Sunday Restoration and Giving Thanks

Friday I urged you when I posted my TGIF post to do the following:

"Live today with an attitude of gratitude

continue through the weekend

and stop on Sunday to reflect on how you felt"

Did you take the time to do that?

Did you make the time to follow through?

Give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength.

Give thanks in all that you have to share.

Ever hour perhaps we should be able to say thank you!

How would that change your perception of the day

Give thanks to all : )

Worth the repeat!

Give thanks to all : )

Today take the time to be thankful for this

Make time to be thankful for this

May your week ahead be blessed 

I am grateful to be able to send you a smile : )

Victor Yakin

victoryakin@gmail.com

www.victoryakin.com

Taking Gratitude In Force (TGIF)s

So my question for you today is simple:

Can you list 3 things? 5? 10 ?

What are you grateful for today : )

Imagine that!

Not just one thing

2 things

3 things

Everything

Watch the change in your attitude

A moment that starts when you open your eyes in the morning

Stop the struggle of life

Start with gratitude

develop your attitude

Watch for increased Joy !

Smiles sent your way, today and always : )

Victor Yakin

victoryakin@gmail.com

www.victoryakin.com

Monday Motivation and Counting Your Blessings

When things are going great it is easy to count our blessings.  The triumph is when the valley's come into our world can we still wake up and say Thank You?

When all seems to have turned there backs on us can we still take stock on what blessings we are in fact grateful for?

Counting Blessings are even more important when the road gets uneven, it keeps the navigation system pointing in the right direction.

No blessings to count?  Your reading this aren't you?  You have your mind to comprehend?  Your health enables you to wake up each day.  The list is yours start it today.

Cash will spend true but blessings you can always count on

Count your blessings for sure

but let your blessings count in the life of others

Priceless for you and the one you shared with 

Who brings out the best in you?

Count your blessings that they shared the time to share 

Who do you bring out the best in?

The answer is in your heart

The action leaves a impression on the person forever

Turn your world around

Wake up and thank the energy that surrounds you

Step on the floor with gratitude that you can

Meditate for 10 minutes in solitude and listen and be still

Start with a smile in the mirror to the one that makes it all matter

That would be you

Smiles sent to you as always  : )

Victor Yakin

victoryakin@gmail.com

www.victoryakin.com

On solitude, on being still, and quiet and making the time to listen

It is only when we silent the blaring sounds of our daily existence that

we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as

it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts.

~K.T. Jong

After you read this post and before you go on to your next make some deliberate time for solitude.  Be still and be quiet.

Listen to your whispers of truth, just be still and listen.

Present your most pressing or dominant problem or life struggle and be still.

Be quiet...... Listen to the silence, to your inner most thoughts.

Silently and with out hurry lift your pain, your worries, your noise up to God in prayer.  Give thanks for all that you have that is good and ask for the wisdom, admit your weakness and turn the problem over to God and listen to the whispers of truth that your heart already knows, its knocking, do you hear it?

Only in quiet waters do thing mirror themselves undistorted.

Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world.

~Hans Margolius

A quiet mind, no noise, no music, no t.v. perhaps a walk and a sit in natures glory.  But no noise, no sitting in traffic is noise.  Find that quiet place, a lake, an empty park, a quiet forest.

Listen and be quiet and sit still from all the noise this world has a habit, a daily habit of presenting.

Be still

Be quiet

Pray

Give thanks

Present your troubles to God

Listen

Be still

Be quiet

Inside myself is a place where I live all alone, and

that's where I renew my springs that never dry up.

~Pearl Buck

Renew your springs of joy, of laughter, wear your smile, that simple smile as you would a fresh clean shirt.  Wear it, use it, share it.

Often I think that being alone, living alone, sucked..... no... our thoughts suck.

Our beliefs and perceptions, suck.  We don't use solitude or that quiet time enough.

I used to love when my wife, Janice would call me before or after work.  I looked forward to it to share, to listen, to compare notes, to share love.

But, when faded away, as her love and commitment did, the perception turned from waiting for her to call to me calling her, and often the call was quiet, on sided, and inattentive towards me and towards each other.  The quiet on her end was deafening and nothing I said or could do would help.

