This isn't the typical way I approach things but I’ll admit I’m absolutely dumbfounded and have to ask WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE THESE DAYS?! Facebook and news outlets are full of stories like:
- NYC man kills his boss after being laid off
- Man arrested for stabbing a puppy multiple times for eating cat food in the house
- KCMO Police rescue malnourished girl after being locked in a closet
- Gunman at Aurora CO movie theater kills 12 people
And the list of horrible stories goes on…..

As a teenager I remember horseback riding all day long in the country with my best friend and feeling completely safe, even when we stopped at a strangers house for a glass of water. Summer nights were filled with neighborhood kids playing outside for hours at a time. Mom rang a bell to ‘call’ us home. Our family ate together at the dinner table without interference from the TV, and the phones we had were attached to the wall with a rotary dial. We were taught to respect our elders, do chores and understand the value of a dollar. Our family attended church every Sunday and we always had the most wonderful pot roast waiting in the oven when we got home. Life wasn’t perfect but it was certainly less complicated and much less tragic than today’s world.

Frankly I’m tired of seeing all the horrible things that are happening. I can’t change the world by myself but I can make a difference in my own life and for those around me by being more aware of the choices I make. For example, the choice to read books that feed my mind and soul. I refuse to watch television shows and movies that numbs people to violence. I choose to find at least 5 things to record in my gratitude journal every day. I look forward to spending quality time with my husband, family and friends (so if you see me with my iPhone, please call me on it). Instead of complaining about something, I’ll find a way to make it better. The list is much, much longer but hopefully you see where I’m headed.
What does your list look like? What will you choose to do and choose not to do? Consider taking 5 minutes each day to write in a gratitude journal, to turn off your cell phone so you can be fully present with your family, smile at a stranger and ask how there day is. One person at a time, one day at a time, together we can make a difference in our world!!

Author's Bio: 

Operating with the knowledge that the best teachers are those who teach from their own experience, Joyce has tapped into amazing information that changed her life. A consultant with Pacific Accord Inc. (an affiliate of The Pacific Institute) since 2006, she has been trained in The Pacific Institute’s (TPI’s) processes. The same processes which are based on research of Harvard Medical School and the Universities of Stanford, and Washington, to name a few. TPI’s curricula for performance improvement has been used by more than 60% of U.S. Fortune 500 companies as well as various branches of the U.S. Government, professional athletes, and Nobel Prize winners.

Joyce added this powerful knowledge to her experience in sales, consulting and coaching for business leaders and entrepreneurs. The result was Mind By Design, which combines science, self and a Layman’s terms approach for taking clients and audiences to the next level of success.