Day 12 - Magic People Who Made a Difference

"At times our own light goes out and it rekindled by a spark from another person. Each one of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us."

Albert Schweitzer (1875 - 1965)

Nobel Peace Prize - Winning

Medical Missionary and Philosopher

Every one of us has received help, support, or guidance from other people at particular times in our life when we needed it most. Sometimes another person alters the course  of our life through their encouragement, guidance, or just being there at the right time. And then life goes on, and we tend to forget those times when one person touched us or changed our life. Sometimes you don't even realize the impact a person had until well into the future, when you look back on your life and realize that a particular person was pivotal in magically changing the direction of your life for better.

The person may have been a teacher or coach, an uncle, aunt, sibling, or any family member. They may have been the person who introduced you to your current partner or to a particular interest that became one of your greatest passions. Maybe they were someone you didn't even know, and they appeared in your life very briefly, performing a random act of kindness that touched you to the core.

My grandmother gave me my love for books, cooking, and the countryside. By sharing her love of those things with me, all of them affected and changed the course of my life. Cooking became a passion of mine for over twenty years, my love for books eventually led me to becoming a writer, and my love of the countryside has influenced where I've lived throughout my life.

My grandmother also disciplined me with a steel hand to say thank you. At the time I thought she was just teaching me to be polite. It was only latter in my life I realized that teaching me to say the magic words was the greatest gift my grandmother ever gave me. She is not alive anymore, but I continue to be grateful to her for the huge influence she had on the course of my life. Thank you, Grandma!

Today, you're going to think about the magical people who have impacted your life. Find a quiet place alone sometime during the day today, sit down, and think of three extraordinary people who have made a difference in your life. Once you have your three people, work with one person at a time, and talk out loud to each person as through they were present, telling him or her the reasons why you're grateful to them, and how they affected the course of your life.

Make sure you do this magical practice with all three people in the one session, because it will take your feeling of gratitude to a far deeper level. If you split up this magical practice throughout the day, you will not feel the same depth of gratitude, nor receive the magical results.

Here's an example of what you might say:

Sarah, I want to thank you for the time that you encouraged me to follow my heart. I was lost and confused that day, and your words touched me, and lifted me out  of despair. Because of what you said, I found the courage to follow my dream, and I moved to France to work as an apprentice chef. I am living my dream, and I couldn't be happier. All because of what you said to me that day. Thank you, Sarah!

It's very important that you say the reasons why you're grateful. And you can't say too much. Instead, the more you say, and the more you feel, the more amazing the results. You will see the magic explode into your life from doing the practice; it numbers among the most powerful act of gratitude you can ever perform.

If you're not in a position to talk out loud, then you can write down your words to each person, and address them as though you're writing a letter.

When you have completed this practice, you will feel a huge difference in the way that you feel. The evidence of gratitude's power working is always that first and foremost it makes you happy! The secondary evidence of gratitude's power is that you attract wonderful things. And as if all of that wasn't enough, the happiness you feel after practicing gratitude also attracts more wonderful things, which will make you even happier. That's the magic of life, that's the magical power of gratitude!

Magical Practice 12

Magical People Who Made a Difference

1. Count Your Blessings: Make a list of ten blessings. Write why you're grateful. Reread your list, and at the end of each blessing say thank you, thank you, thank you,and feel as grateful for that blessing as you can.

2. Find a quiet place alone sometime during today, and make a list of three people who made a difference in your life.

3. Work through the list one person at a time, and while talking out loud tell each person the reason why you're grateful for them, and exactly how they affected the course of your life.

4. Just before you go to sleep tonight, hold your Magic Rock in one hand, and say the magic words, thank you, for the best thing that happened during the day,