How to Train Your Brain – Blog 501

April 14, 2024

“I have been the recipient of love and service, therefore I can love and serve. There is great satisfaction in service to others, in seeing people and their conditions change.” – Clarence E. Hodges

In the last blog we examined some ways to cultivate more true joy in our lives. Now, I want to share with you an updated past blog featuring a delightful book that has definitely helped me do that.

February 5, 2023

I just finished reading a fabulous book by Brad Aronson called Humankind: Changing the World One Small Act at a Time.  He was moved to write this book because of the many types of kindness shown to him and his family when his wife Mia was battling leukemia for several years. He thought about all the different types of helpfulness, compassion and kindness others showed to his family, and synthesized them into a specific focus in each chapter on each individual facet of what it means to be KIND and contribute to someone else.

Along with each principle of kindness and contribution, the book details many incredibly inspiring true stories that illustrate how sharing your time, talents and treasures with others can make a huge difference to one or to many people – sometimes, even to the whole world.  And doing so also makes your own life more fulfilled and joyous.

Chapters include the power of your words to change another person’s life, making it easier for others to accept help by the way you phrase your offer, being good company for someone when they need it, celebrating someone’s special occasion, etc.  At the end of each chapter, Brad offers a “What We Can Do” list of specific suggestions for putting that specific type of kindness into action in small, manageable ways.

One of my favorite chapters is Chapter 8, titled “A New Lens on Life” about how to change your own perspective about problems and help someone else change theirs. At the end, Brad reminds us that it is possible to “train your brain for positivity” by putting in place a few simple daily practices.  I quote his suggestions here verbatim from this chapter of Humankind:

• “Add yet to your vocabulary. Instead of “I haven’t found a new job,’ say, ‘I haven’t found a new job yet.’ The difference is subtle but your brain notices.
• “Change ‘I have to’ to ‘I get to’. My wife and I used to think some chores were a pain. We’d often say, ‘I have to do the laundry,’ or ‘I have to make lunches,’ or ‘I have to take out the trash.’ When Mia had chemo, she could no longer do those chores as regularly, being in the hospital or too weak much of the time. As she recovered, she regained her strength and she was ecstatic. ‘I’m so happy,’ she said. ‘I get to make lunch, I get to cook dinner and I get to do the laundry.’
• “See the positive. Studies show that when we see the positive more often, we’re happier and we’re kinder to ourselves and those around us. We’re also much more likely to see opportunities and solve problems creatively. Researchers have found, for example, that physicians, students, salespeople and toddlers perform better when they’re more positive.”

Brad then lists four specific daily actions we can take to train our brains to think more positively and therefore help ourselves and others to be happier, more productive and better at overcoming problems.  Even if you just adopt ONE as a daily practice, I can guarantee it will have a big impact on your happiness and the many forms of GOOD that you will begin to attract into your world.

“Luckily for us, we’re not locked into a way of viewing the world.  We can choose to see things more positively.  Here are some steps you can take to, among other things, teach yourself to look for the positive more often.  Eventually, your brain gets into the habit of doing this and you won’t need any prodding – you’ll just do it naturally:

• “Compliment at least one person every day. Maybe you begin the day by sending a short email or text telling someone why you appreciate them. ‘Just wanted to thank you for being a great friend.’ Or ‘I appreciated your call yesterday. Thanks for being so thoughtful.’ Besides reshaping how you see the world, you might make someone’s day.
• “Keep a gratitude journal. Every night, write three things you’re grateful for. (By the way, researchers have also found that people who regularly write down what they’re grateful for are 25 percent happier.) You can also have a nightly family discussion about what happened that day that you’re thankful for.
• “Perform a daily act of kindness. When you perform a kind act every day, you’ll start noticing other opportunities to be kind, creating a cycle of positivity in your mind. Think small – a thank-you note or letting someone cut in front of you in traffic. (Yet another way to make yourself and someone else happier.)
• “Be mindful of who and what you expose yourself to. Who you spend your time with and what you watch, listen to and read all send messages to your brain that influence how you see the world.”

He concludes this chapter, “Training your brain for positivity takes time, but it’s a priceless opportunity to change your perspective and become a happier person.  Before long, you’ll see half-full glasses everywhere you look.”

The way Brad Aronson sums up the point of Humankind in his “Closing Notes” reminds us of Joel Osteen’s promise that when we are busy are helping another, God is busy helping us:

“We don’t perform kind acts to be rewarded for them or to increase our life span – those are just possible side effects. We perform them because it’s what we’re here for. We were given the capacity for love for a reason, and the fact that loving acts tend to come full circle…seems to be confirmation that they’re the right path. Loving acts help others through difficult times – can you think of anything that has greater value?  Can you think of a better use of our time and talents?

“Our acts of kindness, no matter how insignificant we think they are, can be life-changing for someone else.  During Mia’s treatment, every person who gave us the strength to push forward contributed to our entire family’s making it through the experience unscathed.”

I hope you will read or listen to this wonderful book.  I promise it will lift your spirits and maybe even restore your faith in personkind, as it did for me.  And if you choose to follow some of its simple suggestions, I guarantee you will experience more joy, fulfillment and abundance for yourself by making a little time to be helpful and kind to someone else.

PLEASE NOTE: The blog is taking next week off and will return Sunday April 28.

Coaching Results

“Our coaching has made me change the way I am thinking about my work and my abilities in my work, and these carry over into personal areas of my life, too.  I am now more positive in my thinking about my work goals, personal relationships and my behaviors in both.” – L.H., yoga studio owner

********** MAKE THIS YOUR TIME TO SHINE ***************

Is it time for you to give yourself the priceless gift a positive mindset tune-up?  I invite you to take advantage of a truly unique opportunity – a F.R.E.E. hour of Success Breakthrough Coaching with no strings attached.  This is my kindness contribution to YOU! I promise to help you gain clarity on your Big Goals for 2024 and exactly what it will take for you to reach them. Slots are very limited, so contact me ASAP to schedule your F.R.E.E., no obligation phone coaching session: caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com

If you would like your own free subscription to receive this blog three Sundays a month, just go to www.practicalprosperitycoach.com and enter your name and email at the top.

 

Joy versus Happiness – Blog 500

 

April 7, 2024 

“Joy is a necessity. That’s what gives you the strength to overcome. Joy is not just a feeling; it’s a force, strengthening you, empowering you, causing you to overcome what could have stopped you.” – Joel Osteen

Welcome to my 500^th blog.  It seems like just yesterday that I got the idea to start a weekly blog about how to create a life filled with abundance…. Actually, it was 16 years ago!

As a fairly new Personal Success Coach ™, I found myself sharing the same ideas and resources I found useful with each of my clients individually throughout the coaching week. Finally, it dawned on me that if I wrote about them instead, ALL of my clients could read the tips for themselves and I wouldn’t have to keep repeating myself! Plus, I enjoy writing very much. 

The blog idea worked out well, and of course my readership has expanded to include hundreds of individuals I have never personally coached (or even met).  I am very happy to know that they, too, find this information valuable.  I hope you know how much I cherish YOU and hope the ideas and resources I continue to share will make a difference in your life, as they have in mine!

Today’s topic came up unexpectedly.  I was watching a YouTube talk by my favorite positive-thinking pastor, Joel Osteen, entitled “Don’t Lose Your Joy.” In it, he made a distinction between happiness and joy. That’s when I realized that I had never really thought about the difference. I always thought they were essentially synonymous, with perhaps “joy” being an especially strong form of feeling “happy.”

