A War For Your Soul

I just saw a powerful video at http://vimeo.com/3658572 primarily for young African-American males, but an insightful look at the violence between Black youth that has risen 30% since 2002. This video depicts the history of the oppression and suffering from slavery through current day and one view of the causes of current day violence among many young black males.

If you've ever read the Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis, you will understand this viewpoint, and whether you believe in the powers of darkness or not, the fact remains that all of us can participate in helping young, at-risk youth turn to positive behavior and away from lives that lead to crime, violence and ultimately prison or death.

There are many societal ills that can be changed, one life at a time.

Acai Berry Scam Wrap-up

A final wrap-up comment about my experience with the Acai Berry purchase that put me back over $150 (unauthorized). After notifying Consumer Protection of the deceptive practices, I notified the company by email that I had issued a formal complaint against them for debiting my account $89.13 and guess what? They actually credited me $87.00!! To say the least, I was elated. I did not expect to see the money again. In all fairness, I updated my original complaint with Consumer Protection to let them know the company reimbursed me. I love it when a story has a happy ending. :-)

Continuation of Acai Berry Purchase Deception

Continued from my previous post, I was $156 in the hole from what I thought was a $4.00 S&H charge for a free trial of Acai Berry and Bromalite cleanse formula.  It was quite a shock, as you can well imagine, that these companies had charged my account for that additional amount 20 days or so after I ordered the stuff.  What I've learned since then is that many unknowing customers have done the same thing and apparently had all kinds of heck getting reimbursed, with very few succeeding at all.   I went back to my browser history to re-trace my steps when I ordered this stuff so I could see the error of my ways.  I had been reading about fasting because it was the first part of May and I wanted to fast the week before National Prayer day.  I had always talked about fasting with prayer because I knew it to be powerful and very energizing physically and emotionally.  While searching, I came upon a website/blog that was titled rachelraysplan.com  Well, of course, if Rachel Ray had a detox / fast that was healthy, who could argue?  Gee, she's well-known and trusted, right?   As I was reading the blog, however, I realized it was primarily written by a girl by the name of Jillian Rogers of Houston.  There are "before and after" pictures of this alleged Ms. Rogers and all kinds of praise for this company that GIVES a FREE TRIAL of the Acai Berry and Bromalite supplements.  In fact, she was sure to let readers know that there were only a few days left to get them for just the cost of shipping!  (amazingly, there are still that many days left when I returned to the site almost 5 weeks later).  This blog even had many "testimonials" from "readers" who said they had ordered their free trial with great results and no hassles from the company.  Gee, I was a believer! (isn't that what they want you to be?)  The rub is that if these people were ripped off for $156 like I was, I doubt seriously that their testimonials OR Ms. Jilian Rogers were legitimate. (grrrrr)  Sorry, I digress...

Yep, I clicked on the link to the acaiberrydetox.com site.  Bigger than Dallas (or even Texas for that matter), it says FREE TRIAL for $4.00 or something along those lines.  After getting "robbed" of $150 plus about three weeks later, I learned through rippedoff.com and other consumer complaint websites that many others went through the same experience.  I also learned that you can file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov  I did that by filling out a long form with all of my information, the business information, and a short synopsis of what took place.  In the mean time, I contacted my bank and deactivated my debit/credit card.  I also contacted the business and in very business-like terms, informed them that they were to cancel my account, send me confirmation of the cancellation, and to credit my money back to my account as I was dissatisfied and disheartened by their deceptive practices.

I also told them I had filed a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center.

They must be somewhat familiar with the process, because in contrast to the other customer reports I had read, I received a reply immediately that the company would credit my account and remove my name from their data base.  We shall see if they make good their promise, but I was at least satisfied to get a reply.  All this took me several days of research, documenting, phone calls, and aggravation.  If this saves any of you some steps or trouble along the way, it was worth writing this down!  If you have any similar experiences or comments, I welcome them.  Oh, and I'll let you know if my checking account looks $150 richer soon....:-)

Acai Berry Diet? Beware of Scams!

You may or may not be one of those people who try all kinds of "miracle" products to help you

lose weight.  If not, you may stop reading this post.  If so, just be sure to read all the fine print before you order that "free" and miraculous product where all you have to do is pay for the shipping and they will send you a free trial.  It's sad that some ads are true to their word while others spoil it for the honest ones.

