There’s nothing you can do in the past and you’ll have to wait for the future to come. Therefore, the only time you can really grab hold of and start making a difference in your life is NOW, the present.

There’s a reason why people call NOW the present. Every second, every minute and every hour is a wonderful present given to you.

Remember, every present given to you is unique and special in some ways. You just need to look out for them, learn from them and be grateful for them.

Gratitude and appreciation breeds love while love breeds more gratitude and appreciation. It’s a cycle, a wonderful cycle. You just have to get it going…

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Sometimes we get so involved thinking about the past or the future that we simply forget what’s going on right in front of us. At times like these, I find it valuable to remember the advice of my friend Stacy, whose life was turned upside down when her husband left her with their three sons. She couldn’t figure out what was going to happen down the road, but she knew her children would be home from school for lunch. So she put a sign on her refrigerator that said, “Just make lunch.” She calls it training for living in the moment and adds, “There’s no knowing what the crystal ball holds, but every outcome starts with ‘making lunch.’”

Being present to what’s going on at the moment is a great way to relieve fears and worries. It keeps us out of an overactive mind by focusing our attention on the task at hand. It’s not always easy, but there are ways to foster “presence,” as I discovered years ago when I was going through one of the darkest periods of my life.

The man I thought I was going to marry-my soul mate-had just ended our relationship. I was devastated. My picture of the future was shattered. I could hardly breathe at moments, my heart felt so crushed.

Then a friend reminded me of two things that changed my life and provided me with tools I’ve used ever since. The first may surprise you: Go to bed earlier! Anyone who’s ever gotten up in the morning without having had enough sleep knows how hard life can be when we’re tired. When challenges are accompanied by fatigue, we can feel hopeless. Try going to bed earlier than usual, and if possible, before 10:00. Research has found that every hour of sleep we get before midnight is worth two hours after that time, and every minute before 10:00 p.m. is equally powerful, making this one of the most effective ways to deal with stress. A rested mind is far more capable of being present than a tired one.

Gratitude is the second tool. In my case, every night before falling asleep, I started writing down at least five good things that had happened to me that day. This allowed me to see that there actually were good things happening, despite the cloud of pain that colored everything. And it pulled my attention into the reality of the present, which was actually far less painful than my broken future pictures. The principle is simple: When we focus on darkness, we usually allow ourselves to be taken deeper and deeper into darkness. When we focus on light-all the good that’s in our lives-we attract more and more light.

It is a powerful truth: Whatever you put your attention on grows stronger in your life. My friend Ellen had a profound experience of this. A classics professor who reads ancient Greek, she has had a long-standing love affair with Greece. So it seemed a natural place to seek healing after her divorce. But instead of finding solace in the beautiful visual images and poetry of this ancient land, as she had hoped, all she could see were happy couples, walking hand in hand, arm in arm. Her feelings of loneliness became so intense that all she wanted to do was get out of there as quickly as possible.

In desperation, she reached into her bag for a book by one of her favorite Greek poets, C.P. Cavafy. Immediately she came upon his poem Ithaca, which describes life as a journey full of adventure, if we are open to it, and exhorts the reader to enjoy the journey, rather than focus exclusively on the destination. Suddenly it hit her: there she was, longing for the future and blinded by the past, when her life was happening right in front of her. As she became more present, she began to re-perceive her circumstances, transforming a miserable reality into a glorious one. A magical “journey” began to unfold.

It’s a great reminder, that wonderful saying, It’s the journey, not the destination. When we open ourselves to its truth, any situation can be transformed. As one of my favorite Japanese poems says: “My barn having burned to the ground, I can now see the moon.”

About the Author:

Jennifer Read Hawthorne is an international writer, speaker and educator whose article here is based on her latest book, Life Lessons for Loving the Way You Live, now available on-line and in bookstores everywhere (co-authored with Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen). Jennifer is co-author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul. To book Jennifer for a keynote address, contact her at 641-472-7136 or visit her website at www.jenniferhawthorne.com.

One day you may decide to quit…

Let’s Imagine you have said this before or
you are presently thinking about saying this
to yourself…

I have decided to quit my business,
my relationship, my spirituality, my
daily focus on achieving My Why…

Imagine this is You…

I wanted to quit my life so then
I went to the woods to have one
last talk with God…

*God*, I said

Can You give me one good reason
not to Quit?

His answer surprised me…

Look around, He said

*Do you see the Fern and the Bamboo*?

‘Yes’, I replied.

When I planted the Fern and the Bamboo
seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave
them light. I gave them water…

The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its
brilliant green covered the floor. Nothing
came from the *Bamboo Seed*

But I did not *Quit* on the bamboo…

In the 2nd year the Fern grew more
vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing
came from the bamboo seed. But I did not
*Quit* on the Bamboo”.

He said…

*In the 3rd year, there was
still nothing from the bamboo seed…

But I would not quit…

In the 4th year, again, there was
nothing from the Bamboo Seed..

But I would *Not Quit*

He said…

Then in the 5th year a Tiny Sprout
emerged from the earth. Compared
to the Fern it was seemingly small
and insignificant…

But just 6 months later the Bamboo rose
to over 100 feet tall…

It had spent the five years growing *Roots*
Those *Roots* made it strong and gave it
what it needed to survive…

I would not give any of My creations a
challenge it could not handle…

He said to me…

*Did you know, My child, that all this time
you have been struggling, you have actually
been growing *Roots*?

I would not *Quit on the Bamboo*…

And…

I will never quit on you…

Don’t compare yourself to others…

He said…

*The Bamboo had a different
purpose than the Fern, yet they both
make the forest beautiful*

‘Your time will come’, God said to me

*You Will Rise High*!”

‘How high should I rise?’ I asked.

‘How high will the bamboo rise?”

He asked in return…

“As high as it can?” I questioned.

*Yes* He said, “Give Me glory by rising
as high as you can”

I left the forest and brought back this story…

I hope these words can help you see that
God will never give up on you…

Never regret a day in your life…

John Di Lemme

I believe everyone has experience some near misses before. For me, I certainly went through some breathtaking and exciting near misses.

When I look back into my life, I begin to know how to appreciate life more and be grateful for everything that is given to me. We all know that things when come too easily will not be very well appreciated by the people. Life is certainly one of them.

However, the thing is you need not not always need to go through those new misses to learn how to appreciate life. Start appreciating life today. After all, when can be a better time to start feeling grateful for everything that is being given to you as compared to now.

Offer yourself 15 minutes everyday, preferably at night when you can be alone and start writing out or saying out loud what you really appreciate in your life.

True love and gratitude are great boosters to help you manifest your dreams!

Try them and prepare be swept over your feet by them.