Awaken Your Day - June 30 - Great Stories.

"He can make me love something just by showing me the energy with which he loves it."
- Heather Armstrong,

Do you know someone who is a great story teller? They draw you right in with their voice, their face, their animation and excitement. Maybe their humor at just the right time.

Do you know someone who is really good at telling jokes? They have really good delivery, and build up and then Surprise, the punchline ... and just the way they told it, made it funnier than the last time you heard it.

Both of those people boost your energy when you think of it don't they? They tell it well, and they tell it with a little zest. You could say they include the element of emotion. Like maybe....passion.

Okay, now that you have the idea ... do you know anyone who has tried to tell you their dream? Their desire? Their passion? Tried to tell you about something they felt was exciting.

Did you listen? Did anyone listen to you when you tried to share.... and yes, I said "share", when you tried to share your dream, desire or passion? Have you ever gotten excited about something and told your closest family or friends all about it? You told them your....story.

Someone telling you about their dream for their life ... their goal, their idea for happiness...is that not a nominee for a Good Story Teller? Is that not a story worth listening too? Isn't yours, worth being listened too?

So often we don't. So often we find a reason to be discouraging or negative. If not to the person at the time, then certainly once they have left the room. And often...we even do it to ourselves.

Often it sounds "far fetched" and we think..."Yeah, Right!"...and we slowly turn down the dial on their excitement and we do not hear the passion in their voice. We do not notice the look in their eyes. We do not support their wonderful story. Because....we cannot see IT. We cannot see IT working, or THEM making it happen.

Who are we to rain on someone's parade? Who are we to say if Their dream is good or not? Who are we to not listen to such an exciting story, when it is delivered with such energy and happiness?

Who are those people to not listen to your passion?

Tuesday morning challenge.
Ask yourself ... "What do I dream about?"
Ask a toddler ... "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Ask someone close to you ... "So, what are doing these days? What would make you happy?"
Ask a friend..."Tell me something you dream about."

If you hear this answer from anyone above .... "No, I don't want to say. You'll just laught at me," remember, they are afraid that you really will.

I challenge you to ask the questions....from the heart, and then LISTEN to the answers.
Listen to the smile.
Listen to the energy.
Listen to the story.

There are tremendous stories in your life...yours, and those of others.
Stories, just wanting to be told....and heard. Energy waiting to be adopted by you.

Good morning, and share that wonderful energy.

Pierre Couturier
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Father, Husband, Author, Entrepreneur, and Friend.

Awaken Your Day - June 25 - Happiness is...

"Remember, happiness doesn't depend on who you are or what you have; it depends solely on what you think."
- Dale Carnegie

I like comments like this one today...because with a few simple words, they allow you to take off on an adventure of your own thoughts; exploring and revisiting things that You feel and maybe if we are lucky, you will stop along the way with thoughts of what you think happiness is....and maybe the picture will get a little clearer among the clouds we often choose to fly in.

Good morning.

Pierre Couturier
Father, Husband, Author, Entrepreneur, and Friend.

Awaken Your Day - June 24 - Your Next Move

"I found that people who are always worried about the next move in the chess game of their life never quite get at that move."

- Jerry Porras, Author

You open your eyes to find the morning has come. You are already burdened with the strategy of the day to come.

"If I do this, the world might do this, and if I do that...well, who knows what I may be setting myself up for?"

You could be forgetting that this is supposed to be fun.

Make the move.

You need to play, if you ever expect to learn how to win.

Good day to you.

Pierre Couturier

Father, Husband, Author, Entrepreneur and Friend

Awaken Your Day - June 22 - Enjoy your Riches

"I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family he's rich."
- Colonel Potter, M*A*S*H

I smiled at my son this morning.
As he gifted me with his innocent offering in return, upon recognizing his daddy, I felt the greatness of this day begin right then. Like pulling on your pants and discovering you have a pocket full of gold.

Happy Father's Day to you all for yesterday. For those of you that had it for the first time, like me, I hope you enjoy that first time feeling every year. For those of you that are veterans of this Day I hope you were able to find some time to reflect on your achievments with your children and their growth over the years. Memories are so good for the heart. And our children are so good at showing us our successes.

By Colonel Potter's standards, I am a very wealthy man.
One could say I am rich beyond my dreams with just mywife and son and the spirit of our daughter. But then you add in the value of my family and the bonds we share today and I gain more height on the wealth measuring stick. And then, on the verge of being labelled greedy, you pour in all the wealth that comes from our closeness with Sandra's family and I feel as though I am number one on Forbes list.

We often talk about Opportunity Monday...and I often try to show us all how much there is just waiting for us to appreciate right here and now so that we do not let the negative reputation of a moment of the week begin to chart our value at hand.

This morning, may I keep it a bit more simple?
Opportunity Monday asks you to frolic in your wealth of the people close to you. Friends can offer you as much wealth as family. Play in the moment. Smother yourself in the riches of thoughts of friends and family that pay off any bad debt that today charges before you.

I think of each face that has touched our lives in even the last few days.

I have a smile in my wallet that my son has given me, and a hug from Sandra to go with it is pressed onto the shirt I wear. My allowance for the day you might say.

And I begin another Monday, as a very wealthy man.

Good morning, and may you enjoy your riches.

Pierre Couturier
Father, Husband, Author, Entrepreneur and Friend.