Here is such a scam:

http://www.acaiberrydetox.com/offer/lp7/?mid=129&subid=18546-

They tell you that you will get a free trial for shipping costs of $4.95 but beware!  If you check your credit card, you will initially be happy to see a $4.95 charge as promised and you will quickly receive your "trial".  What they don't tell you is that the trial actually contains more than the "free 14 days" worth of product, so 14 days later they hit your same credit card with a whopping charge of $89!!!  How would I know?  Duh....  Yep, moi - the one who trusts few and is apparently blinded by the visions of being a slim, trim, voluptuous....well, nevermind....

Trying to find this place online again to write them is a real nightmare.  I'll keep you posted.  Not finished with this one yet! :-( 

Future You University

For the past 6 months, I've read or heard someone recommend the book, "Think and Grow Rich" by Napolean Hill.  This is a book that was written many years ago but is considered one of the best books to teach you how to succeed and become wealthy.  Wealth is defined in many ways, so it's not just about making more money.  Well, I don't have to be told more than a few times by more than a few people I respect.  So I ordered it the other day.  I'm only through the first chapter but I can't wait to get back to it.  This guy, Napoleon Hill, interviewed 500 of the world's wealthiest people to write this book.   It outlines their secrets and contains some profound true stories about how we think and act to build wealth.

You can get it through a friend of mine, Mike Spillman, who has a blog at http://www.FutureYouUniversity.com   Once you go there, click on "Click for Mike's Blog" on the right menu and you'll see the link for the free ebook.  Well, it's almost free...I think you pay $4 for shipping, but trust me, it's well worth it!  Let me know what you think of it!  Great material.  Oh, and go to iTunes to listen to Mike Spillman's podcast.  They are short and inspirational.  He's talking about the Think and Grow Rich book.  The podcasts are free!  I download them and listen to them while I walk in the mornings.  Have a great day.

The Wise Ones

Have you ever noticed that wise people are the ones who have a lot of life experiences?  Have you ever noticed that they are usually humble?  Often, they are older yet they have young hearts.  Quick to laugh or smile and slow to judge.  Will Rogers once said, "Good judgment comes from experience and a lot of that comes from bad judgment."  Those are the people I want to get to know.  It's the really joyful ones who may have likely experienced much sorrow.  These are the people from whom we can learn life's most valuable lessons.  They learned how to take charge of their lives and themselves.  They learned that despite mistakes and in spite of the problems life has hurled at them, no one and nothing can steal their spirit without their permission.  Yes, those are the people we need to surround ourselves with.  They can teach us a lot.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (Real Simple Magazine (May 2009)

I read some interesting ideas in Real Simple magazine about recycling.  It seemed like an innovative and fun idea, if you have the time.  It's a "party" concept where you have a get-together at someone's home and trade your stuff.  You ask for clean, gently used goods and hand out color-coded stickers to guests to use when they want to claim an item.  The strategies include drawing straws or some other clever idea to pick who gets to shop first.  You limit the number of items to three per turn to keep it fair.  For every item a guest donates, you provide a poker chip or token of some kind to that person so they can use them to "purchase" the items they want.  I suppose everyone would go home with the same number of items they started with, however, there would have to be some system for exchanging the more pricey items that everyone may want with the items that are less popular.  You'd either have to draw for them, or place them at a higher premium than the other items.  Some of the items the magazine suggested besides clothing and accessories, included:  children's items (grouped by age), books/cds/dvds, housewares, outdoor things, or you could designate what they can bring.  Something like "cleaning out the garage" items.  Sounded like fun...no hassle with a garage sale and you get to bring home things you might more likely use.

Optimist?

A short update about the research source from the post below about Optimism or Pessimism:  The Medical Research Council and Welcome Trust helped support the research.  There have been quite a few studies within the past two years.  One, University of Cambridge Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute said, "Our results suggest that serotonin plays a critical role in social decision-making by normally keeping aggressive social responses in check."  "Serotonin, is a neurotransmitter whose presence or absence predispose us to feel buoyant or depressed."

One of the articles appeared in Science Express in June, 2008.  Authors included:  M.J. Crockett; L. Clark; T. W. Robbins; University of Cambridge, G. Tabibnia; M.D. Lieberman; University of California, Los Angeles.

