gratitude Archives - Motivational Speeches and books by Snowden McFall

Stressed about Money? Focus on this…

As the new year starts. many of us are looking at holiday bills and worrying about money. Anxiety and stress about money can cause anxiety attacks, sleepless nights and depression.

Stressed about Money? So what’s the solution?

Focus on gratitude!
The next time you start feeling poor or experiencing lack, pull out paper and pen or use your cellphone and make a list of everything in your life that you are grateful for. Include the fact that you have access to clean water, clothing, shelter, food, friends, healthcare, etc. Those are all luxuries to a large portion of the world.

You will notice that as you do this, your stress abates. It may even disappear.

There’s a simple reason for this. What you focus on manifests, and when you focus on lack or scarcity, yu create more of that. But when you focus on abundance and gratitude, you attract in more to be grateful for.

And if you’ve done this exercise several times and are still super-stressed, go volunteer at a soup kitchen, or work with the homeless. Your perspective will change, I guarantee it.

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Express Gratitude for the Small Things

Acknowledge Each Other Regularly

Taking the time to thank your loved ones for their small acts of kindness goes a long way. It’s a key to a good marriage, friendship or family.

Certainly, one spouse may do most of the cooking and the other take out the garbage, but sharing your appreciation of each other throughout the week can help keep the love alive. Making requests, rather than demands, is far more effective at keeping the love flowing.

Be Aware of Your Own Gratitude

Consider keeping a gratitude journal, where you record 5 things you are grateful for each day. Some days it may be your health, other days it may be your home and loved ones, sometimes it may be that you made it home safely after a grueling trip. What’s important is to acknowledge verbally that you have been blessed. Some people prefer to do this once a week; either way is fine, so long as you acknowledge the good things in your life.

Gratitude teaches us not to take people or life for granted. It’s one of the lessons the great late Christopher Reeves shared when he spoke- to appreciate every moment while you have it. He was a very smart man.

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 ©2011 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication 
or reprinting without permission and author reference

What is Your Legacy?

You Never Know What Will Happen

I was out of the country this past week on vacation and returned home to two sad events. Cinderella Hubbard, (yes that was her real name) the woman who raised me, has passed away at age 93 after battling dementia. She was an amazing person who made a huge difference in my life. Cindy’s goodness, loving, wisdom and values shaped my life in so many ways and I will never forget her. For a little girl with a dying mother, she provided the solid rock of love, faith and strength that I needed so much. She touched so many lives, especially at her church, where she was the oldest living member and the kindest. They called her ‘Aunt Cindy’.
More shocking was the sudden and tragic death of Denai Vaughn, a newer friend and fellow speaker. Killed in a car accident at the age of 37, Denai left behind a doting husband and young daughter, and a legion of fans.

Denai &SnowLR — Debbie, Snowden and Denai Oct 7,2011

Denai and I had one of those instant heart connections. We had a great deal in common, including a passion for making a difference. Her exuberant, joyful personality and friendly open approach drew people in. There’s no surprise she was the Networking Queen.

Both of these women touched so many lives by the essence of who they were. They were kind and caring, filled with the joy of life, and shared themselves generously, leaving a legacy of love and gratitude for all who knew them.

What is your legacy? How do you want to be remembered? What will people think of after you have gone? Give some thought to what you are leaving behind and what you want to be known for. You never know when your time is up, so be grateful for every moment. I know I am grateful to have known these two extraordinary women. They blessed my life. How will you bless others?

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: https://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

 ©2011 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication 
or reprinting without permission and author reference.

Get People Fired Up by Expressing Gratitude

Praise Others and Say Thank You

According to the US. Department of Labor, 46% of all people who quit do so because they felt they are not appreciated for the work they do. According to James Howard, 92% of workers say that when they finish a project, their supervisors say NOTHING! 88% of American workers never get a thank you for the work they do.

Now obviously, you are not that kind of leader or manager, but this data speaks to the very real need for positive feedback, often and in writing. Employees need to know you value their ideas and work. Be sure to be specific about what they did and let them know you value them. A simple quick praise on a post-it note, a hand-written card, or a laudatory email sent and copied to others make a big difference. A $5 Starbucks card has big impact. Stock up on small items your people value and use them often. In this day of tough economies, you might not be able to give them a raise, but you can give them a well deserved thank-you.