Next Monday would have been our 1st anniversary.

Who does that, leaves in the first year, turns their back on commitment and just goes, does not call, sends an email and wants nothing at all.  Who does that and what are they truly about?

On my wardrobe for that year stood a vase and the bouquet, the wedding bouquet of flowers, I left there and yesterday got very tired of looking at .

So I took the vase and the bouquet and removed all the artificial flowers, ribbon  and took it apart and discarded in in the family trash can.

For 359 days those flowers stuck together, showed beauty, shared the binding of the floral tape and wire.

It was about 20 days longer than we stuck together.  It was time to discard them.

I appreciate the effort and time the person that made these took, the beauty that they saw in those flowers separated was much like the beauty that I saw in Janice when we first met and years later when we lived together.

The fact is the flowers meant nothing, signified nothing and they too deserved to be unwound.  Maybe not tossed away but everything has a shelf life in the artificial flower world.  Shelf live in marriage should not exist it should be forever.

I takes work.  It takes both parties effort and commitment. That she walked away from.  The phone still does not ring.  And it won't.  Nor will an email from me flow, or a text, or anything at all.

I will choose to be quiet.

To be still

To listen

To love

To share

To heal

To laugh

To smile and I will wear that smile proudly.  So should you......

As always smiles sent your way !  : )

10/05/11

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Trust and Faith with plenty of belief

A story from Corrie Ten Boom:

Often I have heard people say, "How good God is!

We prayed that it would not rain for our church picnic,

and look at the lovely weather!"

Yes, God is good when He sends good weather.

But God was also good when He allowed my

sister, Betsie, to starve to death before my eyes in

a German concentration camp.

I remember one occasion when I was very discouraged there.

Everything around us was dark, and there was darkness in my heart.

I remember telling Betsie that I thought God had forgotten us. "No,

Corrie," said Betsie, "He has not forgotten us. Remember His Word:

"For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him."

Corrie concludes, "There is an ocean of God's love available - there

is plenty for everyone. May God grant you never to doubt that

victorious love - whatever the circumstances."

No matter what the circumstances.

Never Doubt.

God has not forgotten.

God's love is available there is an ocean of his love and plenty for everyone and yes there is enough for you.

No matter your problem, God and his word and his promise is there for all!

Yes your problems may feel overwhelming, they often do feel that way.

My prayer and wish is that your problems and circumstances never get as dark as those that Betsie and Corrie Ten Boom had those days in the concentration camp.

My prayer and wish is that you always take time to pray, to give thanks to live a life of gratitude.

A quote from E. M. Bounds:

When trust is perfect and there is no doubt,

prayer is simply the outstretched hand ready to receive.

Trust perfected is prayer perfected.

Trust looks to receive the thing asked for and gets it.

Trust is not a belief that God can bless or

that He will bless, but that He does bless, here and now.

Trust always operates in the present tense.

Hope looks toward the future.

Trust looks to the present.

Hope expects. Trust possesses.

Trust receives what prayer acquires.

So, what prayer needs, at all times,

is abiding and abundant trust.

He will bless you, your prayer and your door is about to open.

Never quit just before the dawn of a new day.  Some people have the impatience to quit just before the new door was about to open.  Don't let that happen to your answered prayer, or to your efforts to a better way.

It takes effort, answered prayer often comes with our free will to work towards a better way.  But God has the ability to place people in our path that makes those ways easier and he blesses us with all the tools needed.

Tools like Faith, His word, His promise, His love.

Never give up

Never give in

Never ever lose the gift of love and forgiveness.

Dream Big, Pray often, Love Forever, Laugh for no reason and always, always take time to smile!

As always smiles sent your way !  : )

10/03/11

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Looking through the glass

Day one ~ a new month, a new day, a new set of downs, just like football.   I wanted to sleep in today but I awoke with this post in my heart and instead of going back to sleep and catching some zzzzz's here I am typing it out for you to read now or many days later. (Its fun to type these out and know that anyone could read these, days, weeks, generations later.)