But, according to Pastor Joel, joy is not merely a positive feeling, it is a necessity for getting us through tough times, as it is a key source of faith and strength.  Without true joy, he says, we can be overwhelmed and defeated by life’s challenges. This made me think that being consistently joyful also must be pretty important for creating and living an abundant life!

Intrigued, I googled “Joy versus Happiness” and found a surprising amount of detailed information about the topic.  Apparently, psychologists have spent a lot of time studying the distinction, so it’s not just a spiritual issue, but also an important mental and emotional one. 

Psychologists define joy as “a feeling of extreme gladness, delight and exultation of the spirit, arising from a sense of well-being or satisfaction.”

Some of the distinctions between joy and mere happiness that psychology makes include:

 “Joy is caused by elation at a moment in time.  Joy may not always be about oneself; but can be about others’ contentment also.”

“Joy is a practice and a behavior. It’s deliberate and intentional. Happiness comes and goes. Joy is profound.” 

“Happiness is a feeling based on circumstances. Joy is an attitude that defies circumstances.”

“In psychology, happiness is often based on something external or environmental, whereas joy involves internal processing and the determination that something is meaningful.”

And in the spiritual sense, according to Joel Osteen, “The Bible says, ‘The joy of the Lord is your strength. (Neh 8:10).’ The Bible says God gives us joy and peace. It tells us that real joy comes from God and is ours forever.” 

One practical source I found was an article entitled “The Joy of….” from the Quarter Life publication, which says it “aims to help you find joy in the smallest things.”

The article points out that the main reason psychologists are so interested in joy is that it is not just a fleeting emotion. It triggers a host of significant psychological and physiological changes that can tangibly improve our physical and mental health.

It states, “Joy is both a trait and a state. This means that while some of us only experience it as a result of a joyful situation, others have a capacity for it – they are able to experience joy, regardless of whether they’ve encountered something joyful.”

This seems to be precisely what Joel Osteen is saying – Joy is a choice and is something we can cultivate, regardless of the outer circumstances we find ourselves in, even though many of the circumstances in our world today are at odds with creating a feeling of “happiness.”

OK, so now that we understand the necessity, HOW can we become truly joyful, no matter what is going on in our life at the moment?

The article continues, “Luckily for us, there are many easy things we can do each day to boost the amount of joy we feel. Joy is very different from our other emotions. Three easy things we can all do on a regular basis to help boost our daily experience of joy are: 

• Share Food with others– The very act of sharing a meal with others can help us experience more joy. Research shows that eating with others can enhance what’s known as psychological flourishing – the highest level of well-being.  Preparing food with others can also stimulate joy.
• Physical activity – When running or walking with others, we tend to experience more joy than running on our own. Research also shows that accomplishing an exercise-related goal we never thought we were capable of can lead to joy. Set yourself a challenge you want to achieve and team up with friends on your journey to achieving it.
• Writing – You can boost feelings of joy by writing down how you feel. In one experiment, participants who spent 20 minutes a day for three months writing about intense positive experiences such as the joy of seeing a family member returning home or watching your child walk for the first time experienced better moods than participants who wrote about different topics. And those who wrote about their positive experiences also made fewer visits to their doctor in the three-month period.”

These three simple suggestions are a great place to begin cultivating a steady, daily sense of JOY, versus a fleeting sense of happiness that comes and goes, depending on how things outside of you are going. I would add that keeping a daily Gratitude Journal is a tried and true way to bump up your joy level. Simply list 3, 5 or 10 things each day that you feel grateful for right now.  Some people add the extra step of stating WHY they are grateful for each item, which is in line with the third suggestion for cultivating joy.

The more you focus your thoughts on whatever makes you feel profoundly grateful, the more joyful you will feel.  And the more joyful you feel, the stronger you will be at overcoming life’s inevitable challenges, while attracting MORE good things, people and circumstances to you on a regular basis.

COACHING RESULTS 

“After going through major business transitions, financial setbacks and personal challenges, I sought healing through therapy, counseling and deep introspection, but happiness seemed elusive. A friend recommended contacting Caroll, whose coaching had transformed her life. In the last four months of coaching with Caroll, I’ve finally achieved the resilient mindset I always longed for…and I have never been happier. I live a life full of strong faith, love, gratitude, abundance and inner peace. Engaging her services was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.” – Callie C., Entrepreneur 

If you or your friends would like your own free subscription to receive this blog three Sundays a month, just go to https://practicalprosperitycoach.com and enter your name and email at the top. 

To request an absolutely F.R.E.E., no-obligation one-hour phone coaching session, please email caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com  NOTE: Free session slots are very limited, so please contact me ASAP.

 

March Madness – Blog 499

March 24, 2024

“The direction of your focus is the direction your life will move. Let yourself move toward what is good, valuable, strong and true.” – Ralph Marston

It’s no secret that sports has always had a lot to teach us about life. Whether you are a rabid sports fan or like me, only tune in for the BIG contests like Super Bowl and the World Series, I am sure we can all appreciate that sports played at the highest level brings out the best in the athletes and inspires the rest of us to do our best in whatever “arena” of life we play in.

That’s why I wanted to share another blog by Debbie Powers, Assistant Professor Emerita of Wellness at Ball State University and an athlete-coach in her own right.

I quote her recent post for Body Wise International here verbatim, with my own related tips for living a successful life added in bold brackets. 

March Madness

By Debbie Powers

“March brings spring flowers, chirping birds, and MADNESS.  Yes…it’s time for March Madness. Basketball fans have their brackets filled out and team sweatshirts out of their closets. We marvel at the skill and athleticism of the athletes. Heartfelt stories of players and Cinderella teams fill the networks. We experience excitement, drama, and glory along with the players. We witness the tears of the losers along with celebratory screaming of the winners. And we sometimes cry and yell as well. Reasons for losing are often emphasized: officiating, coaching, lack of effort, missed opportunities, etc.

It is a good time to reflect on the true purpose of sport. Whereas money dominates the sports landscape today, it hasn’t always been that way. I was fascinated when reading some pages from a college sports handbook, published in 1925. It offered to its athletes the athletic department’s philosophy of sport:

•          When you play a game always wish to win and try to win, otherwise your opponent will have no fun; but never wish to win so much that you cannot be happy without it. [This reminds us that we need to be “committed” to a Big Goal – with grit and determination to do our BEST, expecting to reach it, while at the same time remaining “unattached” as to HOW God/The Universe chooses to help us reach it.]

•          Seek to win only by fair and lawful means according to the rules of the game, and this will leave you without bitterness toward your opponent or shame before others. [TRUE victory can only be won by maintaining your integrity at all times.  If you engage in some form of lying or cheating, you may not be “caught,” but you will harbor a sense of guilt for the rest of your days, and that negative energy will interfere with your future success.]

•          Take pleasure in the game even though you do not obtain victory; for the purpose of the game is not merely to win, but to find joy and strength in trying. [Every life challenge we successfully face makes us stronger. We should enjoy the journey along the way to victory by being fully present and expressing gratitude for all the good we already have.]

