The Gratitude Rock in my Home

I know this gratitude article is a bit late as I usually post this on a Friday or Saturday but better late than never so here goes.

One day I received an email from Jennifer Mannion, a woman from upstate New York with whom I somehow connected on the Internet.  I’m not sure how we found each other but we were divinely led to discover that we each have similar interests including, but not limited to, spirituality, natural healing methods (like Reiki and “The Reconnection”) plus other things.

She was alerting me of an interview she did with James Sinclair, the director of a new documentary movie that was just released called “What If?”   At this time, it’s not yet captioned for the deaf/hard of hearing population but I was told by the director himself that it will become reality in the very near future.    The movie is similar to “The Secret” but goes much, much deeper in the attempt to answer questions like:   Click here to read more...

The Gratitude Rock in my Home

Well, here we are again, at the end of the week.  Is it me or did you notice it too?   Time is flying faster and faster.   Is this some sort of phenomena or what?   Hmmmm…..

Gratitude is a state of mind.  It’s like natural medicine for the body, mind and spirit.  It’s ESPECIALLY good for times like these with the economy and everything else in dire straits.

My neighbor just told me she got laid off and has to go in for a third operation for breast cancer!  And she has no money nor does she have insurance now that she’s out of a job.  What’s more, she’s 70 years old!  Without a job, she has no idea what she’s going to do.   Won’t you all pray for her?  Just a few words of good wishes for “Joanne.”   Send her your loving thoughts and energy.  She has no idea I’m asking my community at Adversity University to do this so this will be “our secret.”   Thanks!   Click here to read more...

Well, here we are, for the second part of my interview with Michael Lee Stallard, a former Wall Street executive who quit to pursue his calling of helping people in the workplace make better connections with one another.

In the first interview, I called him a “lightworker” because he’s pursuing his passion of helping the working world feel a sense of purpose that comes with better interpersonal relations with one another.

The corporate world sorely needs this.    All you have to do is read the paper about how employees are seen as “expendable” by top management who seem to think everyone’s replaceable, especially during economic downturns.  Believe me, Michael has his work cut out for him!

If you haven’t seen the first part, let me invite you to read up on it before you continue by going to Stephen Hopson Interview with Michael Lee Stallard, Part I of II.   Click here to read more...

This is going to be a short gratitude list.   (Photo Credit: flirianders)

It’s been a rather interesting beginning of the year.  When I say that, I’m actually trying to say it’s been a “strange” start for me.  What about you?

After coming off a great 2008 in every area of my life (physical, mental, professional, spiritual, etc), I was expecting to dive into 2009 with great anticipation and excitement but it has not turned out that way, much to my surprise.

While I’ve been “stuck” before, it’s somehow different this time.  It’s almost as if an internal shift is taking place and I’m being prepared for something mysterious.  These days, I find myself spending a lot of time alone, reading, reflecting and meditating.   Click here to read more...

Today’s interview is going to be a little bit different because Michael’s background is business leadership oriented BUT you will be touched when you read about some of the adversity he’s had to endure like dealing with a hidden disability and his wife’s cancer.

Not only that but like I did, he quit Wall Street to pursue a calling.  This interview has an interesting twist to it because I see him as a lightworker disguised in a business suit.  He once worked as a high powered executive for financial giants like Morgan Stanley before saying goodbye to Wall Street.  It was his wife cancer that triggered it but not for reasons you think it did.

Let me just say one more thing.  If you were to look at his photo, you would not notice anything out of the ordinary like a disability right?  Well, let me give you hint – Tom Cruise also has it.   Click here to read more...

Grateful Stephen Keeping Warm

“Be content with what you have-rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” LaoTzu

I was on Twitter this morning, going through other people’s tweets when I saw the above quote from Dhrumil, founder of “We Like It Raw.”  I immediately knew it would fit with this week’s long awaited gratitude post.

It’s amazing – I have so much to be grateful for but I had been putting off writing this simply because I wasn’t inspired to but all of a sudden my whole body, mind and spirit became re-invigorated and here we are!  I knew this would happen and I’m glad I gave myself a chance to ease in the new year without feeling the need to rush back to the keyboard.  I got a much deserved break and I thank all of you for being patient.   Click here to read more...

Hello!  Hello!  Hello!

I received the perfect inspiration to write my very first article of 2009 (the interviews don’t count) after writing an email to a friend of mine today about her own happiness.   (Photo Credit:  briguy_89)

I’m extremely thankful I feel inspired to write again!   I knew this would happen – Whoohoooo!

By the way, my first gratitude post of 2009 is also coming.  That’s taking much more time to create because not only do I have to organize a good handful pictures that I want to use but I also have much to say in gratitude.   So stay tuned!

I recently received an email from a friend wrote in part, “So I figure that I can just put aside my own happiness and make sure everyone else is taken care of…..”

That got me going.  I immediately wrote back.   Click here to read more...

Just the other day I received an email from a subscriber who wrote an interesting newsletter article entitled, “Are you Hiding?”  I had to laugh because that’s probably what I’ve been doing so far in this year.    I was telling a friend at church yesterday that I feel like I am in a funk.   Have you ever had one of those?  You’re in a funk, not exactly depressed but you’re not motivated either.    I think we all have them, including me.  Surprise, surprise!

