A story from Charging the Human Battery… 50 Ways to Motivate Yourself

When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives, but are grateful for the abundance that is present...we experience heaven on earth."

~Sarah Ban Breathnach

Betty Mahalik, in her book, Living a Five Star Life, asks the question: Where are you right now on the "joy factor" scale...more joy than you can handle, or barely enough to keep you alive? She said, "We live in times that are often a tumultuous combination of terror, anxiety and a realization of the fragility of life."

"Joy and gratitude," Betty says, "go hand in hand. We are not grateful because we're happy, rather we're happy because we're grateful." This week, she says, "Take five minutes a day to practice gratitude. As you look around, remember just how much you have to be thankful for - freedom, your faith, your friendships, your family, and the list goes on. You'll discover the world, that only yesterday seemed drab and joyless, is suddenly bursting with beauty and possibility."

Living with gratitude...ah, yes, easy to say, it just rolls off the tongue, but difficult to do consistently. You are so blessed, in so many ways. You need to find ways to remind yourself just how fortunate you really are. When that happens you will, as Sarah Breathnach says, "Experience heaven on earth."