•          If you obtain this victory which you have so desired, think more of your good fortune than of your own skill. This will make you grateful and ready to share with others the honor bestowed upon you, and truly this is reasonable. [We never accomplish a Big Goal all on our own. Even individual efforts require support, mentorship and sacrifice by others on our behalf. Gratitude and a sense of humility toward your triumphs will make you an inspiring role model and attract MORE good things to you.]

Wow! What a refreshing view of sport. This is a far cry from today’s transfer portals, coaching salaries, and name/image/likeness contracts. So……..let the MADNESS begin!”

NOTE: I am taking next Sunday off for Easter and will return on April 7 with a fresh Cup of Caroll.

SPECIAL NOTE: Thanks to all my cherished readers who answered my call and cast a vote or two for Juli, the adopted rescue kitty who was trying to win $10,000 for my local rescue, The Little Red Dog, where I am a volunteer dog walker five days a week.  She placed fourth out of scores of kitties but didn’t win.  Like a true champion, Juli showed strength, tenacity and sportsmanship throughout the contest. We are very proud of her and very grateful to YOU for your support!

If you or your friends would like your own free subscription to receive this blog three Sundays a month, just go to https://www.practicalprosperitycoach.com and enter your name and email at the top.

 

Timing is Everything – Blog 494

February 4, 2024

“Every happening, great and small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message.” – Malcolm Muggeridge, journalist

Did you take the time to do the exercises in the last two blogs?  I hope so!  If you want to get your 2024 off to a great start, it is time well invested to really think about the lessons you learned last year and apply them to what you want to accomplish now.  And creating your 2024 goals vividly on paper at the beginning of a new year is a sure-fire way to start the process of engaging the help of God/Universe to make your Big Dreams a reality. The only thing required of YOU is to give up worrying about the details of HOW and WHEN your dreams will manifest.

Today’s topic is about how you can more easily manifest your dreams by asking specifically for what you want and then trusting in God/The Universe to deliver it at the perfect time because Divine Timing is never one second early or one minute late.

I am sure you have experienced “perfect timing” more than once in your own life.  You probably thought in amazement how “lucky” you were, and wondered how different your life would be today if you hadn’t just “happened” to be in the right place at exactly the right time to meet the love of your life or best friend, or make a connection that opened a new opportunity to you.

I assert that it’s not luck but Divine Timing that delivered your treasure. When you learn to trust it and truly expect it to work in your favor, it does.  But if you ignore the subtle signals that you must follow to align with it, you may miss some wonderful opportunities, both big and small.

Sometimes Divine Timing works outside of our human control, or even our knowledge that it’s working.  I had an experience of that recently, when several urgent needs cropped up at once that exceeded our normal monthly family budget by a lot.  I had no idea where I would get the extra money for these necessities. So, I simply ASKED God for them, expressing gratitude in advance, which demonstrated my faith that they would come at the perfect time, even though I didn’t know HOW.

That is a key tool I learned from The Gratitude Formula by May McCarthy.  Expressing gratitude in advance of actually receiving something you ask your Higher Power for helps you to truly BELIEVE it is going to happen.  EXPECTING the BEST outcome opens your eyes to new possibilities and attracts the right people and resources to you because the Law of Attraction says that “energy attracts like energy.” You must believe it before you are going to see it.

Two and a half years ago, I received a notice in the mail that I had been included in a class action suit against my former long-term care insurance carrier.  The company had raised the rates exorbitantly without notice several years before the lawsuit was brought. I thought it was a great idea to hold the company accountable for forcing me and many other policy holders who had been paying our premiums for years to abruptly drop our coverage when we could no longer afford it. But I was in the middle of moving when I got the notice and life was hectic, so I filed it away and pretty much forgot about it.

Occasionally, the lawyers representing the class action group would email me an update that there had been a delay in the lawsuit for one reason or another.  I was busy and it was out of my control anyway, so I just filed the updates away and didn’t think more about it.

Then, on January 18, just a couple of weeks after I had ASKED God for a way to pay for the items I needed that were beyond my normal sources of income, I went out to the mailbox and found a settlement check for $6,700. I had done NOTHING to make that money appear, but I recognized that it was the answer to my prayer and that the timing could not have been more perfect for my needs.  It had been in process a long time, but it was not one second late for what I needed when I needed it.  That’s Divine Timing in action.

Most of the time, though, I’ve found that Divine Timing works through you.  It starts as an inner “nudge” – like the whisper of a “still, small voice” that the Scriptures talk about.  I believe your Higher Power uses your intuition, or inner wisdom, to direct you to the solution you need.  This happens to me frequently.  Because I am human, sometimes I ignore the whisper and then regret it.  But because I regularly remind my coaching clients to listen to that divine whisper, I am more aware of it and I try to follow its directions myself.  I am always rewarded when I do.

One recent example of this is when I randomly came across an online article titled “How to Unclog a Drain in 3 Easy Steps.”  I didn’t have a clogged drain and wasn’t worried about having one, but an inexplicable inner urge told me to print it out and save it.

Exactly one month later, out of the blue, my husband told me my bathroom sink was clogged.  He had used a tool to dig out some gunk but water was still standing in it for a long time before it would drain.  He suggested we call a plumber because the pipe under the sink probably needed to be removed and cleaned out, which was beyond our home remedy capabilities. That’s when my subconscious mind (which never forgets anything we do or hear or see) suddenly reminded me of the article I filed away about how to unclog a drain and save a lot of money on professional plumbing.

The first step listed was “Start with a Plunger.” (They don’t call it a “Plumber’s Helper” for nothing!)  I got a plunger and followed the instructions (except I skipped “put on goggles.”) In about 10 seconds, the clog was cleared and the water was running freely down the drain. I had just saved us whatever large fee plumbers are charging these days to make a house call and undoubtedly do the exact same thing.

A far bigger, smarter Mind than mine knew what I was going to need before I needed it, and I am so glad I followed that inner nudge to do something that made no sense to me at the time.

Best practice: Avoid the Ego’s desire to force your own limited view of the right HOW and WHEN on a situation.  Instead, stop, get quiet and call on your Higher Power to show you the right actions to take at the right time. Demonstrate your trust by following the Divine Directions you receive (even when they don’t make sense to you). If you don’t get an immediate answer, be patient. Ask again each day until you do. Stay quiet and keep an open mind. The answer WILL come to you…. or from someone or something outside of you. If you follow this path consistently, I promise you will begin to experience being in the flow of life, manifesting everything you truly need and desire with greater ease and speed than you might now imagine is possible.

P.S. I HIGHLY recommend The Gratitude Formula by May McCarthy, which will teach you a simple, sure-fire method of connecting with your own personal source of Spiritual Guidance each morning that will provide you with actionable direction for every facet of your daily life. With just a few minutes a day of consistent practice, you will begin to see Divine Timing showing up in everything you do.

COACHING RESULTS

“Caroll, of all the coaching programs I’ve ever done, working with you was by far the most productive. First, you really took the time to get to know me and my life, so your approach was always targeted to my needs. You had me set specific, measurable goals, then helped me with clear suggestions and actions I could take in small bites that I could handle.  You taught me to make time for myself with a morning mindset practice that gave me daily focus and direction. It helped me gain clarity on what I really wanted and empowered the Divinity inside me to help me achieve my Big Goals.  Most of all, your coaching helped me to overcome my fears and limiting beliefs and step up to be a Servant Leader who helps others achieve their goals. You have a great ability to help people “steer their ship” with confidence and integrity and I am so grateful.” – Mary W., Entrepreneur 

MY INVITATION TO YOU

If a qualified mechanic offered you a F.R.E.E., no-strings, tune up for your car, would you accept? How about a F.R.E.E. mindset tune-up from a certified Personal Success Coach?  I am offering to help you pursue your Big Goals for 2024 with greater ease, speed and success. No strings attached.  Slots are very limited. For a F.R.E.E. one-hour phone coaching session, contact me right away: caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com

If you would like your own F.R.E.E. subscription to receive this blog three Sundays a month, just go to my website at https://practicalprosperitycoach.com and fill in your name and email at the top.

