P-A-R-T-Y

Follow through with my "pass the test party"

I don't think it's fair to myself to not carry through with the reward I set for passing my Physical Therapy boards exam!

Before I passed I planned out a party of renting a movie theater and having friends come celebrate by watching a film and having pizza together!  It has been over 3 weeks since I passed.  Summer schedules and events kept getting in the way, but at last we made the time and had a great time with friends and family.  

I didn't actually end up renting out the theater, but we had a group rate where we got admission, popcorn, and soda for regular admission price.  I was very happy to be able to give back a little to all those who had been such a support to me.  I have blessed to have so many great people in my life, so a few bucks to say thank you was worth every penny.  

We watched AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON.  It was a really great movie and had some great laughs as well as action.  We then went to the park and had pizza.  It was a ton of fun and I hope everyone else enjoyed it as much as I did.
Thank you to everyone who supported me, even if you didn't get an invite I am still so grateful to you!

APPLIED GRATITUDE

In continuing my Attitude of Gratitude, I thought I would try something new!

My previous gratitude posts I have made a list of the things I am grateful for, even trying to find gratitude in my trials.  It has enlightened me and has elevated my thinking to a more positive plain.  Since I was sick the last two weeks and had no energy or desire to do more than drag myself to work and rest when I got home, I decided I would try applying my newly developed gratitude.

Instead of just writing about what I am grateful for I decided to try to thank everyone and anyone for every little thing I could.  

I thanked family, friends, in laws, co-workers, and others that did anything for me or were just good people and I thought they should be told.  For example, when out to lunch with my in laws I took the opportunity to tell them thank you for being so good to always help my family out.  I tried to thank my coworkers more often when they did little things that benefited me.  I made an extra effort to notice and thank my wife for the effort she put into cleaning and maintaining my home and children.  

It was Awesome!!!

I felt more love and happiness towards those I thanked.  I had more of a desire to help others and be a better person.  It has been a wonderful and uplifting experience.

Having knowledge is important, taking time to study and learn is key, but until the information in our head is applied and put to action,  it will never become a permanent part of who you are.  So in my case I wanted to be a more grateful person that is respected and loved as well as loves those around me.  SAYING thank you was a big leap forward in becoming that person  

Week 8 

Attitude of Gratitude

As I was listening to Darren Hardy daily mentor, he set the challenge to find an area of your life that you are having difficulty in, and then write down what it is about that problematic situation you appreciate, what's good and what you're grateful for!

I decided to take this challenge and YIKES...this could be a difficult gratitude list

I am Grateful:

1. That I have learned persistence through difficult situations
2. I have had the opportunity to study and learn in depth many areas of physical therapy 
3. That my faith in God and myself has been tested so I could become stronger
4. That out of my struggles it has pushed me to want more out of life
5. Reading and learning about how to become more and progress because of my struggles
6. I still have what's most important...my faith and my family
7. I have discovered the value of looking at my failures as learning tools
8. How much support I have from family
9. I could still work as a PTA (Physical Therapist Assistant) so I can support my family and pay off loans
10. I am learning to walk through Hell with a smile!

Week 7 

Attitude of Gratitude

This is my Gratitude list for this week.  I have decided that instead of writing all the things I am grateful for at the end of the week I will try to write one or two things I am grateful for everyday, and post it at the end of the week.  I believe having gratitude every day can change your life.  So daily gratitude 
will be my goal!



I am Grateful for...

1. Lightning storms on a warm evening
2. The renewal of the earth through a rising spring morning (that sounded so poetic)
3. Friends that make me laugh
4. A beautiful, fun wife
5. Children that fill my heart with gladness
6. Access to unlimited knowledge through books and internet
7. The knowledge to recover from an injury quickly
8. The opportunity to be a dad and husband
9. Getting into my warm car that has been sun baked on a cool day
10. Opportunities for daily progress
11. Scriptures that teach eternal progress
12. Feeling that happiness inside when you help someone out when you didn't have to
13. Prayer
14. Answers to prayers, even if it doesn't come how we like
15. Talking with others who want to progress and grow

Attitude of Gratitude

Week 6

It is so refreshing and energizing to sit down every week and really think about what I have, and how I have so much to be grateful for.  It is so easy when we are having struggles, or anytime for that matter, to turn our focus on ourselves and how we feel, not on others.  When I become self focused I become selfish, and then it becomes easy to hate my life and let everyone know it.  That is one reason I have my weekly gratitude posts, it is mostly for me, to keep my heart open to what I have and what is really most important.

This weeks Gratitude list is a self reflection focus!

I am grateful for:

1. My desire to be kind to people
2. My good health
3. My internal drive to progress and achieve
4. Children that love me
5. My wife that supports me
6. My spiritual growth over the last couple years
7. My ability to interact with people
8. My love of laughter
9. My good friends 
10. The ability to  make and keep friends
11. My work ethic
12. My love for God
13. Being raised by parents who taught me correct principles
14. My increasing thirst for knowledge
15. My potential to be whatever I want to be

Attitude of Gratitude

Week 5

I had a lot of frustration throughout the week and felt really tired due to not getting enough sleep.  I try and fit so many things into the day I neglect certain things like sleep!  I am starting to decide that I really need to work on that goal and get to bed by 11pm.  I am very sure I will be more effective in my studies, meditation, and work if I'm not so tired!  Not to mention being a better dad and husband as fatigue tends to crowd out my patience.  So this week took a little more thinking to come up with my gratitude list, but alas, I done did it!!!

