Let's start at the beginning.

Let's start at the beginning. It's a very good place to start, you know. I'm a first time blogger and it hasn't become an addiction yet, but only time will tell what can happen when thoughts and ideas are randomly organized into an epic-like epistle.

I am very fortunate. I think we often forget how fortunate we are until we view someone or hear of something that is unfortunate. Fortunately for us, we can count our blessings every day. My hot wife, and she is incredibly hot, always has us count our blessings. We call it thank you time where we say what we are thankful for. Usually this happens before we lose all consciousness and enter slumberland (the place where our eyes close and our minds open - where reality and make believe co-exist to create fantasies and dreams). The best part of my life is that my dreams are a reality. I have a wonderful inquisitive little two year-old girl, and a sweet and adoring wife - what more could I ask for? What more would I want? What more do I need?

Here is a list of things to ask yourself: the answers to these questions will tell you how frequently you've been blessed and maybe how infrequently you've noticed or graciously taken a moment to express gratitude for your blessings.

(1) Are you breathing? This simple question will tell you quite a bit about your blessings.

(2) Are you free to think? Speak? Act for yourself? Freedom is a wonderful gift.

(3) Are you loved? Whether you think you are loved or not, each of us is capable of being loved and receiving love. It's a wonderful gift.

(4) Are you able to love? Being loved is wonderful, but being able to love someone else and put others and their needs before ourselves and our own needs is a wonderful blessing.

(5) Are you able to serve? To Share? To Sacrifice? It may seem odd, but the ability to serve, share, and sacrifice what we have, want, and feel is important to us is a blessing we can give to others. When we give to others we are really giving to ourselves because we give of ourselves and when this happens others receive us into their lives, their hearts, and their minds. We become connected and we each profit from serving.

(6) Are you creative? The power to create is what makes us unique. No one is a clone. Even identical twins are unique because each has the power to create their own world. The creative spark of life lingers within each of us and is waiting to burst through us. As we create, we build, we dream, we experiment, we explore and conquer life.

(7) Are you inquisitive? An inquisitive mind is relentless. It thirsts after, craves, and is drawn to learning and growing. Life is the greatest school. As we go out into the university of life each day we grow by wanting to learn more. The desire to improve and become better is a powerful force in our lives. It gives us direction, purpose, and makes us productive because we perform. We don't sit idly back and view life - we live it because we want to understand it. We want to be a part of life and have a purpose in life.

(8) Are you innovative? Life is a series of obstacles. It is the greatest obstacle course we have ever had to run. If we see these obstacles as problems, pitfalls, and perilous pains we fall down. The trick is being innovative. Instead of seeing the glass as half empty, we can say it's half full. Instead of seeing a rope as too short we can think of all the knots we can tie with the rope. For every up there is a down. But, for every down there is an up. As we creatively think about ways to turn our problems upside down we not only show innovation but we inspire others to do the same. If life doesn't look very wonderful right now, turn upside down. When you can see the world from a different perspective or point of view your views change and as a result so do you.

(9) Are you happy? Happiness is an inside job as my wife's grandfather always said. It is something within us regardless of what is happening around us. Victor Frankl survived the concentration camps by creating the world he wanted within him and within his mind. My wife's grandfather would also use the act as if principle. If we act as if we are confident, we will be confident. The same can be said about being happy. If we act as if we are happy the world will welcome us with happiness.

(10) Are you YOU? Who are you? Do you know who you really are? The quest to find ourselves is a wonderful journey. Discovering our own likes and dislikes, dreams and nightmares, strengths and weaknesses, can be very enlightening. As we see ourselves for who we really are we discover who we want to be. This gives us direction and purpose as well because we know who we are regardless of what others think, say, or do. We are true to ourselves and as a result we are blessed because we are ourselves and that is one of the greatest blessings we have.

Written by Jerald M. Simon
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