 

Boldly Believe in Your Dreams – Blog 493

January 14, 2024

“As you step into this new year, be bold enough and daring enough to believe in the abundant good that has been prepared for you.” – Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

In the last blog, we discussed the importance of completing your old year before you attempt to create your new year the way you want it to be.  Once you have released any disappointments, lingering resentments, incompletions and regrets over what did or didn’t happen for you last year, you are ready to co-create (with God/The Universe) an even BETTER new year for yourself.

I have been doing a New Year Creation exercise every year since 2004. I can’t say every year turned out exactly the way I had envisioned in every area of my life. In fact, the past few gave me (and others) a number of surprises, not all of them positive. Still, as I re-read each New Year’s Eve what I had set out to create that year, I have been consistently amazed to find that much of what I truly wanted did come true.

By the way, if you haven’t yet completed the “Reflections Exercise” from last week’s blog (Put the Old One to Rest – Blog 492) to help you powerfully complete 2023, identify your main lessons from it, and create the mental and emotional space for a year of new manifestations, please take all the time you need to finish it before you begin this next step. You can find it in the blog archives at https://practicalprosperitycoach.com.

CREATING YOUR NEW YEAR

Once you have completed the old, you are ready to co-create a brand NEW year how YOU want it to be! We know that life can definitely throw us some curve balls from time to time, but this is a very effective technique for creating your year intentionally, rather than passively waiting to see how it all “turns out.”

I was so pleased to receive an email from one of my longtime clients about the outcome of her New Year Creation exercise: “In re-reading my Year Creation, I see that what I put down for what I wanted in a new home manifested exactly how I specified – the realtor, house location, everything!” As hundreds of my clients have proven, year in and year out, you CAN ask for what you want – and get it!

And NO, I am not suggesting that the Divine Plan for your life doesn’t matter!  I personally believe that in order to manifest our Highest Good, we must first ask God/The Universe clearly and specifically for what we want, and then trust that if it is good for us and doesn’t harm anyone else, we will be shown HOW to get it.  You can be sure that if God/The Universe has different plans for you, you will be guided to fulfill them and they will be EVEN better than the ones you suggested!

STEP ONE: Create a THEME for the year. How would you like this year show to up for your life?  Make it catchy so you can remember it on a daily basis. This year, my theme is “2024: The Year of Purposeful Prosperity” because I want to expand my means for sharing mindset tools and prosperity principles in new and much bigger ways that align with my Life Purpose AND I want to prosper financially from sharing my unique and special God-given gifts with my target audience.

STEP TWO: Create a list of personal qualities to describe how YOU want to show up in the world this year. State it in the present tense, as though it’s already a fact. Here’s mine: “In 2024, I am God’s richly-rewarded Prosperity Messenger: Magnetic, Intuitive, Confident, Peaceful, Joyous, Patient, Empowering, Faith-Filled, Loving and Giving. I attract effortlessly WHO I AM and everything I desire.”

By declaring who you want to be in the present tense, you will automatically begin to become this person. The qualities and attributes you begin to embody will then attract the right people and resources to manifest your Big Dreams with ease.  As the Law of Attraction states, “energy attracts like energy.”  So whatever qualities you cultivate in yourself will show up in those who will be attracted to you – in business, friendship, romantic relationship – everywhere!

STEP THREE: List the main areas of life that are important to you.  Then simply state what you desire to have in each area this year.  Remember, you do not have to know HOW you are going to get those desires fulfilled!  Each dream you describe is simply a declaration to God/the Universe that this is what you desire – stated in the present tense, with GRATITIDE, as though it’s already happened.  (NOTE: This “gratitude in advance” wording is a really important part of the format!)

Declaring “I am so grateful that…” above the first one and then describing in a few sentences what you desire in each area of life that is important to you tells your own subconscious mind that it’s already a done deal, as far as you are concerned.  You believe that your Higher Power will figure out the HOW and convey it to you by whatever means are best for YOU. It’s your job to quietly listen for Divine Direction and then take bold action when you get those Divine “leads.”

Visualizing, Declaring and Believing in your dreams being fulfilled before you see any tangible evidence is key to making them a reality.

EXAMPLE YEAR CREATION

A few years ago, one of my clients created an outstandingly simple, clear, graceful and powerful Year Creation – all on a single page, which is much shorter than my own!  I share it as an example of what the format looks like when complete.

Remember, the areas of life she wrote about are the most important to HER; your Big Dreams may be in different areas, which is perfectly fine. If you see something in hers that you would like too, feel free to “borrow” it for your own!

20XX: The Year of Growth, Grace and Grit

 In 20XX, I am a vehicle for dreams to be achieved and goals to be attained: Joyful, Confident, Determined, Enthusiastic, Graceful, Insightful, Loving and Unstoppable. I attract effortlessly WHO I AM and what I love.

I AM SO GRATEFUL THAT….

Love and Family: I love spending time with my husband and daughters learning about the world. We vacation often and have incredible trips where we learn, enjoy and explore amazingness. We have time to enjoy each other and be fully present, but we also take time for ourselves. We love each other deeply, have thoughtful conversations, celebrate our success and help each other through the failures.

Business:  I am so grateful for the excitement, challenges and rewards that my skin care business gives to me every day. I am the leader of an amazing team and have very loyal customers who feel appreciated. I get time every day to work and inspire the men and women on my team.  It will be a source of joy that radiates into every aspect of my life including my primary career. At convention, I am wearing my blue, blingy lanyard and I am so thrilled to be a part of the leadership summit!!

Friendship: My friends are so very important to me. I have time every day to check in on everyone – a phone call or a series of texts. I’m so very grateful for their love and humor!  We find time at least once a month to all go out together for dinner or movies and drinks! We are there to support each other through hard times and celebrations!

Health: I am eating healthier and feeling great. My morning walks are a time for ME. Sometimes it is for reflection, listening to a podcast or an early morning phone call with a friend on the east coast. I wake up every morning excited to go out and hit the road. My husband is cooking fantastic meals!

Self-Care: My mental state is clear and focused; my stress levels are low. I am able to attend my monthly meetings with other women entrepreneurs where we can help each other with whatever we need in life and in our businesses. I take time to read 30 minutes every day in peace and quiet. I have conversations with friends who feel similarly to me about what we learn, feel and think.  The Law of Attraction is so present in my life that it is a natural part of my time – all of the time.

 What matters most to YOU right now? 

Think of your 2024 Year Creation exercise like a Vision Board that uses words instead of pictures. Nothing is required of you. You don’t have to make an action plan or a to-do list from the heartfelt intentions you wrote! All you need to do is EXPRESS GRATITUDE IN ADVANCE to your Higher Power for it and BELIEVE it will show up for you at the perfect time and in the perfect way.

