Worship and Gratitude: The Alpha and Omega of Happiness

If you examine how the most successful people in the world become successful and how those the most happy people find their happiness, you may notice these people are those who maintain a rich and deep connection to their creator and express gratitude each and every day.

Now, I know some of you who read AspireNow are probably Atheist. And, you know, what? That's okay with me. You may say you don't believe and that is your choice. And, as you know, I rarely get on a soapbox and preach. Today is no exception. But I will ask you: "Do you want to be happy?" Because if you want happiness, everything I've studied leads me to these two qualities: worship and gratitude.

I am not on a soapbox. I will simply state what I, myself, believe to be true. I believe that Worship and Gratitude are the Alpha and Omega of HAPPINESS.

My parents have a plaque on their wall that always struck me as especially wise. It reads:

"A family that prays together, stays together."

The state of prayer is one of communication with our God. To me, our God is one. The "Christ-consciousness" is only shone to us through the angel those with near death experiences report - the white light. But works of nature and the Universe abound all around us. I love both the simple and elegantly complex nature of life. I am in awe of things like: a sunrise... the birth of a baby... a sunset... the stars... our sun... and the power of prayer.

In my book I am publishing about "Using Solomon's Wisdom to Build a Kingdom," I maintain 10 basic tenets that Solomon created and followed to build a kingdom. He started by asking God for WISDOM. He aligned himself with his maker and started from that place. He maintained worship as a vital part of his rulership and was considered the wisest man who ever lived. Could this be connected? I believe it is. Solomon's kingdom and influence ended up the largest his people ever experienced.

A path to abundance is one that begins in service, and one that begins by submitting our will to God's will. Because God has greater plans for us than we can imagine! My own path and my will focused my efforts on being a salesperson for a large corporation, then a manager for corporations. This influenced a few dozen people directly, and perhaps more indirectly. God's will has me writing books and speaking in ways that influence the lives of MILLIONS. Can you see what I mean? It isn't all about money, but when you influence millions you usually have more value in the world than if you influence dozens, would you not agree?

Worship of GOD begins by submitting to God. Worship and Wisdom, therefore, are uniquely linked as the paradoxical moment when we begin to manifest a larger vision for life.

In addition, you will notice people who are amazingly successful are very GRATEFUL. They express their gratitude to people they love, and those they just meet.

I am so GRATEFUL for YOU, right now!

See, because it is one thing to become "empowered" with the wisdom and vision that we may manifest God inside us. It is another thing to realize that FEAR and RESENTMENT block LOVE and hold us back, and even more to realize that FORGIVENESS and LOVE propel and lift our plane of life energy into the clouds. But it is another thing altogether to recognize that GRATITUDE is the key to BLAST OFF into the stratosphere of realizing our dreams! And this, my friend, is true.

Are you ready to blast off? Start showing gratitude everywhere you go! Laugh, smile, and let people know you love them and are grateful for their presence in your life.

Just as worship is the alpha; or, the beginning, gratitude is the omega; where it ends: the missing link to discover happiness.

Think about it.... if you can live a life filled with wisdom, filled with love, where fear has no place, and let go of all resentment through forgiveness and acceptance, and then are grateful for the blessings that come your way... is that not a life of abundance?

This is what AspireNow is all about. I encourage you to live that life of abundance. I can show you what I learn on my own journey. It is up to you if you wish to pick up the seeds of life sprinkled throughout these pages and say, "Yes, I want to plant these seeds in my garden." If you do, hopefully my articles will help, along with wisdom you receive from other friends, and other people and events will come your way to guide you and help water that garden, so these seeds turn into strong and powerful plants, trees, and eventually new life that you share with those around you.

I encourage it, I pray for it, I am grateful for the opportunity to help make it so for you.

May you integrate worship and gratitude as a regular part of your life activity and see if the beginning and end of happiness are not present for each and every day.

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How To Get More of What You Want

In a "thought for the day" from a marketing blog, I received this quote from Seth Godin:

"The goal is to create a product that people love. If people love it, they'll forgive a lot. They'll talk about it. They'll promote it. They'll come back. They'll be less price sensitive. They'll bring their friends. They'll work with you to make it better."

As I read this, my thought process transferred from how we create products to the product of OUR OWN SELF. Are we creating a person people love?

