Thank you!

I can't believe the end of the year is almost here.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and although I've been here in the States for 7 years now, it still is a "new" holiday for me!
There are so many things I am thankful for...

• I'm thankful for the greatest love of all that I've been experiencing since my daughter was born.
• I'm thankful for my family (Brazilian and American) who supports my goals, my ideas...
• I'm thankful for the fun and great friends in my life
• For my pets and the joy and LOVE I experience every single day with them
• For being able to follow my dreams - so I can live a happy life, making my family happy
• For being able to forgive - so I don't live a miserable life with the wrong focus & energy
• For being able to understand - so I appreciate the "other side" of the story, learning from it
• For being able to listen - so that I can better understand
• For being able to accept others' opinions - so that I can mature and open my mind
• ..and so much more...

One of the things I am most thankful for is the ability to see both sides: the negative and the positive. I might have always done that, subconsciously, BUT I feel I am doing this everyday now. If something is negative, I automatically look for the positive in it. It gives me strength, motivation and an amazing energy. One of the books I just finished reading, "Success through a positive mental attitute" is now what I call, one of my Bibles. It has been in print for almost 50 years. This classic is a must-read for those seeking to live a good life. I highly recommend it.

Last year, I created my "101 wish list". I've found this approach to achieving your goals and dreams in quite a few motivational books. So, I reviewed mine. I typed it in a word document, and the title was "101 things to do in 621 days". I read through it yesterday. The deadline, the 621, is tomorrow, Thanksgiving 2008! I accomplished quite a few things on that list. Over a year ago, I didn't take the list very seriously. I didn't print it out and reviewed it periodically. I didn't focus and set my mind to "work on it". Nevertheless, quite a few things got accomplished, and some of them were things I really wanted, e.g. "get pregnant before I turn 30" or "read 1 book per month at least". Today, I will re-write my 101 list. I will then print it out and carry it with me. I will not set a specific common due date for all goals, but I will set individual due dates and some of the goals I'll talk about here when they get accomplished. Jack Canfield (author) is a strong believer in the "101 list" and the "write it down" approach. He argues that when we write it down, our mind creates a mental picture of the goal, and our subconscious mind wroks toward accomplishing it.
It has been working for me!

We should be greatful for what we have everyday.