Some of my clients like to read their New Year Creation at the beginning of each week or the first day of a new month, just to stay emotionally connected to it. But you could put yours away in a drawer and not take it out until next New Years Day– and you will be amazed that your own subconscious mind has been working with your Higher Power throughout the year to create opportunities for you to make your Big Dreams a reality.

That’s the Law of Attraction in action! So don’t delay — The BEST year of your life (so far) is just waiting for you to create it!

PLEASE NOTE: To give you some time to finish the Reflections and Year Creation exercises, the blog is taking the next two weeks off and will return with a fresh Cup of Caroll on Sunday, February 4.

****************** Give the Gift of Dreams Fulfilled! ********************

This New Year, give a friend, colleague or yourself a truly unique gift that can be life-changing: a ONE HOUR “Success Breakthrough” coaching session by phone.  It is absolutely F*R*E*E* with no strings attached! To schedule this F*R*E*E* session, email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com ASAP, as I book up fast!

If you would like your own free subscription to receive this blog three Sundays a month, just go to my website https://practicalprosperitycoach.com and fill in your name and email at the top.

 

Welcoming the New Year – Blog 491

January 1, 2024

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” – Winston Churchill

I hope you have been enjoying a happy and festive Holiday Season!  I was going to skip the blog this weekend, but when I came across the short post below, I thought it would be a great way for us to create our own individual mindset for success to prepare for whatever 2024 brings.

This post was originally published by BodyWise International and I quote it in its entirety. I hope you enjoy it!

The New Year

By Debbie Powers, Assistant Professor Emerita of Wellness at Ball State University.

“A new year can bring resolutions, new commitments, hopes, and dreams. Many of these resolutions involve personal habits that are controllable. Some people will concentrate on ways to improve their physical health with exercise and diet. Others want to improve relationships, mental outlook, or financial status. There are tons of articles on making and keeping New Year’s resolutions. Most articles cover planning specifics like goal-setting and daily strategies. Regardless of whether your resolutions involve physical, relationship, financial, or daily habit changes, setting goals, developing strategies, and avoiding setbacks should always be detailed in your plan. Rather than expanding on these behavior-change techniques this week (though I may in future articles), I’d like to share something I read. It is a clever and more global approach to the New Year. I wish I knew who the author is, so I could give credit.

FLIGHT 2024 INSTRUCTIONS

Good morning and welcome to Flight 2024. We are preparing to take off into the New Year. Please make sure your positive attitude and gratitude are secured and locked in the upright position. All self-destructive devices: pity, anger, selfishness, pride, and resentment should be turned off at this time. All negativity, hurt, and discouragement should be stowed away. You are now cleared for take-off with the destination being GREATNESS. Enjoy the journey.

Realize that a new year is like a blank book. It has 12 chapters and 365 pages. You are the author. Go forth and write the most beautiful story for yourself.

Happy and Healthy 2024!”

All the Best,

Coach Caroll

 

You Gave Them Comfort and Joy – Blog 490

December 17, 2023

“Somehow, not only for Christmas but all the long year through, the joy you give to others is the joy that comes back to you.” – John Greenleaf Whittier, Poet

My heart is filled with comfort and joy as I write this final blog of 2023.  In the eight years we have been doing the Pay It Forward Challenge, I have consistently been amazed at the outpouring of lovely stories from my clients and readers about creative and generous deeds they have done for others during this season, which we know can be both joyous and challenging. You may never know just how much a simple smile, kind word or little random act of kindness you do for someone will mean to them.

The Pay It Forward Challenge, where I ask my readers to do at least one random act of kindness for someone during the Holiday Season as a way of demonstrating our gratitude for our own blessings, has taken on special meaning for me this year. I notice little acts of kindness every day by people all around me, in the grocery store, my neighborhood and Starbucks – everywhere I go. I decided to start the PIF Challenge eight years ago, when my grumpy day was completely transformed by a stranger in line ahead of me at Starbucks paying for my drink. See what his one little act of kindness has done for all of us?

The last blog detailed some recent acts of gratitude-in-action by my clients and readers.  As we wrap up the 2023 Pay It Forward Challenge with this blog, I wanted to share one more round of inspiring stories of generosity and kindness. Remember, it is not too late for you to create your own random act of kindness (or a second or third)!

Here are a few recent favorites:

• A client bought several $10 gift cards to various stores and gave them to the checkers at her local grocery store, whom she has gotten to know since she moved to a new part of the country last summer. They were all surprised and touched that a customer would go out of her way to show appreciation for their hard work.
• A reader ordered an artificial Xmas tree on Amazon, but when it arrived, she just didn’t feel like decorating a tree this year. So, she gave it to a delighted neighbor.
• One of my Women’s Manifesting Mastermind members hosted a craft activity for the residents at her mother-in-law’s senior apartment complex. She said she’s done different craft activities each of the prior three years and the residents always enjoy them. This year, they are making Christmas cards.
• One of my clients gave his last $1 bill to his co-worker who unexpectedly had to take the bus to work and didn’t have enough change for a ticket home. Now, he makes sure to keep a few $1 bills in his wallet in case someone needs it again.
• My friend is a manager for a company that provides medical and personal assistance to help their clients continue to live independently at home. The administrators were originally planning to host a Holiday party for the staff and clients, but when they realized a number of their clients just weren’t physically able to travel, the staff decided to take Christmas to their clients instead. Over the past several weeks, the caregivers have hand delivered goody baskets to all of their clients at their homes.
• You will recall in the last blog, I prayed for a “Christmas Miracle” for Lupin, one of the dogs I walk daily for The Little Red Dog rescue organization. I wanted him to have a Home for the Holidays inside a real family home, instead of the garage he was housed in for the last year.  Lupin hasn’t yet found his “forever family,” but a week ago, a generous foster family took him into their home, and he is doubtless ecstatic over the new level of attention, play and extra exercise they are providing for him. Now, Lupin has “paid it forward” in his own way: Because his leaving created some extra time for me, I decided to take on walking a pair of little pups, Chihuahua-mixes named Max and Ollie.  They are being fostered together by a kind older gentleman whose physical limitations prevent him from walking them.  I alternate days with another volunteer so Max and Ollie are now getting walks five days a week. They are super excited every time we go out, and their foster dad says they have been much calmer inside the house since our walks began.

I also found two heartwarming stories in the news that I wanted to share with you:

Ken Hudson Campbell, who played Santa in the classic Christmas movie Home Alone, recently underwent a 10-hour procedure to remove a cancerous tumor in his mouth and rebuild a portion of his jaw. Because he had been ill and out of work for some time, Ken lost his insurance through SAG-AFTRA. So, his family launched a GoFundMe campaign to pay for his cancer surgery.  Famous pals like Steve Carell, Jeff Garlin, Tim Meadows and lots of regular folks contributed and sent heartfelt messages of support. His daughter Michaela reports that Ken is doing well and that all the cancer was removed so he will not need chemotherapy.

She said her father has been “overwhelmed” by the response that has surpassed the goal of raising $100,000. “The first day we posted it, every time he read something, he would just burst into tears,” she said. “It was the first time he really got emotional about the whole situation. It was kind of a shock to him to feel so loved….It really means the world.  My family’s been struggling for a long time financially. So just having my dad’s friends come together, this is just very overwhelming and it really takes a lot of stress off of my family’s shoulders.”

