Subject: Want Success? Get Grateful

Welcome to Celebrating the Journey!
Monday, March 20, 2000
Issue #18

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Welcome Notes
2. Special Announcements
3. Want Success? Get Grateful!
4. Coaching: How do you hide your stars?
5. Quotes
6. Humor: Bible Study
7. More Resources for Your Journey
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1. Welcome Notes

Welcome to our 40 new subscribers this week! I appreciate
all of you who pass CTJ along. Just hit the forward key and
the celebration spreads!

As you’ll notice, the format of CTJ is changing a bit. This
comes from some reader suggestions and sage advice from
another newsletter entitled Ezine Resources which is
published by Phil Humbert. This newsletter is a great
resource for anyone who now publishes or is planning to
publish a newsletter or Ezine. Find out more about it at
http://www.philiphumbert.com/EzineResources.htm.

Please let me know what you think. CTJ is about helping
you on your journey of life. Let me know how we can
better do that.

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2. Special Announcements

The date of the Aspen Your Best Year Yet workshop has
been changed to Saturday, April 15. Time and location are
the same: 8:30 am to 12:15 pm at the Conference Room at
the Aspen Square in downtown Aspen, Colorado. Aspen
Mountain and Snowmass will still be open. As you’ll read
below, success is well supported by dreaming big, having a
plan for your dreams and surrounding yourself with
supportive people. That’s exactly what this workshop is
about. Join us to create the next 12 months to be Your Best
Year Yet! Please visit
https://www.tothesummit.com/YBYY.html for further
information or email me at
mailto:margo@tothesummit.com to receive a registration
form.

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3. Want Success? Get Grateful!

When I began publishing Celebrating The Journey last
September, I made an agreement with myself that it
would always contain content that I had written. Well,
I’m breaking that agreement today. A piece came across
my desk yesterday that hit me strongly enough that I want
to pass it along to you in its entirety.

I could rewrite it or summarize it or edit parts out and
make it mine, but I find it so powerful the way it is that I
have chosen not to do that. It came from a fellow coach
named Phil Humbert. Those of you who have subscribed
to CTJ for a while are familiar with that name. I refer to
him a good deal. His website,
http://www.philiphumbert.com, is filled with wisdom
and humor and Top Ten Lists to celebrate your journey to
success. This piece is a gift from both of us to you.
Gratitude is the Key to Total Success

There’s an old saying, “I complained that my shoes were
worn, until I met a man who had no feet.” This past week
I had many opportunities to understand this in a whole
new way.

On Tuesday night, hundreds of us enjoyed lobster, prime
rib and great wines from around the world. Fourteen
hours later, I was on a bamboo raft floating down a
Jamaican river past naked children playing along the
water’s edge, while their mothers washed clothes on rocks
in the muddy water. I watched children beg for food, and
adults selling everything from watches to drugs, trying to
make enough money to feed themselves and their
families.

As you might have guessed, this was our annual Winter
Success Cruise to the Caribbean. We came from several
states to talk about success. We talked about our goals, our
dreams, and about making money. We talked about
marketing strategies and business opportunities, about
loving relationships, and about creating the life we really
want. We sat in beautiful lounges, or lounged by the pool,
and talked about how we could make things better.

We heard Diana Nightingale talk about her life with Earl,
as he spoke to audiences around the world and inspired
people to transform their lives. Tim Cook talked about
listening to our intuition and following our hearts, while
Michael Angier challenged us to dream big, and pursue
our goals. And, I had the opportunity to share some of
my ideas and coaching, while we sat in the Xanadu
lounge.

>From the richness of these experiences, three things stood
out above all the others.

First, the irony of talking about making things better,
while we cruised among islands where some people have
never owned a book, never seen a paycheck or owned a
set of new clothes. Fortunately, most people in the
Caribbean are well educated, ambitious and smart, but the
contrast is unavoidable. Here, you realize how fortunate
we are, and the phrase “creating a better life” takes on a
whole new meaning.

Second, while a few of us talked about strategies and goals
and living our dreams, another 1500 people on the ship
wanted none of that. Several people teased me about my
laptop, or about reading, when I could be sunning by the
pool or gambling in the casino.

Several times, I invited shipmates to join our discussions,
but no one accepted. They had parties to go to, things to
do, people to meet. In the busy-ness of life, how often we
ignore the opportunities around us!

But the third major observation is that true success is built
on an attitude of gratitude. It is difficult to be ambitious,
creative, and optimistic while complaining about how
hard life is!

Grateful people can see the stars, and give thanks for
every sunrise. Grateful people reach for the moon,
knowing that even if they fail, it will be one heck of a ride!
But ungrateful, timid, frightened or bitter people don’t see
any of that. They know their “rights”, and they remember
small slights. True success is based on a launching pad of
gratitude!

