Tweet

Begin the Practice of 'Thanks-Living'!

Guest post by: Pat Mussieux

Article Overview: When you think of a person who has had a positive influence in your life, have you ever found yourself saying: "Someday, I'm going to send them a note" or "One of these days, I'm going to phone them to let them know what a great influence they've been on me"? I know that we all have those thoughts – because I've had them. I also know that 'someday' may never happen.

Begin the Practice of 'Thanks-Living'!

When you think of a person who has had a positive influence in your life, have you ever found yourself saying: "Someday, I'm going to send them a note" or "One of these days, I'm going to phone them to let them know what a great influence they've been on me"? I know that we all have those thoughts – because I've had them. I also know that 'someday' may never happen.

'Someday' may never happen because:

* We get busy and put off making that call;

* We don't have a card on hand, with a stamp;

* We get distracted;

* We're too shy to tell someone how we really feel (face-to-face);

* We believe that they will always 'be there'!

Well, today is the day! There are times of the year, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, when the sentiments of gratitude build up and we have really great intentions about telling people what we think and how we feel. But we don't follow through.

"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is Thank You, it will be enough." – Meister Eckhart

You can live a happy life if you learn to practice 'thanks-living.!' I first heard this phrase from Dr. Robert Schuller – and have implemented it in my life on a regular basis. What a difference this has made. Practice thanks-living each and every day. It's easy once you get started. Here are a few I learned from him, and some of my own.

1.Be thankful for prayers answered!

2.Be thankful for habits – good ones that you have and the bad ones that you've changed.

3.Be thankful for healings – seen and unseen.

4.Be thankful for the storms you have gone through.

5.Be thankful for the impossibilities – now possibilities.

6.Be thankful for gifts – given and received.

7.Be thankful for hope that springs eternal inside of us.

8.Be thankful for opportunities to share your gifts and talents.

9.Be thankful for your clients – their loyalty and support.

10.Be thankful for the air you breathe – and the freedoms we enjoy.

11.Be thankful for the people who have taught you and inspired you.

I know there are many people who feel isolated and unhappy these days. There are people who feel, at this moment, there is not much for which to be grateful. I've had my share of 'rainy days' and, when those happen, I make a conscious decision to get out and volunteer. When I help someone less fortunate than me, it always picks up my spirits.

I also know the pleasure I get when, spontaneously, I send a card – make a call – pay a visit, to someone who has had a positive influence in my life. I have been on the receiving end of this practice and it feels GOOD!

CONCLUSION

These are busy times. We all have a lot on our minds and our calendars are packed full of commitments. There is always room for one more thing though – and I invite you to adopt the daily habit of 'Thanks-Living'!

We do not get through this life alone and most of us, if not all of us, have had help along the way – a great teacher, a wonderful parent, a good friend, a mentor or a pastor.

Make a commitment today to acknowledge these people who have helped you along the way. You'll be happy you did – while they are still living.

What is the first step you will take as you implement this new habit of 'thanks-living'? Who comes to mind when you think of the people who have inspired you?

YOUR ASSIGNMENT

1. Close your eyes and think of a person (alive) who has had a positive impact on your life.

2. Now, open your eyes, and take time to write a 3-page testimonial to this person.

3. Call that person, arrange a visit and don't tell them why.

4. When visiting with them, read them the testimonial. Within the week, you will feel an elevated sense of happiness!

Related Articles
  How well do you know your product/service?
  Practice Makes Permanent
  National PR for a Local Story
  Meditation Can Change Your Life
  Presentation Tips for Success
  The Importance of Practice
  Perspectives: Your Relationship With Money
  9th of the 10 Kurlan Sales Competencies That are Key to Building a Sales Culture
  The Principle of Abundance
  Work is Best if You "Practice Safe Stress"
  10 Ways to Increase Your Intuition for Greater Success
  Closing Sales Skills --- Improve Your Sales Techniques
  Money Management: 4 Ways to Begin Mastering Your Money Today!
  The 3 Biggest Myths of Entrepreneurial Leadership
  Fail Proof Way To Suceed And Not Fizzle Out
  Building Relationships A Lifetime Skill
  Becoming An Online Entrepreneur: Adding Musical Layers To Your Marketing
  Successful People Use Their Nerves to Deliver Dynamic Presentations
  Unlock Sales Training and Development With These 8 Dynamic Learning & Sales Coaching Keys
  Vision for Career and Life - 10 Powerful Questions