Night janitor Ian Greenarch found a letter in the trash in a fifth-grade classroom written by student Daniel Gambrill, who has been struggling a lot with being bullied. Daniel wrote the letter to his class, in which he was open and vulnerable about what he’s been going through. Ultimately, though, he chose to throw the letter away. When janitor Ian read the letter that was lying open on the top of the trash and caught his eye, he decided to write the boy a letter back.

Ian wrote to Daniel, “I want you to know that I am thinking about you, buddy. Feeling alone is a very scary thing to deal with, and it’s something I’ve dealt with, bud….I know most have trouble feeling like they don’t fit in with other classmates, but in all honesty, being yourself and being kind to others in any situation you’ll experience will take you very far!” He also left Daniel some cash to “treat yourself. Be happy, you deserve it.”

When Daniel shared the letter with his mom, he had tears of joy in his eyes and his mom cried too. Since then, Daniel’s whole family have met Ian and plan to have him over to their home for Christmas dinner. Together, they have started a Facebook group for others to share kind words with those who feel bullied or excluded. “I’m so humbled to see what just one act can do for a boy, a community – it was really special,” Ian said.

If you love reading stories of life-changing kindness as much as I do, a great book that will inspire you is HumanKind: Changing the World One Small Act At a Time by Brad Aronson.  During his wife Mia’s grueling multi-year battle with leukemia (which was ultimately successful), their family were met with an outpouring of kindness from friends and strangers that inspired Brad so much, he began writing about those people and collecting more and more stories about other acts of kindness that transformed a life.

Gabrielle Bernstein’s testimonial about his book sums up for me what our annual Pay It Forward Challenge is all about: “I believe we’re all connected, and our purpose here on Earth is to help one another. In HumanKind, Brad Aronson shows us how to do this. The stories he shares will inspire you and, thanks to his practical tips, you’ll feel empowered to act on that feeling and put kindness into action every day, in ways big and small.”

Well, that wraps up another wonderful Season of Pay It Forward Challenge inspiration!  I hope you will make it a practice year-round, not just during the Holidays.

PLEASE NOTE: The blog is taking the rest of the year off to enjoy the Holidays. In the New Year, we will lay the groundwork for what needs to be emotionally and mentally prepared in order to create an even happier and more successful 2024.  Look for your next Cup of Caroll on Sunday January 7.  My heartfelt wishes go out to you and your loved ones for peace, health and prosperity now and in the New Year! 

*************** Give Yourself the Gift of Dreams Fulfilled! ******************

To schedule a no-obligation, F*R*E*E* HOUR of Success Breakthrough Coaching by phone that will help clarify your 2024 Big Goals and get you into ACTION to make them a reality, please email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com.

 

Paying it Forward Pays – Blog 489

December 10, 2023

“The willingness to share does not make one charitable; it makes one free.” – Robert Brault

I hope you enjoyed all the wonderful stories in the last blog about the variety of creative ways many of my readers found to participate in my annual Pay it Forward Challenge. (See “You Brought the Joy” – Blog 488). 

I hope to share many more such stories to make you smile in my final blog for the year. So, if you have done a big or small kindness for someone this Holiday Season (or are planning to), please email me your story ASAP so I can include it in next Sunday’s blog.

My goal in sharing readers’ PIF stories is to inspire others to do something kind or generous for someone else – even just putting a smile on their face. This is how we can each demonstrate our own personal gratitude for all the blessings that we have experienced this year.  Paying it Forward is more than just feeling “thankful.” It puts your gratitude into ACTION that can change lives in ways you may not imagine.

I recently came across a post that highlights how expressing your gratitude can benefit YOU in concrete ways, too. I quote verbatim from it here:

How to practice gratitude this holiday season

By The Salvation Army of Orange County (usw.salvationarmy.org)

“Have you ever noticed how grateful people tend to be the happiest people?  Practicing gratitude focuses your attention on what you have as opposed to what you don’t and helps to remind you of all the good in your life. Therefore, learning how to practice gratitude is one of the best things you can do for yourself and one of the easiest ways to increase your happiness. By slowing down and making space for gratitude, you will become more attuned to the Lord’s loving provision in your life.

“Here are some things you can do to feel great by being grateful:

• Start by keeping a notebook and writing down three things you are grateful for each day. Journaling is one of the best ways to keep track of all of life’s blessings.
• Say what you are grateful for out loud because hearing yourself say it helps cement it to memory.
• Try to thank someone each day since showing appreciation for others will add joy to both their day and yours.”

These are all great suggestions for putting more gratitude into your life.  And, in keeping with The Law of Attraction (“energy attracts like energy”), it’s said that gratitude is the #1 positive emotion for attracting MORE good things into your life.

But with a Pay it Forward act of kindness or generosity toward someone else, I believe you are doing even MORE to put the power of gratitude into action for yourself, as well as for the recipient.

By all means, we should establish a regular personal practice of expressing our appreciation for all the good things that come to us. AND I hope you also will choose to spread that GOOD further by bestowing some on others.

As I mentioned in the last blog, one of the ways my wonderful husband Rick and I like to put our gratitude into action is helping deserving dogs in need of a good home through volunteering with The Little Red Dog, our favorite local grassroots rescue organization (that recently started also rescuing kitties).  I help by walking rescued dogs five days a week, and Rick helps with transporting the pups to adoption events, vet appointments, and meet-and-greets with potential adoptive families. We also donate as much as we can to them because the need is so great, especially right now, with animal shelters overflowing with surrendered and abandoned pets.

In the last blog, I wrote about “Lupin,” a wonderful young pup being fostered near me that I walk regularly. He is a handsome husky-mix with beautiful blue eyes and the most winning combination of enthusiasm and obedience I have ever seen in a rescue. Rick and I drove Lupin 45 minutes each way to participate in a virtual adoption event a few weeks ago. Our hope was that spotlighting him on The Little Red Dog’s YouTube channel would catch the attention of a potential adoptive family.

The Little Red Dog currently cares for over 100 rescues with a very small staff and a few dozen volunteers, so it was easy for Lupin to be overlooked, especially since he was housed away from their new facility where the pups get regularly showcased in daily videos posted to social media.

For the better part of a year, Lupin has been housed in his own large pen in a heated/cooled garage, along with two other rescue pups. While the accommodations, vet care, food and regular daily walks provided for him were 100% better than what he would get at a shelter, it was not the same as being inside a family home, with all the attention, love, exercise and socialization he deserves. For weeks, I had been telling him on our walks that I was SURE that God was working on finding him the perfect adoptive family so he could be “Home for the Holidays.”  He seemed to understand.

After the adoption event was posted on YouTube, nothing happened immediately for him.  But this is the Season for Miracles, so I kept praying daily and turning the “How” details over to God. The more I told Lupin that I had absolute faith he was going to be inside a real family home by Christmas, the stronger my own belief became.

This past Tuesday, after I walked Lupin in the morning, telling him once again that I was SO happy he was going to be “home for the Holidays,” I got a text in the afternoon from the woman who generously has turned her family’s garage into his makeshift kennel.  It said simply, “Lupin went to a foster home today.” I was stunned.

When I checked with PJ Rosch, the co-founder of The Little Red Dog, she told me that the family who took him in were seasoned fosters for them. Their last foster pup had been adopted, so they contacted TLRD asking for a new foster pup that is housetrained, good with other dogs and well-behaved.  That’s Lupin!