Michael J. Fox referred in his show to a doctor (didn't catch the name) who identified genetic markers of people who have increased serotonin output and are born optimistic.  He said, "There is a second part where you are given a series of images, one horrific and one benign or sentimental, and depending on how you respond, it is further proof.  I was attracted to positive images."

Eternal Optimist - Are you An Optimist or Pessimist?

I just finished watching the Michael J. Fox special about understanding the eternal optimist, even when faced with obstacles and difficulties in life.  Interestingly, optimists have chemical makeup that point towards there optimism.  In fact, they were born with a predisposition towards being optimistic.  There were some other laboratory computerized tests that quickly flashed two pictures on the screen and then you were instructed to hit the button of the picture you noticed first.  Fox quickly identified the positive pictures more often than the negative ones (example:  a flower or a man holding a butcher knife.)

What I found to be really fascinating was the research study of optimists vs. pessimists.  When the pessimists were given instructions about throwing darts, their instructions included the difficulties of the game, and the worst-case-scenario information.   When optimists were given instructions, they were told how to stay calm, focused, and confident about hitting the target.  Each group did well in the dart game.  However, what was interesting, was that the instructions were switched.  Meaning, the "staying calm and confident" instructions were given to the pessimists and the "difficulties and challenges" instructions were given to the optimists.  Guess what?   Their scores came down.  What is the meaning?  Perhaps that people process information the way they tend to view the world.  Pessimists need to know the risks involved so they can process information before they make good decisions.  Possibly that optimists need to see the bright side of things and opportunities before they can give their best.  It's maybe not so much how we come across to others, optimistic or pessimistic, but how we take the information and use it in the best possible way.  A good way to take charge of our lives.

The show was on Thursday evening, 9 pm, CST.  If you get a chance, it's worth the watch (and I don't even watch television!)

National Prayer Week

It's National Prayer Day on May 7th (Thursday) and we know there's lots of power in prayer.

In fact, God's power is unleashed when we pray!  I am also trying to fast this week so that my prayers will be focused entirely on God.  It has not been as big a struggle as I thought it would be. I heard Donna Partow speak a few weeks ago and her message was very inspiring.  She talked about fasting.  One of the ways she fasts is by drinking lemon water (cut up 3 or 4 lemons in a container of water and add about a tsp. of natural Grade B maple syrup to every 8 ozs. plus a tsp. of cayenne pepper to each glass.  It will cleanse the system and frankly, I've been on it two days and I have more energy than I thought I would by now!  You just have to prepare yourself mentally to do it and be persistent.  I'll keep you posted on the results.  I'm anticipating a wonderful conversation with God...deeply enriching and nourishing to the soul.

Who Loves You?

I want to be the kind 

of person my dogs 

think I am...

I heard that song by the Bellamy Brothers and thought it expressed perfectly what we all should aspire to be!  These are my dogs and they wait patiently everyday for me to give them a little attention, take them for a walk and of course, feed them!  In return, I get unlimited and unconditional love.  Although they aren't in charge of their own lives, I am responsible for giving them good health and a safe home so they can run and play freely.  We can do the same for ourselves.  

PUTTING GOALS INTO ACTION

Aristotle said, "We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence then, is not an act but a HABIT".  It's time to look at our goals, one-by-one, and write down everything we can do to help us attain that goal.  It doesn't matter how small it is - just write down everything you can think of that will lead you in the direction of that goal.  Everyday, you must do something to work towards it.  It's those little steps we take, added together, that begin to build the reality we seek.  Those small actions begin to create new habits and those habits begin to create the reality of the goal you have set. Every day, visualize what you want and visualize yourself in that picture.  

Taking action to attain your goals means you are changing something, so don't expect it to be easy.  The more you work at it, the easier it becomes, and you will begin to see the change you seek.  Remember, "the tragedy of life does not lie in not reaching your goals but that you have no goals to reach.  It isn't a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream."  It is not a disaster to be unable to capture your ideals, but it is a disaster to have not ideals to capture.  It is not a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach." -Dr. Benjamin Mays

Remember that practice is the difference between being an expert at something or being an amateur.  Whoever your hero is, whoever you admire for something they know or do, if you look closely at their lives, I bet you will find that they have done some things repeatedly...thousands of times...to become good at it.  

What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?  One of the best ways to get started is to find people who can help you achieve your dreams and goals.  Hang out with others who ask, "why not?" rather than "why?"  "That attitude is contagious," said Oprah Winfrey.  

