An Attitude of Gratitude

Having an attitude of gratitude every day makes us aware of the blessings that come our way.

~ Stacy J. Coles

Thanksgiving dinner is over, but our attitude of gratitude should be on-going. It's great when a holiday gives you a reason to sit down and think about what you're thankful for. But it shouldn't take a turkey dinner to help us remember all the blessings in our lives. Gather the family and find some fun ways to remind one another of what you're grateful for and make the gratitude attitude last.

Make a thankful tree. Cut leaf or ornament shapes out of colored construction paper. Have each member of your family write down what they are thankful for. Then, punch a hole in each cutout and string it on a tree. Use it as a centerpiece or decoration.

Play a thankful game. Sit in a circle and play catch with a blown-up balloon or bouncy ball. Whoever catches the balloon or ball uses a Sharpie marker and carefully writes down what they are thankful for. By the time everyone in the circle has had a turn, the balloon or ball is covered with blessings.

Create a thankful journal/scrapbook. Every year, take a picture, draw a picture, or write about what you are thankful for. Compiling these blessings is a great reminder of what we are blessed with over the years.

Play "blessing" Scrabble. As you follow the regular rules to this word-making game, take a minute after creating your word to name a blessing that starts with each letter of your Scrabble word. It might just become your favorite way to play.

If you're not the game-playing type, simply ask your kids, parents, siblings, and/or friends what they're thankful for. Or, better yet, tell your kids, parents, siblings, and/or friends how thankful you are for them being in your life. Thank them for helping you, inspiring you, or just putting up with you.

There is always something to be thankful for. It's important to remember all that we've been given and give thanks where thanks is due. Having an attitude of gratitude every day makes us aware of the blessings that come our way.

Gratitude Attitude

Congratulations to ...

Sheila Staley

You are the lucky "Thankful For Books" Blog Hop winner here at Say This Write.

Thanks to all of you who participated. I loved your comments and hope you return and keep reading my posts!

Thankful For Books Giveaway Hop

It's Blog Hop Time!

Now that the election is over, we can reflect on what we're thankful for. Whether or not your favorite candidate won, we can all be thankful that we no longer have to listen to campaign ads or avoid campaigning tele-marketers. And whether or not you feel like your vote even counted (due to the fact that the winner was called before all the votes were even in), we can be thankful that we live in a wonderful country where we have the right to vote.

Indeed, we live in a great country. This Thanksgiving season, let's take some time to reflect on our loving families, wonderful friends and good neighbors who help make it great. Let's remind ourselves how truly blessed we are and share our abundance with those in need. Let's pray for our country, our leaders, and those who are in need of extra blessings. And, if there's any extra time left over, sit down and cuddle up with a good book.

During this Blog Hop, you have the chance to win a bunch of great prizes, many of which are books.

To win here, on Say This Write, I'm keeping it pretty simple:
* Leave A Comment (Please include your name and email address so I have a way to contact you if you win!).

For extra entries, you can also:
* Join this site.
* Like my blog page (click the "Like" button on the right).
* Recommend this blog on Google (click the "g +1" button on the right).

What will you win, you ask? An autographed copy of my inspiring short story, Enjoy Today ... Before It Slips Away. It will come with a bow and custom gift tag, ready to give to that special someone in your life. (The holidays ARE just around the corner!)

This story follows Sarah through many stages of her life. She is constantly telling her mom she wants to grow up and her mother patiently reminds her to enjoy each moment before it's gone. It's a great reminder to enjoy the little things in life; a great story to have and share for the holidays.  

Before you go, click on the link below for the complete list of all the other stops on the Blog Hop. Each stop on the Hop offers fabulous prizes.

http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=164497

Don't Let Debt Weigh You Down

Take charge of your finances. Don't let your finances take charge of you.

~ Stacy J. Coles

The holiday season is just around the corner and it seems to hit earlier every year. We already hear Christmas music in the stores and see decorated trees in display windows. Now, before you make your list and check it twice, take a minute to make sure your finances are able to handle the demands of the season.

This is the time of year when too many people run themselves further into debt, unnecessarily. But, there are ways to avoid this and take charge of your finances before they take charge of you.

First, go back to the basics of budgeting. Make a list of all your bills, starting with the smallest and ending with the biggest.

Second, if you can, make a little extra payment (even if it's $5 or $10) on the smallest bill until it gets paid off. Once it's paid off, apply that entire monthly payment to the next bill on your list as additional principle. Continue until the second bill is paid off. Once it's paid off, apply that entire monthly payment to the next bill on your list as additional principle. Are you seeing a pattern here? I promise, it works. If you stick to this, you will be amazed at how fast you can pay off bills.

Third, put something into a savings account every month ~ even if it's five dollars. If you have the option, have a set amount automatically taken out of every paycheck and directly deposited into your savings account. That way, you won't see it; you won't miss it. And when your monthly bank statement arrives, you'll be pleasantly surprised to see your money is growing.