I had promised him he would be inside a real home before Christmas with a family to play with him and give him love and exercise.  Just like that, out of the blue, my prayer for Lupin was answered. And, as often happens when we turn the How over to God/The Universe, our heartfelt desire gets fulfilled, but in a different way than we had envisioned.

PJ reminded me, “When a dog gets taken into a real home, their temperament shifts for the positive. Often, soon after they are fostered, they get adopted.  This is the power of fostering.”

As I said, when you put your gratitude to work by helping another being (two-footed or four-footed), it changes lives in ways you cannot imagine.  I will certainly continue to pray for Lupin to have a forever home, but in the meantime, I am SO grateful to know that he really is Home for the Holidays!

Speaking of “Home for the Holidays,” that is the name of the current fundraising campaign for The Little Red Dog. Their goal is to raise “$100,000 by the end of December, which will enable them to rescue 100 more deserving pups (and kitties).  It costs a lot to house and feed them, provide vet care, spay/neuter them etc.  They are currently one third of the way to their goal. So, if you are an animal lover, looking for one more good deed to do to Pay it Forward, you couldn’t find a more worthy 501 C-3 registered non-profit organization than The Little Red Dog.  Here’s their website with all the details.  A donation of ANY size is very welcome and will make a huge difference in a deserving four-footed life this winter: www.thelittlereddog.org

Watch for my final blog of the year next Sunday. I hope to hear from you ASAP with your story of a good deed you have done or are planning to do to participate in our Pay it Forward Challenge. I am sure it will inspire others to participate too. Please email it to  caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com

If you or your friends would like your own free subscription to receive this blog three Sundays a month, just go to https://practicalprosperitycoach.com and enter your name and email at the top of the page.

 

You Brought the Joy – Blog 488

November 26, 2023

“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” – Maya Angelou

This is one of my favorite blogs that I get to write during the year!  I hope it will be just the first, as more and more of my cherished readers share what they have done to make others’ lives a little brighter during the Holidays.

My last post (Show Your Gratitude – Blog 487) kicked off the annual Pay It Forward Challenge that I began eight years ago. From Thanksgiving through the end of the year, I invite my wonderful readers to join me in spreading some “comfort and joy” wherever we are, as a way of putting our gratitude into ACTION by making an extra effort to be kind and generous toward our fellow human beings.

A post by the Good News Network (November 12, 2021) reports that 90% of 2,000 Americans polled in a survey commissioned by Walgreens “have contributed to a charity and feel better about themselves when they give back. In fact, those who do are almost twice as likely to say that they’re satisfied with their lives.

“The poll revealed that most people think a ‘good deed’ is an action that makes someone else feel good, or something that benefits an individual – regardless if you personally know them or not.

“Over half of respondents said that helping someone with a task, donating to someone in need, saying ‘good morning’, or even holding a door open for someone, are deeds that are likely to transform your own day.

“The survey found that good deeds are rewarding because of hidden mental and physical health benefits, causing the people who perform them to feel happy (92%), relaxed (77%) and healthy (71%).

“Three-quarters of those polled believe that if they do a good deed, the next person will pay it forward.”

I would add that not only does “paying it forward” by showing kindness, generosity and empathy toward others actively demonstrate your appreciation for all your many blessings, but it is also a proven way to put the Law of Attraction (“energy attracts like energy”) to work attracting even MORE good things to you.

Spreading kindness doesn’t have to be a big gesture.  I got the idea for the PIF Challenge when someone ahead of me in line at Starbucks paid for my drink.  When I approached him to thank him, he just smiled and said, “I trust you will pay it forward.”  And I did just that for the rest of the Holiday Season by buying multiple packs of $5 Starbucks gift cards and giving one to a barista at the counter every time I visited the store, asking her to bestow it on any customer at random after I left.  (Anonymous gestures of kindness and generosity can be the MOST fun of all!) This request always puts a surprised smile on the barista’s face, too!

At the end of the last blog, I asked you to email me your own Pay it Forward stories to share with other readers, in hopes of inspiring even MORE random acts of kindness and generosity among us.  Here are some of my favorites so far:

• One of my women’s Manifesting Mastermind members found out that she could also send Starbucks gift cards virtually through the app. She used the opportunity to surprise her customers and friends with a personal text message and a little gift of cheer. Many responded that they were touched to know she thought of them. “My heart grew with each warm response,” she said.
• A dear friend of mine is a certified Master Gardener and retired middle school teacher who now teaches the students how to create and maintain their own school food garden. She wrote, “We have grown winter squash for one middle school’s Thanksgiving baskets since we moved here 18 years ago. We expanded our squash growing and giving with student learning and hard work to three more schools. [By] providing the one fresh item, with several simple delicious recipes for all those baskets, many families will have extra special holiday meals!”
• One of my clients supports a new residential home for women in her area who are transitioning from rehab into independent living. She plans to surprise each of the eleven women with a personal holiday gift basket containing little treats and self-care products. “I want them to feel cared about and special,” she said.
• Even though she is currently short on cash herself, one of my clients made a special holiday donation to her favorite charity, Save the Children, which supplies food and other necessities for children across the globe.
• She also likes to do hands-on good deeds, like giving out bottled water and snacks to any homeless people she sees sitting outside, especially this time of year.
• A client is putting big tubs out in her driveway, and asking all her friends to share on social media and spread the word that if anyone wants to donate clothing, blankets, non-perishable food items and toys, she will take care of delivering the goodies to a local homeless shelter and food bank.
• I saw this great suggestion on Instagram: If you are planning to donate any clean old luggage to the Goodwill, consider taking it to a local foster care agency instead. Kids who have to hastily move into a temporary home usually carry their belongings in plastic trash bags. Having a real suitcase of their own gives them a boost of self-esteem and stability.
• My favorite giving story in the media so far features a middle-aged woman working the cash register at a fast-food restaurant. A young man approached the counter and asked what he could buy for all the cash he had, one dollar. (He was secretly filming the exchange.) She listed several very small items on the menu and then asked if he liked hot dogs. He said he did. She asked what he wanted on his hot dog and after he gave his order, he tried to hand her the dollar. She waved off the money and said she would buy the $2.50 item for him as her treat.  That’s when he pulled out $1,000 in cash and handed it to her. As she stared at the money in disbelief, he asked her why she was willing to pay for his food out of her own pocket and she replied, “I know what it’s like to be hungry and need help.” Then she said that cash would help her pay so many bills and burst into happy tears.

It was also great to learn what it’s like to be on the RECEIVING end of a kind deed, when my client recently went out to the nearly-deserted parking lot after school, only to find her car battery was dead.  Another teacher came along and asked if there was anything she could do to help. My teacher friend replied no, she just had to wait for AAA to come give her a jump.  Then her fellow teacher offered to buy her an iced tea from a store across the street. “That little kindness made me feel so cared for. I am usually the care-giver and I’m not used to someone taking care of MY needs. It was a small gesture, but it really lifted my spirits.”

My wonderful husband Rick and I already have seen our own Holidays “go to the dogs” – literally! The weekend before Thanksgiving, our favorite local rescue, The Little Red Dog, held a virtual adoption event at their new shelter and posted the videos of each dog on YouTube.  Most of the featured dogs were already housed at their facility, which is about 45 minutes from our home. But one of the beautiful dogs I regularly walk as a volunteer, a Husky-mix, blue-eyed boy named Lupin, is fostered in a private home near us.