Article Tags: Confidence and courage, happiness, Pat Mussieux, Self Growth, thanksgiving, thanksliving



Related Forum Posts
no-cost Admin help - I agree with Wendy. what is the least amount you can start with to hand off to some one else for 1 hour per week. It can be on a pay or unpaid model. Let's say that you want to give away all your routine email correspondence away to someone else. How do you get this done for no out of pocket expense? Well, first ask yourself - what kind of person would take on such a task? What does this task offer in skill development that will be of value to someone? let's call this person who is going to help you an - Intern. The Intern would most probably want to build on the following skills: - Practice written communication - Improve on Email skills - Internet Research skills to answer some email correspondence There are resources out there such as Craigslist and Oodle.com where you can post such a job and you'd be surprised with the responses you will get to help you on such a project. Some of the responses you may get may come from International Students wanting to improve on their written English skills, 60+ individuals wanting to learn more about the Internet and bored stay at home parents...
Books for Women Entrepreneurs - There's a thread for good books in the Resources folder, but it doesn't target books for businesswomen particularly, so I figured I'd start such a thread here. It doesn't matter how successful you are in your business - it's always possible to learn something new. In subsequent posts I give Table of Contents and brief descriptions for various titles - most of them devoted to the businesswoman - and sometimes a review. If anyone else has read a review, or has read the book and found it useful, please comment! 1. The Old Girl's Network 2. Mother's Work 3. The 7 Greatest Truths About Successful Women 4. Pitch Like A Girl 5. Workplace Warrior 6. Treasure Hunt: Inside the Mind of the Modern Consumer 7. Contingency Planning & Disaster Recovery 8. She Wins, You Win 9. Napoleon On Project Management 10. Why Good Girls Dont' Get Ahead, But Gutsy Girls Do 11. Comeback Moms: How to Leave Work, Raise Children, and Restart your Career even If you Haven't Had a Job in Years 12. The One Minute Millionaire 13. Talking From 9 to 5 14. Soloing: Realizing Your Life's Ambitions 15. 101 Best Home Based Businesses for Women: Everything You Need to Know About Getting Started on the Road To Success 16. Work With Passion: How to Do What You Love for a Living. Revised and Expanded 17. Fail-Proof Your Business: Beat the Odds and be Successful 18. Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End 19. Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide 20. Millionaire Women Next Door: The Many Journeys of Successful American Businesswomen 21. Start Small, Finish Big: Fifteen Key Lessons to Start - and Run - Your Own Successful Business 22. Rewired, Rehired or Retired: A Global Guide for the Experienced Worker 23. The Martha Rules: 10 essentials for achieving success as you start, build or manage a business 24. The Essentials of Entrepreneurship: What it takes to create Successful Enterprises 25. Net Ready: Strategies for Success in the E-conomy 26. The Promotable Woman 27. Leave The Office Earlier: The Productivity Pro shows you how to do more in less time and feel great about it 28. The Work At Home Balancing Act: The professional resource guide for managing yourself, your work, and your family at home 29. Secrets of Six-Figure Women
Different Types of Funding - Finance for business can be obtained through a number of different sources. Let's review some of those channels to help you decide what's right for your business needs: Grants There are over 930 different EU and UK grants and loans available from over 100 issuing bodies. This is the cheapest form of finance and an important part of the funding package that companies and individuals need. We can help you find your way through this maze. Technology Micro Projects: 50% of eligible costs up to £20,000 Research project: For a technical and feasibility study of an innovative idea for new technology 60% of costs up to a grant of £75,000. Development project: For development up to pre production 35% of costs up to a grant of £200,000 Developing an innovative idea: valuable for small companies and individuals at the start of a technical project: 75% of costs of hiring a mentor and consultants. Export To start exporting or moving into new markets grants of 50% of costs up to £20,000 each. Training and Education Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, Achieving Best Practice in Your