I am Grateful for...

1. When my kids laugh 
2. Having beautiful weather to do yard work in
3. The opportunity to help a friend 
4. Youtube videos that make me laugh (especially Jimmy Fallon...that guy cracks me up)
5. Awesome movie trailers that get me excited for upcoming releases
6. A car that is warm from the sun when it's a little bit cool outside
7. Healthy body that allows me to play sports and play with my kids
8. Friends who have reached out and given me great insights and information
9. Books that provide knowledge
10. For everything I have learned in the last 5 weeks of self retrospection and study

Week 4 Gratitude List

After a week of feeling so tired, my wife and I being sick, and being in charge of a church party, I thought I would have to dig to find what I am grateful for, but it was actually pretty easy.  I am starting to really believe that it can be easier to find what we are grateful for during hard times, if we identify them before we become bitter and focused on the bad!

I am Grateful for...

1. An amazing and supportive wife
2. a healthy body that does not have long term illness
3. The knowledge and strength to take care of my family when my wife cannot
4. Laughter
5. Friends
6. Integrity filled people that will willingly fulfill assignments when asked
7. Friends who worked hard throwing a church party that they saw very little of
8. Friends I can ask for their help, and they are happy to give it
9. Honesty
10. Prayer, when I have no where else to turn
11. The courage to do hard things
12. Parents who taught me how to have courage to do hard things 
13. An amazing mom who taught me how to build wings for when I decided to fly
14. Laughter from my little kids, even if it is in the middle of the night
15. A loving Heavenly Father that doesn't give up on me

Gratitude List 

Week 4

I totally spaced writing my Gratitude list last week, but it's better late than never!  This is very important for me to do, but I hope you can apply this to your life!

1. A comfortable home over my head
2. A good job
3. Great co-workers
4. Such a smart and supportive wife
5. Cutest kids that have ever been created (I blame genetics)
6. Enough money to pay all of our bills and still save a little money
7. I have enough money to provide a nice birthday for my daughter
8. A car that functions properly
9. Computers that function properly
10. The warmest spring Southeastern Idaho has ever seen
11. Great siblings and in-laws
12. Most amazing parents ever 
13. Easter and the Resurrection of Christ
14. My Faith in God
15. Being happy and grateful much more than I am sad

Attitude of Gratitude

Attitude of Gratitude

In doing a project like this I expected there to be unexpected learning experiences.  However, I did not expect some of those learning experiences to be like swallowing a toy jack edged with glass.
In the 2 weeks since I launched this blog and started daily, concentrated effort in achieving my goals, I feel like I have opened a portal for knowledge and experiences to start flowing!  I have had people offer me cd's, books, and wise council.  

A couple days ago I called Tyson, a very good friend of mine, to see how he was doing since moving on to graduate school.  I was calling to buoy him up in the beginning of his school journey, and to catch up on life, family, and of course March Madness!  As we talked and discussed, conversation trickled to my blog and what I was trying to accomplish.  God then used him to deliver a very poignant message to my heart.  He kindly pointed out that although I may think I am failing in life, I actually have had a lot of success and a lot to be grateful for.  He helped me to recognize that I need to be grateful for what I do have and to recognize that I have already achieved success in many avenues of life, including the very important Family relationship!

I realized that I need to start enjoying my life and my family every day, staying focused on my goals, but not missing the every day joys that make life worth living!  Here I was focusing all my resources on the one avenue I have failed at, ignoring all the other good things in my life!  Ugggh, a kick to the gut lesson!

I am very grateful for a good friend who helped me realize that I need to have a daily Attitude of Gratitude so I don't miss the good things in life that are happening right now.

I have decided to have a weekly (not daily, because to be honest I don't think I could make time to blog it out every day) blog about those things in life I am grateful for.  

I know I have read about the importance of gratitude and how it helps not only to see opportunities but also how to put failures in the right perspective.  So I did a little Google search and here are some fantastic links on the link between Success and Gratitude.  There is a plethora of  good info out there on gratitude and it's importance!

http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/gratitude-true-secret-to-success.html

http://www.thechangeblog.com/gratitude/

https://www.ithinkbigger.com/gratitude-business-101/

Here is my Gratitude and Success list for this week!

I am Grateful for...

• My supportive wife and cute children
• A roof over my head
• Food in the fridge every day
• A good employer and job
• Good health
• Knowledge of how to stay healthy
• All the educational opportunities I have had
• All my family that loves and supports me
• My ability to interact well with people
• Talents and leadership skills
• Great parents and siblings and living close to them
• Great in-laws
• My religion and knowledge that God loves me
• Knowledge of Jesus Christ
• movies
• The city I live in

Where I have Achieved Success

• I Have a PTA license
• Make enough money to pay my bills and provide the necessities and some luxuries for my family
• No other debt besides school loans
• I have 3 healthy children that are as cute as a button
• A smokin hot wife who loves and supports me
• A strong faith and trust in God
• I take opportunities to serve others through church and work every week
• I have a strong healthy body with the knowledge to maintain it