I think this thought carries through to our own life in learning how to get more of everything you want:

If we're someone people love, they'll forgive us for a lot. They'll talk about us. They'll promote us. They'll come back to us weeks after we may have last heard from them. They'll be less sensitive to our negative qualities or challenges of seeing us. They'll introduce us to their friends. They'll work with us to make our life better and suggest ways to live our dreams we share with them."

Yep. Seems true to me. Are you frustrated with friendships? Maybe you're not being the love you want to find? You know the cliche "be the change you want to see in the world" right? Maybe it is time to make changes. Now, if our life IS full of all this love, then KEEP IT UP!

When we make it easy for people to love us we will inevitably have (a) more luck, (b) more friends, (c) more success, and (d) live more of our dreams than people who are hard to love.

How can we get more of everything you want and become an easier person to love?

Here's a list, for starters:

1. Be more fun! Have fun ideas to contribute to conversations and events.
2. Make people laugh. If you haven't learned how to be funny yet, study comedians, read joke books, and learn how to be funny.
3. Accept others without judgment. People hate being judged. Accept people for who they are and you'll find they love you more.
4. Look for commonalities. Have you ever noticed that when people are really good at making friends, they find COMMONALITIES. Rather than look for differences, look for what you have IN COMMON and expand upon those traits and positive qualities. You'll be sure to grow more love with those you can relate to... thus, the word RELATIONSHIP! :)
   
5. Include others in your life. People will often out to you if you reach out to them. Just make it a practice whenever you think of someone to reach out to them.
6. Accept other invitations. When people invite you - GO! They would not invite you if they didn't want you to be there.
   
7. Be more forgiving. I remember a friend once told me "Gosh, Scott, I sure like that you don't hold a grudge." My Mom says I've always been that way. Internally, I may feel angst, but I try to be cheerful anyway. I find that this is part of a forgiving spirit that helps me maintain the love in relationships.
8. Be grateful. An attitude of gratitude goes a long way. It feels great when a friend calls and says "Thank you for...." George Bush Sr. rode the art of writing "thank you letters" all the way to becoming President of the United States. Think those letters had something to do with it? Be grateful for the love others show you and the love you receive will grow, too.

There's my list of eight ways you can get what you want. Did I surprise you? Maybe you thought there was a magic pill you could swallow. And, yes, there is! It's called the LOVE pill! Ha ha ha!

Can you think of additional ways to get more of what you want by showing more love to others? Please share your ideas in our comments!
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How Grateful Are You This Thanksgiving?

To my friends and people who read this blog, a popular holiday in America is approaching: Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Why? Because Thanksgiving is the time we gather with our family, friends, and people close to us to celebrate each other, life, and share with a spirit of GRATITUDE.

What are you grateful for this year?

A loving family?
Great friends?
A new job? Or, how about an old job that steadily pays the bills?
A growing company?
Creating something? Making music, art, love, money, people smile? It can be so many things?
Children laughing?
Thanksgiving pie? (In honor of my Aunt Katie who passed this year, I couldn't resist this one!)

Whatever you are grateful for this year, make sure to share it with those you love and those around you.

If you'd like to learn more about Thanksgiving, or even have a little laugh, check out my post Thanksgiving from 2007 called "A Little Thanksgiving Blessing."

May it be blessed with gratitude, love, joy, and happiness again this year! And, if you live in a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, why not give it a try? You might find the practice quite beneficial to enjoying your life.
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I Miss You

I recall friends who used to talk with me every day. We may have emailed regularly. Others would text message or Instant Message me. For some, it was just a talk, meet, and have fun thing. Many people enter our lives, interact with us at some level of intimacy, then go on with their journey elsewhere.

To those who have helped me along my journey, as I think of you, I will send you this thought:

"I miss you...
Thank you for what you gave when you were in my life.
I am grateful for the experience of knowing you.

I send you blessings of love, happiness, joy, forgiveness, and gratitude."

Are you grateful for the people who've influenced your life?

If not, send out a thought of gratitude. Gratitude + Love + Forgiveness = Fulfillment + Happiness.
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I Am So Grateful!

Are you grateful?

We often take our life, our job, our vehicle, our health, our family, and our friends for granted.