True success takes time to dream, to strategize and to be
with people who can help you achieve your dreams.
During the cruise, it became obvious that to create the life
you really want, you must dream big, give yourself a
deadline, and surround yourself with supportive people.
The importance of being with people who challenge you
to dream bigger and who will push you to find faster,
easier, and better ways to achieve your goals, can not be
over-emphasized!

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4. Coaching:

In what ways are the stars of your life unclear or hidden
because you’ve created a layer of ungrateful clouds?

What are those dark clouds made of? Are you willing to
take the risk of seeing your stars clearly? Write down what
your clouds are made of. Here are some examples, and
how to turn them around.

If only I were taller, I’d be an athlete.
How about being grateful you have all your arms
and legs?

It’s their fault. I can’t do anything about it.
How about being grateful for the lesson that is being
presented to you?

My boss is always bugging me.
How about being grateful that you have a job?

I’m too fat.
How about being grateful you have enough to eat?

Gratitude is a choice. Choose it and see the bright beauty of
the simple stars in your life. Not all stars are of equal
brightness. It’s easy to see the ones that are big and
important. Yet it’s the light from the “lesser” stars, the
simpler stars, the everyday stars that light the way to
success and serenity. Find your simple stars!

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5. Quotes:

Stop waiting for life to become perfect and start working
with what we’ve got to make it as satisfying as we can.
Sarah Ban Breathnach

“On with the dance, let the joy be unconfined!” is my
motto, whether there’s any dance to dance or any joy to
unconfine.
Mark Twain

In our daily lives, we must see that it is not happiness that
makes us grateful, but the gratefulness that makes us
happy.”
Albert Clarke

Life isn’t a matter of milestones but of moments.
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy

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6. Humor:

A final correction for Deep Thoughts. The author’s name
is Jack Handy rather than Jack Hardy. I’m pretty sure it’s
right this time!

Bible Study

These are actual answers given by students on a Bible
knowledge test.

Noah’s wife was Joan of Ark.

Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day and a ball of fire by
night.

Moses went to the top of Mount Cyanide to get the ten
commandments.

The seventh commandment is “thou shalt not admit
adultery.”

Joshua led the Hebrews in the Battle of Geritol.

Jesus was born because Mary had an immaculate
contraption.

The people who followed Jesus were called the 12 decibels.

The epistles were the wives of the Apostles.

One of the Opossums was St. Matthew.

Paul preached acrimony, which is another name for
marriage.

David fought the Finklesteins, a race of people who lived
in biblical times.

A man should have only one wife. This is called
monotony.

Finally, the Jews had trouble throughout their history
with unsympathetic genitals.

Thanks, once again, to Jan Garrett for these great giggles.
You can learn more about Jan and her music at
http://www.jangarrett.com.

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Give yourself the gift of seeing the stars this week.

Namaste, Margo

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7. Resources For Your Journey:

Prepare the Soil in Your Garden

It’s officially spring, and as the weather warms up, the
grass begins to turn green and birds return to their
summer homes, it’s time to prepare the soil in our
gardens to produce the glorious blooms we want for the
summer. Why not prepare your internal soil as well? I’m
offering an April coaching special: 4 half hour coaching
calls in the month of April with the purpose of
quantifying and building a plan to achieve your top ten
goals for the summer. All for the discounted rate of $150!

Create your top 10 goals for the summer
Build a plan for achieving them
Ensure the plan is a winnable one rather than a
setup to fail – again
Have an email cheerleader throughout the
summer

Email me at mailto:margo@tothesummit.com to reserve
your spot!

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Margo Chisholm is available for individual and group
coaching. Every dedicated athlete has a coach. Why not
have a coach for the most important game of all: the
game of life. Visit our website at
https://www.tothesummit.com for additional resources
and tools. To schedule a consultation, send an email to
mailto:margo@tothesummit.com

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If you received this copy of Celebrating The Journey from
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My purpose in publishing Celebrating the Journey is to
provide you with resources, motivation, inspiration and
energy for YOUR journey to creating success and freedom
in all areas of your life. CTJ will use stories from my life
and others’, coaching tips and resources, quotes and
humor to deliver a learning experience that can enhance
your life. I am always looking for comments, ideas and
ways to improve CTJ. I welcome your emails at
mailto:margo@tothesummit.com.

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Copyright © 2000, all rights reserved, by Margo Chisholm

I invite you to share Celebrating the Journey with your
Mailing List, Friends, and Associates. We ask only that the
entire email with Copyright and Credits be included. The
author of this article is Margo Chisholm. You may contact
her at (970)704-9336 or at mailto:margo@tothesummit.com.
—
“At every moment of our life we have an
opportunity to choose joy.”
Henri J. M. Nouwen

Margo Chisholm
Coach, Speaker, Author, Therapist
Partnering you in having success,
freedom and joy in all areas of your life
970-704-9336 fax 970-704-9346
margo@tothesummit.com

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