"The hardest arithmetic to master is
that which enables us to count our blessings.
"
Eric Hoffer
Happy New Year!!
From all of us here at The Wizard Times, we wish you a happy and prosperous new year. A friend and
fellow Wizard Partner from Canada, Scott Frazer, sent me this story and I thought it very timely pass
it on as we bring in the new year
According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert came across a spring of delicious
crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some
back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher. After a four-day journey he presented the water
to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet
water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart.
Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was
awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old leather container. The student
challenged his teacher: "Master, the water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?"
The teacher replied, "You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the
container for an act of living-kindness and nothing could be sweeter."
Self-motivation without gratitude is impossible. Our energy is "sapped" when our entire
focus is on what's wrong instead of what is right with our lives. One of our greatest challenges
is to live and love in spite of pain and disappointment - to find gratitude in the midst of it all.
Reflect for a moment on this beautiful quote from Melody Beattie:
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns
denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast,
a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for
today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."
Perhaps now would be a good time to have a complimentary meeting with a Wizard of Ads Partner. Links to their websites and blogs are listed down the right side of The Wizard Times. Hundreds of their articles with free insightful advice can been seen at www.americansmallbusiness.com 2009 would be a great year to attend a class at the Wizard Academy 21st Century Business School in Austin Texas. What is the Wizard Academy?
See you next week.
Clay Campbell
Wizard of Ads
PS. Need help to attract more customers and grow your business?
