Have you ever noticed how you feel when you receive something? Whether in winning a raffle in our stream, or just in general. It sure is a great feeling to gain something. What happens when you end up "winning" an item that is of little to no value? Is that same feeling there or is it slightly "toned down a notch?" When the most of us play games.. we aim to win. It's just normal. No one wants to be a loser, let alone have the feeling of stress, bitterness, & frustration.
You almost always hear us talk about being thankful not just when things are going according to "the plan YOU had in mind".. but also when things are going in the complete opposite direction.. when everything around us in life is falling apart. It's feels impossible to have a "bethankful attitude." There are MANY times I slip up myself, and on a later datecome to realize.. was it worth exerting my feeling of anger, bitterness, sadness. Was it really worth stressing about and having a worrying heart for "X" amount of days. In "most," not all cases, it isn't. It doesn't benefit you & push you in reaching your goal. As New Years comes around many of us are reminded we should make new years resolutions.. blah blah.. but in reality why wait? When making that resolution how often do we end up accomplishing what we aimed for? Personally for myself.. I've failed one too many resolutions.. I've learned that when I set my personal goals and fail at reaching them.. I feel a sense of disappointment.. Very unhealthy. I don't even realize how much I actually achieved in regards to the goal that was set.. Sometimes we really need to take that step back and breathe.. Look at the accomplishments we've made in our lives.. look back and see where you were 5 years ago.. 10 years ago.. only then you'll come to realize goals are never ending. When you accomplish a goal something else will come up.. Something greater & more important to you. Don't stop persevering & fight on when it gets tough.. When the moments get easy don't get comfortable.. as this generally leads to procrastination & laziness... Focus On Your Future Now & reap the benefits of your hard work and determination.
As part of being thankful.. there are too many things to list. It's hard to think of 5 Legitimate Reasons why we should be thankful, off the top of our heads.. The main reason is because we don't practice it enough in life. I'm know I'm Guilty on many occassions. We tend to become lax and take our everyday circumstances for granted. Let's take this one step at a time and start with our attitudes. Don't worry about the guy or girl next to you. Make an effort to have a positive attitude and those around you will see it.

Make a positive impact in someone's life, & be known as "that guy/girl".

I had a conversation a little while ago with Shriek aka TerminallyChill84. Our conversation had to do with a reddit thread related to finding happiness when sharing with others & how they linked this with toddler's actions & reactions. I thought it was interesting, but didn't see the full meaning and correlation. It wasn't until Shriek went out of his way for a moderator.. that I had one of those "lightbulb" going off moments in my head. I heard a REAL Genuine Reaction that was Priceless & it him me.. Now I get it.. Now I understand...
The joy of giving just can't be put into any words but only felt. It's a greater feeling than receiving any kind of gift. Giving could be in any format. For some it could be money while for others it could be "time". Some people find pleasures in giving care or working for others. The joy of giving could be seen on the faces of the people who share and give. The smile, the glow the happiness, is very much evident and it is such a pleasure to see those faces & hear their reactions. Studies have shown that most people when they are down or blue, and when they get involved in giving out something, it brightens up their mood and makes them happy as well.
Let's all try to experience that wonderful feeling of sharing and caring, so that those around us can experience, not by our talk, but by our actions. "It starts with me."

I'm in the library on campus, getting ready to go into my next class to take my Final Exam.. Writing this just took off a heavy load of stress & worry that I've been carrying for the past couple of days.
Remember Chris.. practice lifting up those around you, have a listening ear, being humble, prioritize your life, & as always bethankful.


THANK YOU ALL FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!