Who's Most Likely To Be Blessed in 2011?

The story on Yahoo's homepage today was titled, "Who's most likely to struggle in 2011." That is a terrible headline! The year hasn't even begun yet and negativity is being thrown our way and sending some people into a panic. Do NOT buy into that negativity and do NOT read stuff like that!

We have a better headline for you...WHO'S MOST LIKELY TO BE BLESSED IN 2011? The answer is simple. Anyone who believes that they are blessed will be blessed. If you need help with this concept, we're here to help you. Our goal isn't to just help you have a blessed year though. Our goal is to help you have MANY blessed years to come. 

In order to do this you've got to have a vision for your life. If you have a family, it's important to have a vision for your family as well. If you ask around, most people don't have a real vision for themselves or their families.  But if you don't make one, the world has a way of making one for you. Sort of like flying by the seat of your pants and feeling lost.

To make a life vision, start by taking inventory. Make a Gratitude list which is a list of what and whom your grateful for right now. Then make a list of what you want in your future. We'll call this the POSITIVE list. Make this be very specific because you will need it for the next step which is going to be your Vision Board. The Vision Board can be a cork board but we prefer those large poster boards that you can get at any arts & crafts store and sometimes even at the drugstore. They cost about a dollar. Once you've got your board, pick out photos that express your visions. If you want a certain kind of house, find a photo that looks like it. If you want joy in your life, find a photo that expresses joy. If you want good health, find photos that show things that achieve good health. If you want to go to Tahiti, find some gorgeous photos of Tahiti. If you want more money, you're not going to get it by focusing all of your attention on bills and debt. Get the idea? Be very specific in what you want! Then glue all of the photos on to your Vision Board and place the board where you can look at it every day. This way, it will help you to stay focused on your vision. We attract the things that we focus on! 

Now it's time to clean house! Here comes the last list that you will need to make. This ones called the NEGATIVE list. This list also needs to be very specific. On here you will write down everything that blocks you from getting the things you want. If you're lazy about reaching goals, put laziness on there. If you have negative thoughts all of the time, put negative thinking on there. If you share your time, space or life with negative people or people who don't wish what it best for you, put them on the list. It is time to let go of unhealthy relationships. It is time to let go of everything that does not add to your life. This is going to be very hard for most people to do just for the sole reason that we are creatures of habit. But if you truly want to see significant change in your life, you have to be willing to let go of bad habits. No way around it. 

Last but not least, stop filling yourself up with negativity. It is everywhere. Don't watch the news reports that love to talk non-stop about the recession, job loss, foreclosures, etc... Don't read about it in the papers or online. Ask yourself how it makes you feel after you fill up on those negative stories. The answer is probably not very good and pretty hopeless, right? 

Stay focused on the POSITIVE. Watch things and read about things that fill you up with good energy. Share your time, space and life with people who make you want to be a better person. When you feel yourself starting to have a pity party or you're having a "WHY ME" moment, go and do something nice for someone. Then take out your GRATITUDE list and remember all that you have right now to be grateful for. Fill your SOUL every single day with light. Your soul needs tending to just as a garden does. Water it and feed it! Be of service when needed and do it with a smile. Share your LOVE with people and with yourSELF!

If you can live your life with VISION, GRATITUDE, LOVE and SERVICE, you will get everything you want and more importantly, need. And this my friend, is what is known as a BLESSED life. 

Wishing you all a very blessed New Year! xoxo

  

Gratitude Giveaway Round Two Winner!

We'd like to thank you all once again, for sharing your stories with us about the beautiful and amazing people in your lives that you are grateful for. It's an honor to get to read about everyone. There are so many awesome people in the world!

The winner of the Gratitude Giveaway is Francesca Scopelliti! We didn't pick Francesca for our usual reason which is a person who gives more than they take. We chose Francesca because despite the fact that she had disabilities that she needed to overcome growing up, she had to do so while facing bullies who simply bullied her for reasons that were beyond her control. That's enough to make anyone want to give up on life, but she didn't. Francesca persevered with grace. We think that Francesca is the type of person who we could all learn from. Congratulations, Francesca! We're grateful for learning about you!

Here's the letter that her sister, Antonia wrote to us:

 I want to nominate my little sister for the gratitude giveaway. Her name is Francesca and she isn’t so little anymore but being 10 years older than her will always make her little. My little sister is 20 years old and has been through so much adversity in her life. I often wonder if I could have handled half the things she has been through.

She was born in November of 1990, 2 and a half months premature. She weighed 2 pounds and 1 ounce. She was tiny and it was sad to watch her be fed through a tube in her nose and then watch them shave her head and see all the wires on her. I honestly thought if she could make it through the first couple of months, she’d be fine. My older sister was also born premature and she turned out just fine so I didn’t really worry that much. She stayed in the hospital until the week before christmas. A few days before she came home, the doctor told my parents that she had suffered a brain haemorrhage shortly after her birth. They weren’t aware yet of how much damage had been done and as she grew they would monitor everything. The haemorrhage had cause cerebral palsy; a mild form that affected the right side of her body. It took her longer than most children to learn how to walk and the right side of her body was very weak. She needed to sleep with a machine attached to her leg and arm so that they would help strengthen her.

 When she entered school, we realized she wasn't learning as fast as the other children. She was diagnosed with a learning disability and everything became much harder. It took her double the time to learn things that her peers were learning. She had friends but was bullied because ignorant children didn't seem to understand that not everyone is the same. Through it all, she persevered. In high school, she faced similar challenges but managed to work through them.

 In 2005, she was walking home from school and hit by a car. She had to be home schooled for much of 10^th grade and this caused her to go into a depression. There were moments when I found myself crying constantly because I couldn't imagine everything she had been through her whole life. This poor child had faced the unimaginable at such a young age.

 She began university in 2008, obviously, it was difficult at first because she realized she had to push much harder than the other students. She spent many nights crying herself to sleep and wanted to quit so many times. She never gave up though. She has been this way from the day she was born.

 Today, she is in her 3^rd year of university. She has plans to attend law school once she graduates. We are all so proud of her and all her efforts.  I am thankful to have her in my life and to remind me every day that if you want something bad enough, it is attainable. J

Attached is a picture of her and I and our older sister (Francesca is in the middle and I am on the left). She is a true survivor and will always be the most important person in my life. 
 
 
Thank you,
 
Antonia
xoxoxo