Everyday matters.  Recently, I was given a formula to determine how many days I probably have left in my life, based on the average life expectancy.  Try it:  Multiply your age times 365 days.  Subract that number from 27,375 days (that's the AVERAGE life expectancy).  The answer tells you how many days you "may" have left.  It puts things in perspective!  Live life NOW, not later.  How do you want to be remembered?  Begin today by living how you want to be remembered.

MORE ON GOALS

Are you ready to develop your goals?  Did you brainstorm from yesterday's post?  Did you write down things you want to change?  Take a look at your list and pick your top four.  Now it's time to put them in a format that will inspire, compel and energize you.  You must write them in a way that they make you desire to do something different.  If they don't, you won't.

For example, let's say I want to lose weight.  If I wrote, "to lose 20 pounds by June 1st"....I'm not sure that would really inspire me to go on a diet.  After all, I've been on many diets.  What makes this goal any different from the attempts I've made in the past to lose weight?  However, what if I wrote it like this:  "By June of this year, I, Janice Willett, am going to weigh a slim, trim, vital, healthy, energetic 135 rock-hard pounds."  Would you agree that the second goal gives a more vivid picture and a more inspiring one?  It makes you want to be there, doesn't it?  

The second piece of advice is to put yourself or your name IN your goal!  Make it personal.  Let's say you want to increase your financial wealth.  You can find a way to inspire yourself through words other than just saying, "I want to make more money".  How about something like, "I, Janice Willett, am on a journey to build my financial earning power and wealth so that I can live without regrets, serve without hesitation, and give without explanation."  Ok, so maybe that doesn't inspire you, but it's not supposed to inspire you - it inspires me! lol  You need to write a goal that inspires YOU.

Try it.  Put it in rich, descriptive language that you can see, feel, and desire.  Write them out, put them in your own handwriting and keep them close at hand where you can read them every single day.  You must review them every day because it's the fuel that keeps you on track.  

Now get going and I'll meet you back here in a few days to start developing your plan.

GOALS ANYONE?

Wow, sorry it's been a while since I've posted!  I need to get a better routine going with these posts.  Thank you for your patience and hanging in there with me.  Well, if you have developed your values, written a vision and mission statement; then it's now time to start developing goals.  For some reason, this is the hardest part for people.  They usually don't have trouble envisioning things in their minds, but putting them on paper are a little more difficult.  Weaved throughout the development of a personal or business strategic life plan, is the inspiration needed to keep you going in the right direction.  Goals are no different.  If they are "clinical", sterile, dry or boring - they will not give you the energy to accomplish them!!  That's the purpose of this, isn't it?  Something to energize us in the right direction and help us to attain what we've always wanted?

Then let's get started!  The best day of your life is when you decide to take charge of it.  You are the only one with the power to make it the best, whatever your idea of a best life is for you.  Take charge of it today!  Let's say your mission statement says something about living a successful life.  Well, your goals are going to help you define what "successful" means to you.  To some, it could mean drinking a fruity frozen concoction under a palm tree on a beach somewhere.  To others, it might mean serving orphaned children in another country.  And some may just want to get out of debt and have good health.  You get to define it!  Think big!  The important thing here is to make sure your goals are a direct reflection of your values, vision and mission.  If they aren't in harmony with one another, then you need to go back and change them until they are.  That's leading a harmonious, congruent life!

Did you know that only 16% of the population has goals?  And, more astonishing is that of that 16%, only about 3% actually write down their goals?  There's more.  Only ONE PERCENT of those people actually REVIEW their goals regularly.  If you decided to take charge and do all three of those things,  YOU have just increased the probability of realizing your dreams many times over!!  And the best thing is, it won't cost you a dime (at least of out-of-pocket expenses).

What it will cost you is a little time to get organized, clear-headed, and focused.  What a small price to pay for accomplishing a DREAM.  Isn't that exciting?

The first step I want you to take, is to dream for a few minutes.  If you could do anything you wanted to do or be and had no limitations placed upon you, what would it be?  Take the next 5 minutes to think about that and take a pen and paper and start writing.  Do not lift your pen off of the paper for a full five minutes.  Write as fast as you can - everything you can possibly think of (plus anything that pops in your mind, whether you ever thought of it before or not).  Write, write, write.  It doesn't matter whether is makes sense or not.  (Harvard University says this one exercise is the best tool to develop a life of success than anything else - if you do it everyday).  Have you finished?  Good.  You are now a BIG step ahead of the majority of the world.  Take a short break and....