As far as the holidays go, don't spend what you don't have. If you know now there's something you will want to buy for Christmas, make a plan, set aside some money, and buy it free and clear when the time comes. The holidays will be a lot less stressful knowing there won't be a huge bill in the mail after the New Year.

Don't be afraid of the holidays approaching. By making sure your finances are in tact and a little planning, you will be ready to deck the halls without breaking the bank.

Finances

Look For The Good

Whether we look for the good or the bad in a person, we will find it.

~ Stacy J. Coles

We often go through the day and judge people based on the clothes they wear, the car they drive, or the job they have. We quickly label the nature of their character without knowing the nature of their situation.

Just as my late mother often advised me to look for the good in any situation, she also taught me to look for the good in people. There will always be someone around who drives us crazy. It's just human nature. The challenge is to look for something good about that person. Just one thing. Once you've found it, focus on that one thing. Compliment that person. Pray for that person. You'll soon find that your attitude has changed towards that person.

It's not about making those who annoy you your best friends. It's about looking past the annoyances. It's about acceptance. It's about kindness.

If that's too cheesy for you, look at it this way: if there is someone at work or a neighbor who is always angry or ornery, instead of assuming they are terrible and avoiding them, find out what's behind the behavior. Maybe they've just lost someone close to them. Maybe they are going through financial trauma. Maybe they are lonely and their behavior is a protective wall that's been built up over time.

Look for the good and be the one who makes a difference. You don't have to be nosy, just care enough to say "Hi," or smile, or ask how they are doing. A little effort can go a long way.

In the Walt Disney movie, Pollyanna, one little girl changed the attitude of an entire town ~ just by looking for the good. She looked past the ornery townspeople, the rude maids, and her lonely aunt, and found good in each of them. She kept her spirits high when they tried to tear her down and in the end, they had a change of heart. It would have been easy for her to leave everyone to their miserable state of mind, but she chose to look for the good in each one of them until she found it.

Granted, that was just a movie. But, the message is real. Pollyanna referred to a quote by Abraham Lincoln that she wore on a necklace. I changed it to make it a little more positive. This is my version: Whether we look for the good or the bad in a person, we will find it. The choice is ours, every day. We should put more effort in finding the hidden good in others, than focusing so much on the obvious negative.

Look For The Good

Make Your Dreams A Reality

A recent article on MSN Money focused on 11 teens who created their own destiny and became millionaires in the process. As I read, I became more and more inspired. These are regular, every day people who took something they enjoy doing and made a career out of it.

This always seems to happen to other people, doesn't it? How many times do we read these success stories and tell ourselves, "It would be nice, but it will never happen to me!"

Well, why not?!! If you want to be the next success story everyone's reading about, get to work! Years ago, if you wanted to start your own business or venture out to make a dream come true, you needed to get a loan, rent office space, and hire employees. 

Times have changed. For some businesses, office space and employees are still essential. However, social media and technology open doors to a world of possibilities. We all have the potential to make our dreams come true. The question is, how strong is our desire to make it happen? How hard are we willing to work to make things happen?

The only difference between dreams and reality is hard work. There has never been a more inspiring and exciting time than the present to make your dreams part of your every-day life. You might not become a millionaire doing it, but you will find satisfaction in doing what you love.

Dreams To Reality

Change Your State of Mind

If you don't like your situation, change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it.

~ Mary Englebreit

Life isn't always a bowl of cherries, as we all know. Even the most organized person (I know you're out there) doesn't always have things go as planned. So, when we can't change the situation, we have to learn to change our way of thinking.

I often find myself repeating my late mother's words of wisdom to my own children. She was a woman who always had a positive way of looking at things. And when she had scared, nervous, or whiny kids, she talked us through a different way of thinking until our attitude was better ~ no matter what the situation!

Recently, my frazzled and nervous junior high student was preparing for her first day of school. She tried to hold back tears while eating breakfast and told me she no longer wanted to go to school. I asked her, "What's the worst thing that can happen today?" "My locker might not open," she replied. I gently reminded her how many times she had practiced her locker combination. She was a pro. I had no doubt that she would be fine.

This new seventh grader couldn't change the situation that school was starting, but by the time we pulled up in front of the school, she was finally able to change her thinking. Instead of imagining all the things that could go wrong, together, we came up with solutions to possible problems.

After school, she came to the car with an air of confidence and a big, beautiful smile on her face. That was a sad, yet proud, moment that made me realize how grown up she was.

I am grateful for the many words of wisdom I received from my mother. I know I had plenty of times when self-doubt and insecurity got the best of me and my attitude plummeted. But, my mother never let me sulk in self-pity. And to this day, when things go wrong, I try to look for a bright side. It's not always easy, but changing your state of mind is often the best way to make the most of any situation.

State Of Mind