I like that, who needs sleep...lol.

A quote....

“Just look down the road and tell me if you can see either of them."

I see nobody on the road." said Alice.

I only wish I had such eyes,"the King remarked in a fretful tone. "To be able to see Nobody! And at such a distance too!”

― Lewis Carroll

Oh if we could see the future, if we could look down the road and see anything that would lead us, I guess that is why we have God and why we pray the Lord's Prayer....

'...And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'

That will have to do....we have our heart, our feelings and our little voice inside that says 'wait, stop, think first'...sometimes we just don't listen or pray first.

Stop...Listen....Pray...Give thanks...Ask for wisdom.

Who does not love to go to the zoo or pet store.  All the cute, cuddly and you just want to love animals.  They put this glass many times in between us.  They even ask us not to tap on the glass...and what to almost all of us do...tap..tap, tap... What the animals on the other side must think.

My thought today is what if you had the chance to tap, tap, tap on our glass that surrounds your world.  What would you think about you? What would you say about now?

We all think in that world of me, our ego drives us to the next destination that it sees fit for us.  We go along, playing our song and sometimes on auto pilot we just do with out much thought. We just do....

Here is a thought, what if we slowed down just a bit, and took a small leap, for some a giant leap, outside our ego and tapped on our glass.  What if we asked these four little questions.

What are you doing?

What do you really want?

Are you on the road to getting there?

What would you do if you were free?

Think about it, during your next major event in your life, take sometime and tap, tap, tap....and look from the outside looking in at your event.

What are you doing?

Is it really in line with your goals, do you have goals written down? Do you think your on the right path and direction?

What do you really want?

A quick review of your actions, thoughts and feelings right now. What if anything is in conflict with what your really want for you.

Are you on the road to getting there?

A change of direction if needed?  A prayer to ask for wisdom?  A stop and lets slow it down a bit maybe sort of action.  If you listen and truly listen to that still soft voice from within you will make the right choice.  Oh it may not be popular with your ego self but it will be right.

Is it not what you truly want, to be right, to do right for you?

Last question as you tap, tap, tap on your looking glass.

What would you do if you where free?

Stop, your saying, what do you mean by that...I am free...right?

We all have things that bind us, slow us down, prevent us from unstoppable bliss.  Maybe its fear, the unknown, our health, our feeling of wanting more....  These things can bind us, slow us down, cause us to feel caged.

So what of it?  What if you where free of these things, what if you just woke up one day, one moment, one minute and said ....

I am free!

Free from fear.

Free from worry.

Free from taking care of stuff that I know pass over to God.

Lord give me wisdom, give me that wisdom in my interaction with others today.  Help me Lord, to leave any worries, any fears, any illness with your loving touch.

Help me Lord to make a difference, to shine my light, to inspire another to smile, to be whole again.

A simple prayer, but a prayer that in the end says I am now free.

Tap, tap, tap.....everyone should look through there own glass once in awhile.  You might just see what Alice in the quote from the start didn't see......seeing something is always better than not looking at all.

Dream ~ Smile ~ Laugh~ Love always

and as always smiles sent out to you!  : )

10/01/11

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Something more amazing : )

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous,

leading to the most amazing view.

May your mountains rise

into and above the clouds.

~Edward Abbey

A wish for you today, this day that your day be amazing!

Lets define amazing; From the Online Dictionary

–adjective

causing great surprise or sudden wonder.

Every step in life can be amazing if you use that definition you would have to agree.

The nightly news is amazing.

The person next to you driving by texting, reading, multitasking along who seems oblivious to anything around him.  That is amazing as well.

The world is full of amazing things.

Amazing - great surprise and wonder......

Watch this video....

 

Now that is amazing, wanted to share something that was shared by another.

The last line in the video

If you don't get a miracle.....Become one

We all can become amazing, we all have had that moment of surprise, awe, wonder when we became that amazing moment in the life of another.

Amazing....

Be that smile that lights another persons day

Be that laughter that is shared with another, lifts their spirit higher.

Be that change agent that makes a gloomy day something more, just because you were in it.

