Giving, without expectations . . . .

Have you ever received an anonymous gift? As much as I love anonymous gift giving, I'm always taken back when I receive one! It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it warms my heart. I received one yesterday and I'm already excited to do the same for someone else. It's such a simple, gratifying thing to do! Would you like to join me? Let's deliver holiday smiles through the act of giving......without expecting anything in return. When you give with the full intention of expecting nothing in return, you receive the ultimate reward....knowing that, on that day, you made one person a little happier. How great is that? What a perfect day to be able to do something for someone who cannot repay you, simply because they have no idea who to repay! Give because you want to, and for no other reason. Do it because it feels good. Henry Drummond once said that as you look back on your life, the moments that will stand out are the moments when you have done things for others. 

"Think of giving,

not as a duty,

but as a privilege."

-John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Today is . . . .

For the third straight year, Macy's is celebrating generosity and giving throughout the holiday season by declaring today, December 9th, as National Believe Day. Children across the country are invited to drop off their letters (stamped and addressed to Santa at the North Pole) in the "Believe" mailboxes at any Macy's store. For each letter received, Macy's will contribute up to $1 million to the Make-A-Wish Foundations. However, TODAY, Macy's has increased the donation to $2 per letter received in celebration of National Believe Day. It is their goal to inspire others to act in generous and kindhearted ways.

Write your letter today, telling Santa why YOU believe, and drop it off at your nearest Macy's. Together, Macy's and the Make-A-Wish Foundation will help grant more than 55 wishes across the country to create a day of Wishes Across America for children with life-threatening medical conditions. Wishes Across America was created to inspire others to embrace the spirit of goodwill and make a difference in their own community.

Write a letter to Santa 

telling him why YOU believe

and drop it off TODAY!

The Golden Rule (applies to you too) . . . .

It's simple and powerful. .... "Treat others as you want to be treated." We've got that by now, right? So, do you treat yourself with the same respect? Sounds pretty simple. We all have fairly good intentions when it comes to taking care of ourselves. We try to eat healthy, try to exercise, and try to give ourselves positive strokes. But unfortunately, we so often listen to the voice in our head that beats us up. Whether you realize it or not, when you stop giving good to yourself, you stop giving good to others. Surrounding ourselves with negative people can be one huge reason we so often feel pessimistic! It's easy to forget how much these people influence our own actions. I guarantee you, these are the people who are draining all of your good energy! Don't let them. And yes, they are most likely the reason you may not be giving the best of yourself to others. We become the people we hang out with. Psychologists have proven that "habitual association" with critical, complaining people can be enough to sabotage all of our opportunities for success. So stop! You owe it to yourself to enjoy all the benefits that positive people can give you. They believe in you! They WILL inspire you!....and they can do so much more for you than you realize. They help you put forth the best of who you are. I promise, life will give you back everything you give to it, so give good! It really is simple and powerful. Please remember, when you make feeling good a priority, you are not the only one who benefits! When you are giving the best of yourself, and it is such a gift.

"The Golden Rule is of no use to you whatsoever

unless you realize it is your move."

-Frank Crane

Photo of Melissa Benoist

taken by Nick Vorderman

When you give to others, you give to yourself . . . .

When you love others, it is YOU who will have an amazing life. Give love to others through kindness, encouragement, support, gratitude, or any good feeling, and it comes back to you and multiplies itself, bringing love to every other area of your life, including your health, money, happiness, and career. Give negativity to others, through criticism, anger, impatience, or any bad feeling, and you will receive that negativity back - guaranteed! And as the negativity comes back, it multiplies itself, attracting more negativity, which effects the rest of your life.

Trying to change another person is not giving love! Thinking you know what is best for another person is not giving love! Thinking you are right and another person is wrong is not giving love! Criticizing, blaming, complaining, nagging, or finding fault with another person is not giving love! And get this!!!.....looking for the things you love in a relationship more than noticing the negative things, will appear as if something incredible has happened to the other person. . . . all because you chose to focus on their good. How great is THAT? You win! You now get to enjoy the positive about that person! Why would you choose anything different?


You can't receive anything in life unless you give it first! Whatever you give, you receive, so it's not about the other person at all:  it's all about you! 

You have to be happy to receive the happy versions of other people!

Partial text from the book

The Power

Photo by Nicole Hill Gerulat

Delivering holiday smiles . . . .

Yesterday, a friend shared a story with me about how she had received an anonymous gift, and what that felt like for her. It was a complete surprise to her, and the more we talked about how it came about, the more we felt inclined to pass it on. We realized how simple it would be to keep it going by passing that feeling on to someone else, and agreed to pay it forward. Later that same day, I met with another friend, shared the story with her, and she too wanted to be a part of the challenge.  And so it begins. We plan on delivering holiday smiles anonymously. Pass it on! Make a promise to yourself that you'll give something away (anonymously or not) without expecting ANYTHING in return.

I promise, the ultimate rewards are the warm feelings that come from the act of giving!

Happy Friday!

Have a great weekend !

Photo via Fossil

What will matter . . . .

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, 

hours or days.

All things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten

will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power 

will shrivel to irrelevance.

It will not matter what you owned 

or what you were owed.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations

and jealousies will finally disappear.

So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans 

and to-do lists will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important 

will fade away.

It won't matter where you came from

or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.

It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.

Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter?

How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not your success

but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned

but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity,

compassion, courage, or sacrifice

that enriched, empowered or encouraged others

to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence

but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew,

but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.

What will matter is not your memories,

but the memories that live in those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered,

by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.

It's not a matter of circumstance, but of choice.

-Unknown

Photo via Google Images

What signals are you sending? . . . .

Imagine that all your actions, including the comments that you make, are like drops of water falling into a pond. The ripples they make represent the signals that you send out to the people around you. As the waves hit the bank they turn and come back toward you. Most of the time, by sending out goodness, we can expect goodness to come back to us. I understand that this doesn't happen 100% of the time. We will always encounter those who choose to keep their best behavior to themselves. But I have found that if you live your life this way, the rewards are much greater than you expect.

If our thoughts are dark and our view of life is bleak, only the dark and the bleak will find us. Make a point of focusing your mind on positive thoughts. View your life as full and rich. Learn to trust and love all that you have and all that you are. It is then that the waves of goodness will come splashing back and shower you with the warmth and love that you desire.

Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.

-Mother Teresa

How do you want to be remembered? . . .

A friend of mine lost a family member over the weekend which sparked a thought about leaving a legacy. I'm not referring to a financial legacy. I'm talking about an expression of your personal values, priorities and intentions, and what kind of impact it would have on your family and friends. Have you thought about what stories your loved ones will tell about you after you've gone?  What kind of significant meaning do you think you'll pass on to those you leave behind? We all want to live a life that matters. When I think about all the people I have known that have passed, there are several who have touched my life in such a way that their legacy actually acts as a guide for me.  With one person in particular, I am reminded of his courage, what it took for him to face everyday obstacles, and how he did it with such grace. With another, I think of how it was no effort for her to put others first. It came naturally for her, and she wouldn't have had it any other way. These people made such a lasting impression on me, that it has helped determine MY actions. That is a wonderful contribution! Personally, I feel that if you can put something in the world that wasn't there before; particularly something that could possibly make a difference in the lives of others, then you are well on your way to leaving a meaningful legacy. We worry about a lot of things in this life that ultimately don't matter, and today I'm just reminded to think about the things that do.

Photo by Jeremy Underwood

Give good . . . .

Happy Friday!

Have an incredible weekend!

Photo via Google Images