By: Tiffany Carrasquillo

" When you're worried and you can sleep, just count your blessings instead of sheep, and you'll fall asleep counting your blessing."

White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney...I love that scene. I'm fortunate to have watched it a thousand times.  That song really helps bring me back to grace when I've fallen from it.

Admit it, we all fall from time to time.  No matter how much we know or what we believe or how hard we try...we can fall. 

I often think about the great ones from Mother Theresa, the Dalai Lama, and Mahatma Gandhi, to Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, and every other person who faced great obstacles and broke through them by helping others. 

Here we are in our daily lives facing obstacles.  Some are not so bad. It just seems that way in our perspective.  Yet, other times the obstacles are real threats and that's when we really have to dig deep down and find out what we are made of.  Sometimes it's easy to know on the surface what it is you have to do, but deep down how do you find the "how to do it"?

The answer is simple but not easy. Such is nature and life itself.  Everything in existence craves balance. From the infinite universe, to this very planet, to the tinest particles like atoms...everything needs balance. Why would an atom explode, or a hurricane begin, or an earthquake happen? What is the purpose of life and death?  The answer is simply balance. When out of balance chaos begins in order to restore that balance. It's kind of an abstract and matter of fact way of thinking about it but I assure you it makes sense.

So, what are the things you feel when you are out of balance?  Anger, frustration, WORRY...all products of fear. What do you do when you're out of balance? Well you are no different than the world you exist in. You can explode in a rage or outburst. You can even implode, holding it all in until your health deteriorates. Believe it or not you are craving balance.

Now, what can you do to restore balance without exploding or imploding?  Maybe you can show mother nature something by leading by example. ..try this...

1. Take a breathe.  Take in all the good air you can muster. Here's the sneaky part...Exhale all the garbage you are holding onto inside.

2. COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS. Focus on the great things you have in this very moment. Anything you can say thank you for, even if it is just that you noticed a beautiful tree, appreciate it. Look for the blessings. Seek and ye shall find.

3. Give something,  anything.  If all you can give is a smile then you go out there and give all the smiles you can to anyone and everyone you can. You never know who's day you'll make. I guarantee your smile will be someone else's step 2 from this list.

4. Play songs that uplift your spirit. No matter how horrible we feel you know that when a sweet sound touches those ears you're forced to do step 3 and smile. Warning...this one may make you want to move or sing...whoa!!! Imagine that..giving the gift of song and dance to someone and you BOTH get to enjoy it. WOW what a world.

Ok look, pity parties are the worst. Yea it's okay to need one once and a while but don't stay too long. The company there is miserable.  Sometimes you just have to sing that tune, give a smile, give thanks, and breathe through it. Before you know it someone will be writing a blog and putting your name in it under inspiring people who triumphed. Heck, write one about yourself.  You deserve it.

"When my bank roll is getting small, I think of when I had none at all, and I fall asleep counting my blessings."

:)

How we take care of ourselves is a direct correlation to how much we can give of ourselves. Just because we are caregivers to others does not mean we are at our full potential to be caring best for them. What I mean is we must operate and care for our ourselves in the most optimal way possible in order to maximize how much we can give of ourselves to others. For example picture yourself as a Maserati. if you leave that Maserati in a garage (ie no exercise) and give it the least optimal fuel (ie nutrition).... are you really able to maximize that amazing machines potential?  If our kids & loved ones are our passengers...Are you caring for your machine to live your fullest potential each day?  Where can you give more to YOU?