How often do you stop to count your blessings? In your daily struggle for more, how often do you feel joyful and thankful for the many, many things you already have?

In your ambitious quest to better your life, be careful that you don’t overlook the wealth that you already have. Wealth? Yes, wealth that is very real and very accessible to you.

Did you know that you already have abundant wealth? Perhaps you don’t feel like it if you’ve just paid the bills. Yet each and every one of us has an abundance that is almost beyond comprehension. The secret is to tap into that abundance and use it to do whatever we want to do.

And the process starts with counting your blessings. Taking stock of the things you have, the things you know, the people in your life, your spirituality, your skills, your opinions, your special perspective on life, your family, your hobbies, your sense of humor, your appreciation for beauty, your caring for others, your concern for those less fortunate, your ability to see opportunity. The list of possibilities is endless, and these things all have value beyond anything you can imagine.

Take up the challenge to take a good hard look at yourself and to count your blessings. Think of as many of them as you can. Think of the beauty and richness of your life. These things don’t require money or power or position. They all spring from your attitude, the way you react to situations, the way you value others, the way you value life itself.

Right now, within yourself, you have the ability to do anything you want with your life. You have complete control of your behavior, your actions from minute to minute. Look deep inside yourself and tap into the wealth that lies hidden within you. It is there if only you will look, and the best way to find it is with an attitude of thanksgiving and joy.

Think about what you’re doing now and where you’re going. Most people live in a constant state of self denial. And after years and years of just barely getting by, they finally resign themselves to just that — barely getting by. They give up on their dreams. It is so sad.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can take control of your life, of your future.

Look at what you’re doing now. Is it getting you where you want to be? If not, what are you going to do about it. Are you going to keep living in a state of self denial until it’s too late and you finally just completely give up on your dreams and resign youself to an empty life of just getting by?

Or will you take control of your life. Live life to the fullest. Enjoy making a difference in the lives of others. There’s nothing noble about being poor and lonely and depressed, and life does not have to be that way. Successful people are the people who help others the most, and network marketing an opportunity for you to do just that. To help other people. That’s what life’s all about anyway, isn’t it? We tend to forget that with all the stress and complexity of daily life, but when you stop to think about why we’re all here, isn’t that really it? To help each other.

When you were a child, you could imagine unlimited possibilities. You were happy and creative and you dreamed of big things. But then about the age of 6 you started getting into the “system.” And gradually, little by little, every day, the system began to wear you down, to strip your dreams away, to make you conform to the mediocre standard. Your dreams are still there. They’re probably buried under a thick layer of sludge, but they’re still in there somewhere. Life has beaten you down, over and over again, but your dreams are still there.

Try reaching through all that and touching your dreams again. See how it feels. Imagine, just for a moment, that you can live your life to the fullest and be all you ever wanted to be and do all the things you ever wanted to do. Just imagine it for a moment.

The choice is up to you. You can continue to do what you’re doing, resign yourself to a lifetime of diminished expectations, or you can grab the opportunity to be the best you can be.

There’s an old saying that if you’ve forgotten the language of gratitude, you’ll never be on speaking terms with happiness. It turns out this isn’t just a fluffy idea.  It’s true: Our world is pretty messed up. There’s certainly no shortage of justification for disappointment and cynicism.  But what are you grateful for? It’s a question that could change your life.

The expression of gratitude can have profound and positive effects on our health, our moods and even the survival of our marriages.

It seems that the more grateful a person is, the less depressed they are. Depressed individuals showed significantly lower gratitude than non-depressed controls, and the opposite is true.  So, give thanks for all you have in your life, both those ugly trials, and the moments of reward. 

Have a thanksgiving this day, and always.