We can be all that and more, for ourselves, our family, and those around us.  Something More....

A quote that I will leave you with a Chinese proverb

I hear: I forget / I see: I remember / I do: I understand

Do something more...

Dream ~ Smile ~ Laugh~ Love always

and as always smiles sent out to you!  : )

09/30/11

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Being Thankful that storms will always pass in time and so will the pain and discomfort.

“I thank everyone that has caused me to suffer,

without you I would have no reason to express myself.”

~Author Unknown

Imagine all the work that has been done that has been inspired by pain and suffering.  So much of that work, music, movie, books written done be people that have been there, done that.  Because of their experience they could share, they did share.

To give thanks, even to those who hurt you is immeasurable power. For with out that pain and suffering you would not be able to appreciate those who bring so much joy and love to your life.

Pain and suffering will pass, like a raging storm that causes flood and destruction, they both will pass on to the next town.  Sure the clean up will be extensive but the suffering will soon end because of the action and work put forth.  Because of the people who mean so much to you who help to pick up the debris left behind.

Oh sure, you will have to do much of this pick up and clean up yourself.  Others have their own suffering and debris to get rid of.

But no doubt if you can look back in your life and think of the things that have gone wrong, the pain and suffering caused and you can say "thank you" to that event or person, not carry any bitterness, not carry any hate, or thoughts of revenge.  Then your ability to appreciate the full spectrum of life, the good, the bad, the ugly and the awesome will be much more vivid and impactful.

So if the storm is raging in your life now, know it will pass, it is even passing now.  Right now it is moving for nothing stays the same, things change, life has a constant motion.

We of course can aid in the change, how we perceive the current wind.  The rain can be helpful to wash away the dirt, the debris. Our perception will always be important on how we view our pain and suffering.

The constant is always our thoughts and desire to let go of what has caused your discomfort.  Giving thanks and praise to God in our prayers has extreme impact on how we view our growth from said event.

So today, heck everyday, view your moments of suffering, the pain or mild discomfort.  Take time to reflect on the passing of the storm, the clean up of those who helped you carry on.  The person, place or thing that caused the pain or event. Give thanks to all for all played a role in the healing process.

Pain is inevitable as is suffering.

However so is laughter, joy, love and forgiveness.

Share that smile today, pray that prayer, laugh for no good reason but just to feel that lift of the spirit.

Love always and as always smiles sent out to you!  : )

09/29/11

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Sharing since March 09, 2009

Make ME Smile Online

Monday Motivational Moment *New* 07/18/11

Happy Monday to you all!  Are you ready for it?  I mean really ready for today.  I love the day, I love most days but trust me life is not a rose garden for me with out any thorns.  I don't want you to get the wrong idea of life in my world.

It is just the idea and the attitude that I try to carry within my heart and soul that I can make a difference and that my self talk and gratitude attitude sets the pace for the day.

I hope you enjoyed your weekend and that you made a difference whether for your family or a complete stranger.

Yesterday I spoke about taking care of the garden of thoughts that we all have the power to tend.

To keep with that theme a quote:

 

A man sooner or later discovers that he is

the master-gardener of his soul,

the director of his life.

~James Allen

It is far better to know this sooner in life of course.  It is also a must that you try to teach your children that quote as well.

Imagine if you knew that as a young child, as a young adult and prevented I am sure mishaps along lifes journey.

No probably at that young age you thought you knew most of the lessons of life, or so you thought.

You looked at your mom and dad and said, 'I will do it better'.

And life went on with the twists and turns and the speed bumps.

Sure everything happens for a reason, with out a doubt.

Failure is perhaps the best teacher in life.

But too often we think as we stumble and fall that this is so tragic and that how is this fixable.

In fact everything in life is like a garden, if you pay attention and take care of your crop you will sow a nice harvest.  In life the nice harvest would equate to gratitude, happiness within, the ability to enjoy laughter and even enjoy a tear or two.

Does life always promise a harvest of joy, hardly, storms do come but I have said this before it is how we handle the storm, how we react to the storm that matters most.

