ON OCCASION, IN THE CAR ON THE WAY TO WORK OR THE GROCERY STORE FOR THAT MATTER. I USE THIS TOOL WHEREVER I CAN FIT IT IN.

HERE IT IS – I LISTEN TO SOMETHING THAT WILL EITHER TEACH, MOTIVATE OR INSPIRE ME. I DO THIS EVERY SINGLE DAY. IT HAS CHANGED MY PERSPECTIVE ON LIFE. I HAVE HAD THE CHANCE TO LEARN AND GROW THANKS TO AUDIO BOOKS. IT KEEPS MY MOOD AND VIBRATION HIGH ON DAYS WHEN I NEED A BOOST.

SOME PEOPLE TELL ME THEY DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS. LISTEN, EVERYONE HAS TIME. I HAVE 7 DIFFERENT OCCUPATIONS IN INVOLVED IN. I STILL FIND TIME. IT IS USING WHAT TONY ROBBINS CALLS N.E.T. TIME MEANING “NO EXTRA TIME” YOU DO IT WHEN YOU’RE DOING SOMETHING ELSE. POP EARBUDS IN WHILE DOING DISHES. HAVE AN AUDIO BOOK IN THE CAR FOR YOUR TRIPS TO AND FROM WORK.

EVEN DOING THIS 5 DAYS A WEEK WILL CREATE A BIG CHANGE. ALL IT REQUIRES IS TO JUST PUSH PLAY. WHAT WE PUT IN OUR MIND IS WHAT MANIFESTS IN OUR LIFE. START FILLING IT WITH GREAT STUFF!