Hope you're having fun!

"People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing." - Dale Carnegie

"Thank You" - Part 2

A few weeks ago I posted about how saying "thank you" can make you live longer. Saying "thank you" actually makes YOU feel better as well as the person you say "thank you" to. At the time, I didn't realize how life changing it really can be.

Andy Stanley has a powerful message about this that I hope you'll watch. But most of all, I hope you'll take his advice. http://www.northpoint.org/messages/i-owe-who

I can't stop thinking about this simple (or at least it should be simple) task. I know life's not simple and sometimes stopping to say "thank you" to someone important in your life isn't that easy. Sometimes you have to swallow your pride.

Dale Carnegie is a strong believer in this too. In his "How to Win Friends & Influence People", Carnegie cites many prominent business leaders such as Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller as using this as their secret to success. They sincerely appreciated and encouraged the people they worked with and knew.

One passage in his book really struck a cord with me, "We nourish the bodies of our children and friends and employees, but how seldom do we nourish their self-esteem?" It seems there should be some daily requirement for feeding self-esteem just like there is for eating fruits and veggies.

So during these holidays and as a New Year's resolution, remember to say "Thank You" as often as you can and be sincere. Those two simple words are words of encouragement and feeds self-esteem. I believe for both you and for the person you are thanking.

Here are just a few of my thank you's to publicly recognize the people that have helped me on my journey:

• First of course, God. He laid out a great life path for me that I didn't recognize until now. 
• To my husband, Jimmy - thank you for supporting me all these years. What stands out most is taking on so much while I was going to college to get my degree. Zack was still young and Jimmy did a lot of "dad" things for me. And now today, while I look for a job that I will truly enjoy and where I can make an impact. (He's being very patient). 
• To my friend and most recent boss, Debbi - she is someone I aspire to be more like. She is the most righteous person I have ever met. Thank you for being the best mentor anyone could hope to have. I am so blessed to have our paths cross. 
• To my friend Mari Lynne - thank you for being my friend (since second grade) even when I didn't deserve to have you. I know I wasn't there for you (for many times) when I should have been. You've accepted me as I am. 
• To Ron. This may be the hardest thank you, because he is such an arrogant a**h*** (this is nothing he doesn't know already). He hired me years ago and provided me with a solid foundation of professional knowledge and paid me a lot of money doing it. 
• To my Mom. Thank you. I turned out pretty good. 

Who should you thank? Probably someone you take for granted.

Live your life as you imagined it to be.

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." - Henry David Thoreau