Make it part of your internal retention strategy to actively acknowledge others’ efforts. The rewards will be substantial.

 ©2011 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication

Take Excellent Care of Your Customers

One of the most important dimensions of any marketing plan should be customer retention. The best way to keep your business healthy is to take excellent care of your existing customers.

Even if the primary work you have done for them has been completed, check in regularly- at least once every 4-6 weeks. Educate your customers, send them articles, post information on your website, send out ezines. Have lunch when you can. Send them greeting cards.

A personal touch means so much.

Let them know you value you them. Always thank them for referrals- write handwritten notes and let them know how much you appreciate their business.

Never, ever, take them for granted.

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: https://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

When Illness Threatens to Put Out Your Fire

victorious girl in wheelchair It always amuses me when life gives me opportunities to practice what I preach. I am just finishing up my fifth book, which is about stress, and someone asked me if I felt I had to create more stress in my life in order to write the book. And if you looked at the past year, you might think that.

Tragically, our 41 year old sister in law died of melanoma after a five year courageous battle, leaving behind her husband and six year old son. Over the past few months, my husband and I have both had pneumonia and one of our cats has had a severe bacterial infection. We are normally a very healthy family but all of this illness has reminded me never to take that for granted. I originally learned that lesson as a young girl when my mother became terminally ill when I was six. She died 15 years later, and I discovered how important it is to tell people you love them when you have the chance. And how celebrating the wonderful, fun, joyful moments regardless of someone’s health is what fuels great memories later on.

So what about you? What do you do when you are sick? Do you have any nurturing rituals that help you feel better, besides your arsenal of vitamins, medications and syrups? My friend Lisa swears by very hot baths with Epsom salt; she claims they knock out everything! I myself love napping with my kitties and getting extra rest, doubling up on my Echinacea cold care tea and vitamin therapy. And I am not above asking for help. My husband Spencer is a loving, compassionate caretaker, when I let him be. As I Kleenex® my way through a nasty cold, he has been massaging my shoulders, making me dinner, fixing me hot beverages and bringing me magazines.

A very dear friend is once again battling breast cancer. And I love that she shares with me, asks questions, requests support in key ways and lets her honest fears and pains out. She is such a vibrant, courageous inspiration. She is not looking to die; she is embracing life fully and sometimes gets knocked down. But she just gets back up. Her Fired Up! attitude enables her to face something awful, cancer, in a positive way and she lifts every one around her with her tenacity, joie de vivre and laughter.

Stay Fired Up By doing What Inspires You!

What gets you excited about life? What inspires you, motivates you, touches your heart? Is it an incredible live performance of your child’s band or your niece’s dance recital? Is it reading an uplifting story of how someone overcame their horrible circumstances or watching a movie of how an underdog triumphed over all the obstacles? Is it training for a marathon and successfully completing it? Or starting a business you KNOW will help people and add value to their lives.

Think back to times when you have been truly Fired Up! about your life! You were so passionate and excited about what you were doing that you overlooked the challenges, ignored the stress, bounded over the hurdles and went for your dreams. Remember how fantastic that felt. Relive the experience of truly GOING FOR IT- whatever it was. That fire inside you fueled all your actions, made your decisions easy. There was no wavering or hesitation; you had a goal that was vitally important, life-affirming, perhaps even life-changing. Recall how truly powerful you felt and how enthusiastic you were about your goal. Nothing could stop you. And no matter what the outcome, you felt great about yourself because you went for it. You put in the time and discipline, took massive action and did what you needed to, all because you were fired up!

That is what this new blog is all about. It’s about how to get and stay Fired Up!, and how to reignite the fire when you get burnt-out. As the author and co-author of five books including Fired Up! (my new book on stress is due out by June 2010,) I am passionate about helping others do what they love and make a positive difference in the world.

That means looking at business and what helps others grow their businesses and what can slow them down. It means tuning into your dreams, passions and stuck spots and answering your questions. It also means going to the next level, because when we stretch ourselves and go beyond our box of self-limitation, miracles can happen.

So what about you? What fires you up? What brings you joy and what excites you about life? It’s time to find out!