I’m a night owl…drives my husband, who is a morning person, nuts. Love the quiet, no-phone, no-interruption, crap-on-TV-time-of-night. It’s almost naughty, like skinny-dipping at night when everyone’s in bed. At the same time it is sacred.. like being the first to walk down the street in fresh snowfall. Being alone with my putzing and thinking and playing and praying reminds me who I am. I hope you have time to do nothing so you will remember who you are, too.

Someone said today, “If I gave you $50,000 to speak, what would you speak on? I replied, “I would talk about how big business has lost it’s soul.” Now before you get all upset, obviously, not every business, but in general–yeah. The businesses that are really successful have usually figured out that employees are people. Take Google–plenty of food, day care, exercise equipment, people working days, evenings, nights, hierarchy low, creativity high, productivity, high. Why are they so successful? Besides obvious reasons, it’s that people feel like they count. We all want to feel like we count, like we matter–that we have value. That is the greatest gift an employer can give–and it doesn’t cost–it pays.

Do you like your life?  Do you only like parts of it? If you are not happy with your life, there is only one person who can do anything about it and that is–no secret here–you. If you are not happy, face it, you need to make some changes. Don’t know where to start?  Begin by making a list of what you need to start doing–then do it! Do the best you can, but start. Don’t make excuses, start. Start. Start. Start. Start with one thing but Start. Now, today. Start. Talking is okay but it has it’s limits. Doing is what converts potential energy into an outcome. Take responsibility–after all, it’s your life and it’s the only one you have.

Complaining is a way to chronically avoid doing things. As long as you can complain, you don’t have to do, fix, or be accountable. Complaining changes the way you see the world, allowing the negative to dwell within you, smothering your creative energy. Complaining drives great people, ideas and gifts from your life. Is complaining really worth those few moments where you get to feel like a victim?  Break the habit today and let the sunshine in–you will find you are able to handle disappointments and problems because you have everything you need to cope. Give the energy within you a chance to show you how capable you really are!

This is not an ordinary day. When you opened your eyes this morning, you were given another day to become more. With your first conscious breath began an irreplaceable opportunity to deepen your life by loving and laughing, by acknowledging God’s work in your life. Before you rose, you were granted a new chance to acknowledge another person’s worth and importance. This…is a very extraordinary day.

Agreeing is not always the goal. Listening honors two souls, the one who needs to be heard and the one who graces by hearing.