Take life slow and steady in your decisions and actions. Allow yourself the time to think out the possible outcomes.

But as far as laughter, or dreams, or the passion to do your very best.  Take the plow and the hoe and take to the fun of planting your dreams in strong and steady soil.

The soil that will help the roots of life's decisions take a strong grip.

Dream

Laugh

Smile

and yes even cry each day, just a little and you will find your master garden blooming plenty to go around.

May your pantry in your soul be filled with love and smiles.  Plenty to share and even enough to give away.

Have a great week everyone and have fun playing in your garden.

Smiles to you this day and everyday! : )

**************

Make ME Smile Online

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Stand out in a sea of frowns and Make a Difference

Staying in Focus on Sunday *New* 07/17/11

Happy Sunday everyone!  A day to reflect, give thanks and share with those who you love. May this day be all that and more!

Yesterday I shared with you a few tips on putting that sizzle back into your life.  Taking control of your gratitude attitude would be added to that list.

Without gratitude playing a major role in your life you have a constant flow of thoughts that say, is this all there is ?  The desire for more will overwhelm and your thought process towards the day will feel like a ferris wheel moving a bit then stopping. Not a great feeling even when the wheel moves at a faster speed your still just going in circles.

Moving ahead and forward with gratitude is key here.

Today is a great day, everyday is a great day.  It is all you have to have is the desire and attitude to allow your spirit and soul to enjoy each step you take.

The best part of Sunday is what you make it.  For me its that early morning sunshine, that first cup of coffee.  Listening to nature right outside of my window as I type away.

I start everyday with a first step of gratitude and passion for the day that awaits me.  I start each morning with prayers of thanks to God above for letting me

have another day in the beauty of nature and life.

My focus today will be on adding gratitude into your life. Making it part of your daily habit and keeping it in your thought process at all times.

A quote about Gratitude:

Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.

~Oprah Winfrey

Being thankful and tending to your garden of thoughts.  A garden that should be free of anger, free of disappointment and free of envy or jealousy.

The garden of thoughts that you tend to should be watered each day with words of gratitude.  Taking notice to how those words effect the other and help your thoughts grow straight and tall with plenty of nutrients to feed upon during your day
.

The tending to your garden of thoughts should be early in the day, when the morning new still protects and helps with the feeding of your spirit and soul.

Early morning prayers and meditation and taking care of your body with proper nourishment will give you the best start to any day.  It does not have to be for long, only as long as it would take to have any conversation with a friend or loved one.

This conversation or words of gratitude is with God and the energy that surrounds you.  A conversation that says all is good and I am so grateful and blessed to have my life, my nature that sits outside and all around.

The tending to your garden of thoughts should be careful and with careful attention to any negative word or action that hides in your soul and spirit.

Replace it with love and kindness to that spirit of yours.  Take time to reflect and appreciate what you bring to your plot in your garden.

Admire your beauty.

Admire your accomplishments.

Give thanks for life that has been given this day.

Give praise to those who give you unconditional love.  Family and friends who always are close by when you need them the most.

Tend to your garden and remove all that is bad.

Tend to your garden of thoughts and give the attention it has to have.

For a garden of plants left unattended will become full of weeds, and harmful agents that will destroy its beauty.

So it is with the garden of thoughts, pay close attention and nurture your spirit and soul and beliefs with love.

A quote:

If you can, help others; if you cannot do that,

at least do not harm them.

~Dalai Lama

I modify it for you today and it is to teach and inspire and not to take away the beauty of the words above.

If you tend and monitor your thoughts each day and go forth with words that empower and strengthen your way.

You will find that your spirit and soul as it interacts will help and light the path to a more productive life.

A life that helps others and gives them hope and

if it does not help another in a kind and gentle way it will at the very least not harm you along your journey.

But perhaps shine a light for another and

gently light the path they may be upon.

Light your path with words that give hope and energy.

Light your path with gratitude

Light your path and know that smiles are sent your way from myself of course but others who take pride that your their friend today.

Enjoy your day !

**************

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Join today !

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Stand out in a sea of frowns and Make a Difference