“Into each life, a little rain must fall.”

Boy, ain’t that the truth?

Everyone encounters problems from time to time. Sometimes they are out of our control, and we feel helpless, frustrated by our inability to take some kind of meaningful action.

The next time something negative happens in your life, big or small, remember this …

“No person, place or thing controls your emotional state unless you give it permission to.”

You have absolute control over how you respond to anything. If a car cuts in front of you suddenly while you are driving to work, you could decide a bout of road rage is the appropriate response. Instead, you could use this common negative experience as a source of gratitude. Continue reading →

More than 3 billion people live on about $2.50 per day (US dollars).

If you live in a modern country or first world nation, odds are you are not one of these people. That is less than $18 dollars per week, and just over $900 for an entire year.

The fact that more than 45% of the world’s population is impoverished economically gives you something to be grateful for.

All you have to do to realize how truly blessed you are is to spend some time with those people not as fortunate as yourself.

Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Give a homeless man or woman a couple of dollars, and more importantly, have a conversation with him or her and give them someone to talk to. Instead of looking down your nose at someone, serve that person, and raise him up. Continue reading →