I've done it myself. But this past Sunday, I experienced a nasty accident on the freeway after hydroplaning through a huge puddle on the freeway. The slippage sent my Toyota Tundra 4x4 spinning, then slamming into the divider embankment. After hitting the embankment, my truck then flipped at least once, maybe twice, and finally came to a rest on the driver's side. It was very strange to find myself sitting there with the engine still running, in a tremendous amount of pain on my left side from slamming into the seat belt door jamb upon both first and last impact.



Upon retrospect, I think I'm quite blessed. You see, my vehicle could have been hit while I was trying to get out of the truck. In addition, I could have been hurt far worse. That Tundra is one very safe truck, I can say now! I feel my truck saw me through this well. But, more than that, I had an Angel over my shoulder.

I am so grateful to be alive today! Considering the damage (over $17,000 - they totaled the truck) it could have turned out different:



Seven reasons I am grateful today:

First, I am grateful for each breath of life.

Second, I am grateful for all the beauty and amazing things in this world and universe.

Third, I am grateful for all of the love from my family and friends. Thank you...

Fourth, I am grateful for my health. This pain in my neck and shoulder is a reminder to always be grateful for good health.

Fifth, I am grateful for everyone I come into contact with - even those who challenge me. Each of you make my life more meaningful. I am grateful for all of the experiences we can share together. Laughter, walks in nature, making music with my saxophone, speaking about blogging or business, writing about ways to improve our life, or just sharing a meal together.

Sixth, I am grateful for the wheels that get me to work and get me places to go.

Last, I am grateful for God, the Spirit which flows through all things, and life itself.

It would have been strange to die... (I'm not finished yet!)

It would have been strange to die last week. I don't think I am ready. It isn't as if I am not right with my maker, or that I haven't lived a good life. Actually, I think I've lived quite well. The reason I say it would have been strange is that I feel I have SO MUCH MORE TO GIVE!

This accident was a blessing in disguise. It was a reminder to be grateful for friends, life, family, and all of my blessings. It was also a reminder to remain focused - or even focus more - on my purpose for being on this planet.

I am here to help advise people how to bring more love into their work, their life, and live their dreams. I am here to provide advice how to do that. If often comes with perspective, asking the right questions, and then going down the natural path that comes from the answers to those questions.

If you are not being grateful for your blessings, take it from me: gratitude is the right attitude!

Each day, we get a new sun, to greet with a smile - if we choose to:



It is our choice to choose an attitude of gratitude for life, for love, for all of the beauty and good things in the world.

If you are grateful, send me a comment and let me know why. Thanks for reading my words today. Please feel free to share them with your friends if you're touched by any of these stories.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to be here to share this with you!
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A little Thanksgiving blessing

Thanksgiving is here, my favorite holiday of the year in America. For those of you around the world, it is still a valuable practice to express gratitude for the things and people you value most in your life.

We've come a long way from the original colonist Thanksgiving meal (learn history here).

I'm so happy every year when we get together for good meals, incredible pies (my sister makes the best!), and so many memories and good times with friends and family.

This has certainly been a year of many blessings. These are just a few of the things that we, the
entire team at AspireNow, are grateful for:

~ Thank you to all our magnificent Aspiration Advocates and AspireNow Affiliates who share
the gift of the AspireNow with friends, family, groups, clubs, organizations, and as many
people as humanly possible.

~ Thank you to our family and best friends who have supported AspireNow and ARRiiVE Business Solutions with your love, encouragement, and suggestions to help us improve our business offerings.

~ Thank you to everyone who reads our blogs, articles, and subscribes to our newsletter. Thank you to everyone who went further and purchased one of our programs and services, including those at our newest sites, http://www.arriive.com/ (ARRiiVE Business Solutions), http://www.howbloggersmakemoney.com/, and http://www.coldtogold.com/. Thank you to everyone who attended one of our talks or seminars this year and contributed such a positive, loving attitude.

~ Thank you to everyone who has helped us grow this dream and bring it to more people around the world.

Wishing you and your family a safe, fun and heartwarming Thanksgiving.

And, for those of you waiting for me to drop something funny in here (hey, if you saw my Halloween video, you know!)... well, here it is. If you remember the TV sitcom called WKRP in Cincinnati, you may remember Les Nessman's famous reporting of "Turkey Drop on the show:



Happy Thanksgiving!
Scott Andrews & the team at AspireNow
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This article is written by Scott Andrews, Founder of AspireNow. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. To read more articles like this, subscribe to the A-Blog.