We really wanted Lupin to be spotlighted so he could have a chance to attract a new forever home for the Holidays. So, we drove him to the facility and I talked about him on camera for a few minutes, with Lupin sitting so nicely by my side (like the Good Boy he is)! When his “interview” was over, we drove him back to his foster home.

A few days ago, a retired couple living on a big spread in a nearby semi-rural community who already have two playful rescue pups saw his post and inquired about adopting him. I have my fingers crossed that after more than a year in foster care, Lupin will, indeed, be in his Forever Home for the Holidays with other pups to play with, as I have been praying for.  I will keep you posted.

I hope these Pay it Forward Challenge stories will give you some ideas for creative ways to put your own gratitude into ACTION to help others. Once you start, I predict it will become a 365-day happy habit for you!  And I hope you will send me your OWN story soon, so I can include it in a blog next month!  Please email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com with your own stories of kindness and generosity so we can all enjoy one more round of inspiring Pay It Forward stories this Holiday Season!

SPECIAL REQUEST: If you are a dog and/or cat lover like I am, you could not find a more caring, well-run registered 501(C)(3) grassroots rescue organization than The Little Red Dog. (They recently began rescuing kitties, too.) We have adopted two pups from them and have been actively volunteering and donating to them for many years.  If you are interested in contributing, ANY amount would be most welcome as part of their Home for the Holidays annual giving campaign that kicks off this week on Giving Tuesday and goes through the end of December. All donations are tax-deductible and you will receive an emailed receipt. Here is their website: www.thelittlereddog.org I would personally be so grateful for your support to them!

PLEASE NOTE: The blog is taking next weekend off. Look for your next fresh Cup of Caroll on Sunday December 10.

If you or your friends would like your own free subscription to receive this blog three Sundays a month, just go to https://practicalprosperitycoach.com and enter your name and email at the top of the page.

 

Show Your Gratitude – Blog 487

November 12, 2023

“Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day.” – Sally Koch

Happy National Kindness Day! 

Yes, the season of gratitude, peace and goodwill is officially upon us. This is the time of year when most people make an extra effort to be kind and generous toward their fellow humans.  With so much strife, violence and negativity bombarding us in the daily news, it’s especially important that we make it a time of rekindled hope, love and reconciliation that we all need so much. Hopefully, one day, this too-short season of goodwill will last all year long…For now, we will take what we can get! 

For the past several years, from Thanksgiving through the end of the year, I have used this blog to invite my wonderful readers to make life a little brighter, happier and easier for others with a “Pay-It-Forward Challenge.” With many people still facing health, economic, emotional and other serious challenges, I hope that YOU will join us in participating this year, too.  I love hearing reports of the many creative ways my readers find to help someone else, show them that they matter, or simply brighten their day and put a smile on their face. 

I got the idea for this annual Pay It Forward Challenge when I was at Starbucks during Thanksgiving week in 2015. A stranger ahead of me paid $5.00 toward my purchase, which turned my frazzled, grumpy day around and put a smile on my face that never went away through the rest of the year.  That simple act of thoughtful generosity inspired me to buy a bunch of $5.00 gift cards and begin giving them out every few days to the baristas at the register to bestow on random customers in the line behind me.  Now, it’s become an annual tradition, as I always purchase 10 Starbucks gift cards around Thanksgiving to give away to random customers through the end of the year. 

You can experience the joy of spreading around some “Holiday Spirit” in your own creative ways.  Your kindness and thoughtfulness don’t have to cost much or anything.  Here are few examples my readers came up with in years past:

• Let someone who appears to be in a hurry go ahead of you in the checkout line. I promise they will beam at you!
• Help a harried friend or colleague run an errand, or babysit their kids while they do.
• Surprise your friends, family and clients with a snail-mailed or emailed Thanksgiving card this year! Few people think to send them, but this gesture says, “I am so grateful for you!” to friends and customers like nothing else can.
• Send an individual email to one or more of your closest colleagues that says what you appreciate about them and why you are grateful to have them on your team. This will make their day.
• Use your musical, baking or crafting talents to spread cheer and delight to children, neighbors, elderly folks and the sick.
• Help an older person or someone who is under the weather put up their holiday decorations or haul home their Christmas tree. Or offer to perform some chore to lighten their load, such as mowing the lawn, shoveling the driveway, picking up their groceries, giving them a ride to the doctor or picking up a prescription.
• Donate some lightly-used warm clothing or blankets to an organization that serves the homeless or low-income families.
• Donate money, food, towels, blankets or pet supplies to an organization that helps loving pets that are patiently waiting for their forever homes.
• Surprise someone who lives alone with a tin of tea and a plate of homemade holiday treats. Better yet, sit down and listen to them while you enjoy the goodies together.
• Donate blood! One of my clients showed up to donate and the nurse asked if she would stay an extra 2 hours to give plasma, which was desperately needed for three children waiting for it.  It interfered with the plans she had for her day, but it also made her day.  I now give plasma myself about every other week on Sunday afternoons and it makes me so happy to know that I am helping cancer patients in their health battles.

If you are able, pay your own financial blessings forward by spreading the prosperity around a bit.  Here are just a few ideas:

• Surprise a friend on a tight budget with a supermarket gift card that will make their Holiday feast much brighter.
• At the gas station, if you notice someone in an old car with kids in the back, surprise her by paying for a full tank of gas. (I know, that is a BIG gift these days!)
• Astonish a homeless person by handing them a $5 or $10 fast-food gift card instead of spare change.
• Contribute a little extra to your favorite charity or cause. I like to support grassroots animal rescue organizations that are operating on a shoestring. $25 means far more to them than it does to the big animal welfare organizations, although I try to donate as much as I can to those, too.
• Take the opportunity to donate to the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Rescue Missions, local food pantries and other relief organizations that are struggling to fill the needs of millions whose lives have been upended by war, natural disasters, job loss or homelessness.

This fabulous message sums it all up beautifully, which is probably why it garnered more likes than almost anything I have ever shared on social media:

“Before you go buy a bunch of ‘stuff’ for family and friends this holiday season, ask them what they really need.  Maybe they need help with a utility bill, car payment, or the rent. Maybe they need a kid-free night and could use a free babysitter.  Maybe they could use a home-cooked meal.  Maybe they need someone to listen to them over a cup of coffee.  Maybe they don’t know what to ask for and are too embarrassed to ask.  Maybe you could be the one to give them exactly what they need this season, rather than some ‘stuff’ they’ll never use.” — @barbara_jewel_sidesjohnson

If each of us makes it our mission to touch just one life in some meaningful, kind way, we can start a tidal way of Gratitude, Kindness and Giving that just might spread a little joyous Holiday Cheer and Goodwill far beyond the end of the year. 

Please email me your own Pay-It-Forward Challenge story to caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com  I will collect them and share them in a future blog to inspire others to do more of the same.

PLEASE NOTE: The blog is taking next weekend off and will return on Sunday November 26. Until then, I wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving in the USA!

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*************** Give Yourself the Gift of Dreams Fulfilled******************

It’s the last quarter of the year!  Are you confident that you will reach your Big Goals for 2023? Maybe you are even considering a BIG life change of finding a new career, starting your own successful business or finding the love of your life in the new year! To schedule a F*R*E*E*, no-obligation one-hour session of phone coaching that will help you clarify exactly what you need to do and get you into ACTION to make it happen, email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com TODAY.  Slots are limited, so please act quickly!