‘Be kind. Be thoughtful. Be genuine. But, most of all be thankful.’

We’ve all been asked the question: ‘Are you a person who sees the glass as half-full or half-empty?’  My standard answer through the years, trying to be optimistic, is that I’m a half-full guy.’ But, a while back — I’m not even sure when it started — I started trying to give thanks to God daily, hourly, sometimes by the minute, for every single thing in my life.

All of a sudden instead of seeing the glass as half full, I gave thanks that I have a glass that has something in it. I gave thanks for work that I didn’t want to do, for sore muscles, for strength and endurance, for the desire to learn, to think, to make a difference, to try and reach people by stringing a few words together and for the sweat on my brow. In all things, let me say that again, in all things I started giving thanks. And that includes difficult situations, tough days and contrary people! They all make me stronger!

It was not an overnight transformation, but slowly, a little at a time, I started looking at life differently and I really like the eyes I’m viewing the world through right now. A favorite quote of mine says: ‘A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues.’ And I give thanks to God for that!

God’s blessings to you on this day and remember that a thankful heart is a happy heart. Have a great Sunday and a blessed day!

‘God gave you 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one of them to say ‘thank you’?’ — William Ward

I read a story recently that illustrated this quote this way: What if you awakened each morning and a bank had deposited $86,400 in your account. The rules of the bank stated that the money you didn’t spend that day you lost and the money couldn’t be transferred to another account. The next day another $86,400 would be deposited. The second rule is that the bank can close the account at any time with no notice.  So, what would you do with the money? Obviously, you couldn’t spend all that money on yourself every day so you’d shower family and friends and probably people you didn’t even know with part of your daily windfall.

Now, take away the money and apply it to time and it’s the same thing. What time you don’t use today on family, friends, doing good, being a better person, helping others, being kind, thanking God and on and on is forever lost. A deposit of $86,400 has a monetary value while those 86,400 seconds each day is priceless.

Today’s quote has two short sentences and raises one great big question — have you used one of those seconds to say ‘thank you?’ Well … have you?

Blessings to you on this day and my prayer is that you take several of those 86,400 seconds you’ve been given and thank God for another day, another chance, another opportunity. Have a great Saturday and a blessed day!

‘Some people cause happiness wherever they go … others whenever they go.’

Our goal every morning should be to strive to be a ‘wherever’ person and not a ‘whenever’ person.

God’s blessings to you on this day! Have a great Friday and a blessed day!

‘You don’t have to be great to start … but you have to start to be great.’

Recently I had just purchased some gas and was standing in line at the convenience store to pay. A young girl, obviously new on the job, was having some minor difficulties and was clearly flustered. Another cashier came to her assistance as the line grew longer. When it came my turn I asked her if it was her first day on the job and she said ‘yes.’

“I’m going to tell you something that maybe nobody else has told you,” I said, loud enough for everybody in line to hear. “Everybody has had a first day on the job, I don’t care if they’ve worked 30 years at the same place, there was a first day. You’ll be fine, good luck to you!”

I don’t care if you’re trying to build a relationship with God, trying to get a better job, lose weight, get fit, be more positive, be more thankful, be kinder, learn to run a cash register at a convenience store or hundreds of other things, there has to be a first day, a start day.  And again … ‘You don’t have to be great to start … but you have to start to be great.’

God’s blessings to all those who are trying to ‘start’ a new chapter today, tomorrow or in the future. Have a terrific Thursday and a blessed day!

‘I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.’ – Philippians 4:13

This verse is one sentence and only 11 words, but it says so much and is proof of the power of only a few words. And there is one word that really stands out to me. The verse doesn’t say ‘I can do a few things’ … or ‘I can do nearly everything’ … it says I can do ‘ALL’ things.

Think about that for a second, ‘all’ means everything – from every small, menial task to an obstacle that you’re facing that looks like a mountain. In short, all means all … big and small. What a great promise and motivation that provides to start each day! I like that so much I’m going to repeat it — ‘all means all, big and small.’

God’s blessings to you on this day and my prayer is that regardless what’s in your path today, this week or in the future, you will remember those 11 words in Phillipians 4:13 and know that all means all … big and small. Have a great Wednesday and a blessed day!

‘The strongest people aren’t always the people who win, but the people who don’t give up when they lose.’

This quote mentions people who win and lose so a lot of folks will automatically associate this with sports. Instead, I see it as a great illustration of life. Many people have the false belief that the most successful, the most influential, the wealthiest people — those who always seem to win or succeed — are the strongest.

While there is a measure of truth in that belief, you also have to look at the strength, determination, willpower and plain old guts of those who get knocked down but refuse to stay down. Strength can certainly be measured in a variety of ways, but just like today’s offering says, many times the strongest people are those who don’t give up when they lose.’

Being defeated is only a temporary condition … giving up is what makes it permanent.

God’s blessings to you on this day! Have a great Tuesday and a blessed day!

‘Well done is better than well said.’

I grew up in a household where my parents had a ‘saying’ for seemingly every life situation. It was quite an education in itself just listening to the common sense comments they dispensed daily. When I saw this quote it reminded me of a couple of lines my late mother Geraldine tossed out regularly. One of her favorites was ‘action always speaks louder than words,’ which is another play on ‘well done is better than well said.’

But, the line from her that I remember most (50-plus years later) spelled out the difference between talk and action. ‘Talk is cheap, but it takes money to buy groceries.’ In other words, anybody can talk but it’s going to take some action to put food on the table. Does action speak louder than words? The answer to that question is a resounding ‘ALWAYS!’

Or, as one elderly gentleman I knew many years ago said: ‘If you walk the walk … talk ain’t necessary.’

God bless you on this day and my prayers is that you have a ‘well done’ day! Have a great Monday and a blessed day!

‘The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss, but it’s too low and we reach it.’

I recently had a conversation with a parent about young athletes setting what might look like unrealistic goals about college and professional sports. It was an interesting conversation that goes far beyond athletics and applies to everything we do.

While I think its important to reach goals I also think it’s equally important to have that goal, that dream, that seems just out of reach. It’s that goal, the one that seems unattainable that keeps us pushing forward, keeps us focused and keeps us working hard. I recently read another quote that said: ‘Aim for the stars and even if you don’t reach it, you will fly higher than if you aimed at an object on a level with yourself.’

God’s blessings to you on this day and my prayer is that aim high and shoot for the stars! Have a great Sunday and a blessed day!