Today's Goal - 100 Smiles.

"Every time you smile at someone,
it is an action of love,
a gift to that person, a beautiful thing."
   - Mother Teresa

Nothing is more powerful, more impactful and more important to us a humans than the small act of a simple smile!

It is so easy to do and as you have probably heard a million times already,  it takes 3700 muscles in our faces to make a frown but only 2 to smile! 

Ok don't quote that because I made up the numbers but you get the gist!!

It is amazing if you spend a bit of time and reflect on how some people never seem to smile ..at all!! 

A smile is one of life's guaranteed self-fulfilling prophesies!!!

Force a smile enough and you WILL feel better!!!

It is amazing!

Don't believe me? Try it today!  Lead every interaction with a smile today!

Even if you are just passing someone in the hall, street or elevator - smile at them and I will guarantee not only will your day improve, but the GIFT you are providing someone else whose day may be less than stellar is immeasurable!!!

So easy..so within our control .. and so overlooked and under-utilized!!

Stay Strong and enjoy the beautiful day ..which incidentally flowed from yesterday's messy rain!  ;)

Re: Thought on a rainy day.....

Doug thanks for being that angel that whispers in our ears every day and centers our day!  Another great quote that guides my day and it is regarding faith - 

"I believe in the sun, even when it does not shine.

I believe in love, even when it is not felt.

I believe in God, even when he is silent."

Anonymous and found on concentration camp wall

Let go, go God

On Aug 13, 2013, at 8:10 AM, Douglas Flaherty <douglas.flaherty@gmail.com> wrote:

"I will greet this day with love in my heart.
And how will I do this?
Henceforth will I look on all things with love and be born again.
I will love the sun for it warms my bones; 
yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit.
I will love the light for it shows me the way;
yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars.
I will welcome happiness as it enlarges my heart;
yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul.
I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due;
yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge."
   - Og Mandino

Stay Strong... the sun will shine again!

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RE: Thought on a rainy day.....

Sun always shining somewhere………

From: Douglas Flaherty [mailto:douglas.flaherty@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2013 8:10 AM
Subject: Thought on a rainy day.....

"I will greet this day with love in my heart.
And how will I do this?
Henceforth will I look on all things with love and be born again.
I will love the sun for it warms my bones; 
yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit.
I will love the light for it shows me the way;
yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars.
I will welcome happiness as it enlarges my heart;
yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul.
I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due;
yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge."
   - Og Mandino
Stay Strong... the sun will shine again!

RE: Thought on a rainy day.....

Great email my friend.

You can always find a rainbow after the storms.

John l



-------- Original message --------
From: Douglas Flaherty <douglas.flaherty@gmail.com>
Date: 08/13/2013 8:10 AM (GMT-05:00)
Subject: Thought on a rainy day.....

"I will greet this day with love in my heart.
And how will I do this?
Henceforth will I look on all things with love and be born again.
I will love the sun for it warms my bones; 
yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit.
I will love the light for it shows me the way;
yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars.
I will welcome happiness as it enlarges my heart;
yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul.
I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due;
yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge."
   - Og Mandino

Stay Strong... the sun will shine again!

Thought on a rainy day.....

"I will greet this day with love in my heart.
And how will I do this?
Henceforth will I look on all things with love and be born again.
I will love the sun for it warms my bones; 
yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit.
I will love the light for it shows me the way;
yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars.
I will welcome happiness as it enlarges my heart;
yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul.
I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due;
yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge."
   - Og Mandino

Stay Strong... the sun will shine again!

Blessings

"Each day, much more good happens than bad.
More babies born than people killed,
more people well fed than hungry,
more people housed than homeless,
more people with jobs than jobless,
more people healthy than sick,
more reasons to thank God than to curse Him.
Yet, especially when watching the "news,"
people focus almost entirely on the negative.
Let's turn that around.
Focus on the positive.
Be grateful for life's many blessings.

The enlightened give thanks
for what most people take for granted."
       - Michael Beckwith

It is very easy to allow negative thoughts to cascade down on us and quickly become overwhelmed with thw "bad" things currently occurring in our lives.

However, this cascading and negative focus can be beaten back and eventually overcome if we are diligent and alert to the moment it rears it's ugly head!

Just the fact that you can read this, that you got out of bed this am, that you can leave your house and be pain free are four MAJOR blessings we completely overlook and take for granted every single day!!!

And these are just the tip of the iceberg as far as blessings go!

We should be ashamed and humbled when we begin to add up the thousands of blessings that we npt only enjoy but NEGLECT to recognize and take for granted every hour of our day!

When you feel negative, stressed,  overwhelmed and are lamenting over your "problems", try to imagine how many people in this world would give all they had to lay claim to any one of the four simple blessings I mentioned above?? 

So snap out of it - all of our "problems" are embarrasing in the grand scheme of things and we should all be down on our knees each morning and evening giving THANKS for all that we are blessed to have in our lives!

Next time you catch yourself in a woe is me moment, please remember all of those who would gladly switch with you and I just to get out of bed in the morning - for starters!!  Pray for them and their strength and honor them by giving Thanks each and every day!

Stay Strong!!!

Do it now.. tomorrow may be too late

"You cannot do a kindness too soon,for you never know how soon it will be too late."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today is the day to do whatever it Is you have been waiting to do!

Whether an act of kindness, starting a new career, implementing a new idea, starting a workout regimen, reaching out to someone you have not seen in a while, or telling someone you appreciate and love them - do not wait for tomorrow!

As my close rockstar friend Barry Kingston wrote in one if his terrific hit songs.. "it's later than you think...."

And it Is later than we all think indeed!!

A long journey of 10, 000 miles begins with one small step!

Take that small step today!! You will be amazed the momentum you create and how far that one step will take you!

And know that you are never alone on that path!!  But you have to GET ON the path to reach your destination!

What are you waiting for?  Begin now!!! You will not regret it!!!!

Stay Strong!