Stay tuned...

Your MISSION Statement

The next layer to your personal foundation is your mission.  You have identified what you value and you've hopefully developed or drawn a vivid picture of your ideal future...your dream, which is your vision.  The difference between a vision and a mission is that a mission statement is more attainable, yet still far reaching.  A vision is something you are constantly reaching for, giving you inspiration for the future.  A mission, on the other hand, will answer:  who you are, what you do, and why you are doing it.  It may even describe who you are doing it for.  A mission statement is still broad-focused yet more specific than a vision.

For example, Bose Sound Systems mission is: "An uncompromising commitment to delivering lifelike sound."  And, as discussed in the previous post on vision, Nike's inspiration is:  "If you have a body, you are an athlete."  Their mission statement is more descriptive but still inspirational:   "To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world."   Do you see where the vision and mission statements are different, yet they serve to inspire and define what their focus is?  That's what we should do in our personal lives.  We must find what inspires us and narrow our focus.  So, let's work on our mission statements.  Stay tuned...and have a great day!

Get Inspired with a VISION

Have you developed the foundation of your life by identifying your values?  If not, read the post below first.  If you have, then it's time for the next step.  This is my favorite.  A vision inspires us.  Inspiration gives me energy and passion.  That's what a vision does.  Some people and businesses skip this part because they want to get to the "action" or the "meat" of their organizational or personal plan.  But I find that without a vision, we don't have the mental or emotional fuel we need to keep us on track.  It's still a part of our foundation.

Remember Martin Luther King's most famous speech?  "I have a dream".  He dreamed of the equality of mankind.  He dreamed of freedom for all.  His dream of 1963 is far closer to reality today...but what if he hadn't had that dream or vision?  And, what if he hadn't shared it with the world?  Would we have made as much progress as we have?  I don't think so.  That's what a dream does.  It inspires us toward a better future.  

What inspires you?  Go back and look at your values.  Do those values reflect the person you are?  Now put those values in a short, inspiring sentence or phrase.  It might be a logo, a motto, or a slogan.  For example, Nike's is, "If you have a body, you are an athlete".  Do you see what they value?  This vision doesn't limit their scope to tennis shoes.  But it does limit their scope to the body and being in shape.  That's what they value.  

Another example:  Bose...their values are:  research, technology and performance.  One of their slogans is "Hear The Difference".  That implies that their values lend to a better product than their competitors.  

So try it for your own life.  Take charge of your life through inspiration and a new layer for your personal foundation.  Choose to have a great day.

Develop Your Values

Good morning!  Have you been thinking about the direction of your life?  Or, have you been too busy to think about it?  Well, that could be a sign.  It could mean you are going so many direction that you don't know which way you're headed or that you are so sure of your direction, that you don't even need to think about it anymore!  So if the latter is you, then read no further, but I'd welcome your testimony on how you developed your roadmap and stayed on course.  We could all benefit from the wisdom and experience of others.

Why is it so important to navigate the direction of our lives?  Because if we don't take control of our lives, someone else will.  Have you ever found your days completely filled with things other people wanted you to do and at the end of the day, you realize you didn't do anything you wanted or needed to get done?  You can't count the things you do for your family, especially if your family is one of your values.  But it can count if family member are taking advantage of you when they could have done for themselves the things you did for them.  That's called enabling and it's unhealthy to you and to the person you are doing things for.  Well, I am getting off the subject...enabling is a topic all of its own.

Let's back up a few steps and start with first things first.  Today, begin with listing what you value.  Think of your life as building a new home.  We are going to pour the foundation today.  Although the foundation is not the "fun" part of building a house, it's one of the most important.  It's what everything else is built on and if it's unstable, or weak, or unlevel...then everything else is going to be that way too.  Some people wonder why their lives are unraveling.  Once they start to dissect their behavior, they often realize that everything they've been doing has been for the wrong reasons.  They might say they value family (part of their foundation) but they are never home and never available to the people they love.  So, they either need to review their values or change their behavior!