I just haven’t been inspired to write a gratitude post even though I’m very grateful.  I came off a fantastic year in 2008 and you would think I’d be charging into 09 with full vigor and enthusiasm.   Well, sort of but not fully.  Ever been there?   Click here to read more...

Folks, Happy New Year!

Yes, I’ve been missing in action but don’t worry.  I’ll swing back into the groove.   I didn’t do the gratitude post last week not because I wasn’t grateful.  I actually have a huge list that I’m saving for later but after spending a fabulous week with my brother, his family and my folks for the holidays, I came home and degenerated into a cocoon for two reasons.

The first was that I was unexpectedly hit with a nasty cold, throwing me completely for a loop.   The cold was more persistent than I expected and nothing I did seemed to help.   It was one of those things that left me scratching my head, “WTHeck?”   Not even the self-administered healing treatments, the raw foods, or the  vitamins helped.    I finally came to the conclusion that my body would recover on its own time.  And it did – five days later!    Such a stubborn body!   Click here to read more...

Well, did you all have a good holiday (assuming you celebrated something)?   I was away at my brother’s house in Virginia for an entire week and had a fabulous time celebrating Christmas with his family along with my Mom and Dad.    The week flew by all too quickly and before I knew it, I was back home in Ohio.    I’ll talk more about my holiday experience in the next gratitude post later this week.  (Photo:   Stuck in Customs’)

Luckily because I brought my new laptop with me, I was able to post the first of two parts of an interview i did with Lance from Jungle of Life last week and what a hoot it was!

Did you see it?   Click here to read more...

1.  One of my favorite questions when I want to learn about someone is by asking them to give me their 5 second introduction when I pose the question:  “What do you do for a living?”

I’ll give you the 3-second answer:  I make people happy.

As I thought about this question, Stephen, I kept coming back to what is it that I really do provide?  What is it, at a higher level, that I do for a living?  I kept asking myself if this answer, really, was a legitimate answer.  Maybe it would seem too fluffy.  Not enough substance to it.  And yet, at a very core level, I do believe this is it.  For a more detailed answer on how I do this, my About page gets into a little more of the nitty gritty.   Click here to read more...

For those of you still in the workforce, I’ll bet you’re grateful that it’s the end of the week, right?

Well, that’s a good start, isn’t it?    You see, there’s always something to be grateful for if you just look closely.

Here – let me give you a gratitude quote I found online by someone named John Henry Jowett:

“Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic”

Let’s take a look at what happened this week that led to constant renewal of gratitude for me:

“Slumdog Millionaire” Movie Preview Screening

Have any of you seen the movie “Slumdog Millionaire”?  It’s an Indian movie now making the rounds at select movie theaters around the country.  I was fortunate to get a free ticket (you can get one too if you go to the movie’s website and look for “special screenings” on the right).   Even though it wasn’t captioned, I “got it” just by watching the story unfold for over an hour.    Certain parts were subtitled because some foreign dialect was spoken.   Click here to read more...

Many of you have been asking me questions in the comment section that I can’t help but put up another “self interview” so I can answer them for you.    So please forgive me if I appear to be delusional and humor me for a bit, okay?

As you all know by now, I am extremely passionate about two things that have emerged this year.  Can you guess at least one of them?  (Hint:  It “started in September 2008.”)

Still can’t figure it out?

Okay, how about this….a good handful of you have been following me on this thing and you’re trying it out for yourselves.

Give up?

Okay, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you guessed correctly:  the raw food journey!   Click here to read more...

As I sit here and write the end of the week blog post, it’s snowing out there.  It’s one of those winters that when you look out the window, it’s breathtakingly beautiful but the moment you step outside, it becomes another story altogether!  (Photo:  vtpeacnik)

Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for the beauty of winter around here.   In fact, I happen to live in the Valley where I’m surrounded by miles and miles of woods and state parks.   It’s one reason I continue to stay here.

Just because Thanksgiving came and went doesn’t mean we can’t continue to find things we’re grateful for.  If I’ve learned anything from writing 55 weekly gratitude posts, it’s the value of maintaining an attitude of gratitude even when times are tough.  Like right now.  Seems that America is falling apart, right?

But are you falling apart?   Click here to read more...

I’m here at the Nervous Dog Coffee Bar in Akron, using my new laptop and writing my first-ever post away from the home office.  How cool is that?  (Photo credit:  Laughing Squid)

By the way, for those of you who are RSS/email subscribers, just so that you know, I have two articles for you today.  This one and “End of the Week Gratitude Theme # 54.”  Simply scroll up your email/RSS notification and you’ll see both of them.

The last time I interviewed myself, I received a couple of interesting comments from the community who thought this was a good idea because it’s a way for them (i.e. you) to get to know me more (especially now that I’ve taken on a whole new lifestyle, the raw food way to optimal health).    I mean, after all, just about every post I write these days have made some reference to this.   Click here to read more...