This Thought Counts

Life is a game. And no, I’m not talking about business deals where you have to cheat someone to get what you want. I’m talking about a game. It should be fun. F.U.N. Life is not supposed to be a chore. It should be filled with so much joy you can hardly stand it. Every morning you should wake up excited to play again. Feel that something is missing? Turn life back into a game. Figure out what you want, learn how to attract that into your life, and then receive it. Play the game. It’s worth it.

Children are overlooked far too often. They see the world through a unique view, one adults the world over need to re-learn. Anything is possible. Absolutely anything. Ask questions. Laugh and play. Let things go. Cry when you need to, hug a stuffed (or real) animal, and then eat a cookie. Go out and be a child today. Look at everything with awe and wonder. See everything about you with new eyes. I think you’ll be surprised at what you see.

Notice the beauty around you. The mountains outside of your bedroom window, the trees in the park on your way to work, the elderly barista who makes coffee slower than anyone but always has a smile for you and adds a dose of love to every latte she makes. The flowers in bloom? The fresh coat of paint on what used to be an old, rundown building? The cute dog fresh from the groomer rolling in the mud? Yes, you’ve seen all of these, but did you recognize them for the beauty they were. Stop. Pay attention. Beauty is everywhere. Go indulge in looking at it. Be the beauty.

Smile. Seriously. Smile. Walk down the street and smile at the next person you see. Smiles are contagious and 99 times out of 100, that smile will be returned, even more vibrant than your own. The one time it doesn’t? It wasn’t you. Probably that person wasn’t even paying attention. Smiling makes you feel better. It’s hard to think bad thoughts when you have a perma smile on your face. Smiling takes less muscle-work than frowning. Consider it the ultimate toner for your face. No frowny lines here! Now that's worth at least two smiles at least!

Today, I want you to thank those who have taught you. Could be your religious leaders, could be the teachers from The Secret, could be Neville Goddard or Florence Scovel Shinn…it could be anyone. But thank them for their amazing contribution in your life. How? By studying and putting into practice what they taught you. Have you bought one of their books and not read it? Now’s the time. Learned something and not put it into practice? Now’s the time. Found yourself losing interest in that particular guru’s teachings? Find another. We receive information when we need it and in time may outgrow that particular guru’s lessons. And that is okay. You may find you return to them in twenty years, looking at them with new eyes and learn at an even deeper level. Or you may find you never need to read from that individual again. And that is all okay. There are so many teachers out there. Find one that interests you, dive in. Read, study, devour, and put their teachings to the test. Do the...

All right. Short. Simple. To the point. Stop picking on yourself. Don’t nitpick your hair, your eyes, or your ability to learn languages. Stop looking at the bad stuff. Instead, notice the good stuff about you. Compliment yourself. At first it might feel like it's the hardest thing to do, but what you notice will expand and soon you will notice even more positive things about you. So what are you waiting for?

Stop harping on yourself for your mistakes. Yes, you are trying to lose weight. Yes, you ate that chocolate donut. Guess what? So? One donut does not mean you ‘fell off’ your diet. If you tell yourself you ‘fell off’, all you do is feel guilty, feel like you’ve failed, and once you feel like you’ve failed? You’ve as good as failed, haven’t you? Because the universe just gives us what we expect. Yes, you are on a new exercise plan. You have every intention of running the half-marathon in six weeks and are training like mad. But this morning? You woke up and threw the alarm across the room and immediately went back to sleep. Again. SO WHAT! One time. One time you did it. That’s nothing. A blip on the radar screen. Instead of blaming yourself, wake up feeling refreshed and have a great day. Why do I suggest this? Because in the large scheme of things, one thing truly does not matter. And the Law of Resistance says that what we continue to resist expands. What does that mean? If w...