Business, Investors in People Modern Apprenticeships New Deal for various grants. Environment BOC Foundation for the Environment: 25% to 50% of Project cost, typically £20,000 to £100,000 Clean up Fund: Emission reducing equipment up to 75% of cost Community Chest Fund: Up to £25,000 for projects near active SITA sites High Impact Fund: £150,000+ for larger projects near SITA sites Assisted Areas Regional assistance grants of between 10 and 35% for capital expenditure in less favoured areas of the UK. Loans Loans are an excellent source of finance if you have suitable security to borrow against or a reliable earnings stream. This needs to be planned and presented well to obtain funds. Credit cards Provides up to 56 days free credit if you play the game! Overdraft Banks are surprisingly supportive when presented with a well thought through plan and competent management. Bank Loans Lenders tend to look for a good business plan and security. Typically the loan is approved by a centralised back office function rather than the person you meet. Terms and rates depend upon the risk. Repayments can be very flexible to meet your specific needs. Mortgages These can include flexible repayment terms to meet your business needs. This can even be incorporated into your overdraft finance so that you have one flexible account for both personal/ business mortgages and overdraft Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme Up to two years trading: Up to £100,000 Over two years trading: Up to £250,000 However these are difficult to obtain and are a loan of last resort. Export Guarantee Scheme This is government backed insurance against appropriate export documentation. Mezzanine This is a halfway house between loan and equity. It can be an innovative way of raising funds for the more established business. Mostly for expansion capital. Equity This is not as easy as the papers would have you know. Only 1% of business plans received by Venture Capital Funds are successful. However, a good business proposition consisting of a strong demand for the product or service, management track record and a sound financial plan will enhance the chance of success. Business Angels These are high net worth individuals who are successful businessmen looking for investment opportunities. They can provide both time expertise and money. Typical investment size is £25,000 to £250,000 but can go as high as £2m for the right opportunity. Exit within 3-5 years. Venture Capital These are investment funds seeking high rates of return. However typically investments are over a million pounds. Some funds are targeted at lower amounts depending upon the sector and region. These funds are looking for exponential capital growth over 3-5 years. Asset backed finance This can cover machinery, sales invoices even sales orders. It can be a very flexible source of finance to the growing business Leasing This will cover your capital expenditure and spread the cost over a three to five year period. It is particularly useful if you do not have taxable profits to maximise your capital allowances. Sale and leaseback of a property you own is another good source of funds. Factoring Factoring offers a sales ledger administration and debt collection service. Up to 95% of an approved sales invoice is paid within 48 hours, quicker if required. Credit protection is also available to protect against a bad debt. The Factor will own and place a first charge over the book debts and they might also take other charges, depending upon the strength of the financial information. Invoice discounting Invoice Discounting can be Confidential or Disclosed; it depends upon the strength of the financial information. The service is the same as Factoring, except that the sales ledger administration and the debt collection is the responsibility of the client and not the Factor. Pre payment of the approved sales invoice is still up to 95% and the factor will still have a first charge on the book debt and therefore own the debt. This service can also have credit protection cover. All sales invoices need to be for a business to business debt, and some proof of delivery is generally required. Trade Finance This is funding provided against stock purchases, signed contracts and orders whereby the funder will prepay a certain percentage of the value Pension fund It may be possible to use your pension funds for a loan back to the business What do u think about it?


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

2011 Global Brand Trends Letter

Avoid Burnout: Do the Limbo Regularly

Promoting your company and self with verve

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.