Our values should rarely, if ever change.  Unless we didn't spend enough time on thinking about our values, then these should remain constant throughout our lives.  So take the time to write down what you believe in...your principles, the core of your beliefs.  This is your foundation.  Take care to use the strongest and best materials to lay the foundation of your life.  We'll go to the next step, Vision, in the next post.

P.S.  As an example, in case you're stumped, go to MorningCoach.com - they have a list of example values that are excellent.  The site also provides a place for you to write your own personal life plan, where you can develop it, update it and keep it for daily review.  (click on the banner at the top of this post - it's free!)  My values are:  Faith, Family, Serving Others, Wisdom & Knowledge

What Direction Are You Going?

I took this picture while at a family reunion near Durango, Colorado and thought it was a nice illustration for this topic.  Do you sometimes wake up on a new day and wonder where you're going in life?  Or whether it's the direction you want to go?  Like Cheshire the cat told Alice in Wonderland when she asked, "which way I ought to go from here?"  He said, "if you don't much care where you want to get to, it doesn't matter which way you go."   Alice told him she didn't much care, "as long as she got somewhere."  Cheshire replied that she was sure to do that if she walked long enough.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to walk this life without knowing where I'm going because I might not like the destination.  We should all have a roadmap in life, just like having a map we take on a road trip.  It's the same with the train in this picture - it has tracks to follow, or it wouldn't get very far.

This all sounds pretty simple, doesn't it?  If it's so simple, I wonder why most people don't do it  (including me for most of my life).  I read recently that 97% of the population do not take the time to set goals.  What's amazing, though, is that if you find someone really successful in life, you'll also find that they are one of the 3% who can recite their goals without hesitation.  

If you know where you're going today, and if you know what you are going to do when you get there, then ask yourself why.  If you can answer that question pretty easily, then ask yourself if your answer satisfies you.  Is it going to satisfy you next year?  What about in five years?  Twenty?  If not, then what other plans do you have to get yourself to the place you want to be?  

These are important things to think about unless you want to be like Alice and not much care where you are going just as long as you "end up somewhere".   If you'd like to have a little more control in determining your destination...you can begin today.

Lessons Learned

Each new year provides time to reflect and learn from our experiences and the experiences of others.  I started writing them as a way to record and keep up with my lessons but I decided that maybe someone else could be encouraged or enlightened by some of them.   With that, I share these lessons learned in past years.

1.      No matter how many people you lose, and no matter how much grief you feel, life still goes on.  To keep their memory alive, we should improve something in ourselves that we liked about that person.

2.      No matter what you do, God still loves you.  Sounds like a cliché, but at 48, I’m just now beginning to digest it.  There is now way to humanly measure or understand the endless love God has for us, and that’s the only reason we need to feel blessed, every single day.

3.      Friends are more precious and valuable than money or position…which means I’m filthy rich.

4.      That everyone everywhere has some kind of hurt or pain in his or her life.  So that gives all of us plenty to do.

5.      Regardless of how much we think we’ve learned, there’s always room for more.

6.      If we keep being taught the same lesson over and over, then we must not have learned it very well the first time.

7.      There aren’t enough hours in the day to do all that we want.  As we get older, those hours seem more like minutes.

8.      I can swallow a handful of pills in one gulp but I still gag when trying to swallow a little dose of pride.

9.      Everything you may be planning for your life may not be compatible with God’s plans.

10.   Our gifts were meant to be revealed, not hidden.

11.   Some of the most important things you can control are:  your attitude, your word, your mouth, your temper, and your actions.  It makes the things you can’t control less important.

12.   Our goals and priorities may change if we pray, read the bible, and think about God daily.

13.   You can never please some people no matter what you do or how hard you try.  So recognize it and move on.

14.   To love means to sacrifice.

15.   One of the hardest things to do is forgive AND forget.

16.   God dwells in our heart and we should take special care of it.

17.   Without good health, our priorities will change dramatically.

18.   A good belly laugh is still one of the best medicines.

19.   My favorite things in life remain the same:  the smell of rain, the warmth of a fire, an ocean breeze through the hair, a brisk walk, the lick of a puppy, the glow of the sun, a flower in bloom, cuddling a baby, fresh cookies from the oven, a genuine hug, a feel-good movie, a song, a book on a Sunday afternoon, and hearing the words “I love you”.

20.   And last, if everyday of our lives was treated like Christmas, we would be more sensitive, caring, giving, and in awe of the real reason for our existence.