27 percent ✓

bonus chapter (1)

bonus chapter (1): speeches and peaches
//unedited//

3rd POV: (someone who works at the library)

The library was packed full of kids and adults all walking around as if lost, in a sense trying to find something. The speaker today was standing on the podium, looking fragile and strong at the same time. The crowd couldn't take their eyes of the person standing on the podium.

I showed myself to the back of the room to get a good view of the stage without getting in the way of the customers who came all over the world to see her at the worlds largest book store.

The book was called 'believe: never settle, never give up', a story about a girl who had cancer, one I haven't read yet but for sure after hearing the author speak about it.

The author tapped the microphone and everyone looked up before quickly heading to their seats in a hurry. The control over the crowd they had was impeccable, the crowd could take their eyes off of the person on the stage.

And that's when the words flew around the room and everyone sat transfixed as they all listened.

"If you woke up this morning happy and healthy, you are more blessed than the million who died last night. If you have food to eat,clothes to wear and a house to live in, you are much better than those who do not possess these.
If your parents are there to take care of you, you are very fortunate.
If you can hold someone's hand, hug him or even touch him on the shoulder, you are blessed because you have a friend." They paused and everyone didn't take their eyes off of the author.

They continued. "That was a speech made by an eight grade girl, one who had the compassion and the open mindedness to see that around her was good, she had it good. Ones who are handed everything to them sometimes fail to see that sometimes, that sometimes people aren't happy. They don't have everything handed to them."

"In Richard Carlson's classic book "Don't sweat the small stuff" he speaks about a man who asked him what the people are like in California, Richard replied "what are the people like in your home state?".

The man said they are "Selfish and Greedy"
Richard replied: "Well, you will most likely find the people of California to be "Selfish and Greedy" as well"

You see, if you throw a negative light on your life and your life experiences, it doesn't matter where you are, where you live, what job you get , or how much more money you make, you will always find a way to want MORE and be unhappy with what you have.

You will always want to be somewhere else.
You will always want the life of someone else.

A great life, starts with a great mind.
A blessed life, starts first with a blessed mind.

Not the other way around.

You don't get blessings come to you so you can feel blessed. You feel blessed then blessings come to you.

We choose what we see in our lives, we choose what to focus on, and we choose if we see our life as messed up or blessed up.

You can be happy with very little or miserable with much. I'm sure you can find plenty examples of this in your own life and around the world. The mega rich person that is in and out of rehab for drug and alcohol addiction. The mega poor person who is happier than anyone you know on this earth.

Question is:
What would you prefer;
To have all the money in the world and be miserable, completely lost in your mind.
Or to have no money and just radiate joy every single day.
No alcohol no drugs needed. You just love life.

There can be only one answer here, and that is because all we seek, including the money and possessions, we only seek because we BELIEVE we will be happier when we get it.

But ANYONE that has had all that money will tell you, that it does not bring you happiness. You create your own happiness. You start with being grateful for what you DO already have.

This certainly does not mean you strive to be happy and poor. Be grateful for all you have but never settle for less than you can be!

Gratitude first.
Work second.

When you are grateful for all you do have more will be given. It seems almost unfair, but as it says in the Bible: "For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them."

I guarantee you, if you implement gratitude into your life, wherever you are in any area, your life will improve.

It is impossible it couldn't... because the REAL connection with genuine gratitude puts you in a positive state IMMEDIATELY. You do that every day, and the very worst result will be that you FEEL BETTER. What a concept!

We dare you to try GRATITUDE for 30 days.
What's the worst that can happen?"

They paused to let the words that just flew out of their mouth to sink in, let it resonate with the whole crowd, let them think.

And than they added. "This is exactly what William Hollis had said when he tried to motivate, a fearless motivator. Think, think about all the ways someone can move, see, do and how much they can achieve. Just think about it for one moment."

"Now, do you think you can do it? Be fearless, try to be grateful for everything given to you, everything you ever had to fight for? Think about everything you have compared to the person next to you and than think if you have a sucky life."

"I'm grateful for every moment of my life, my wonderful husband and my two beautiful children. God gave me a second chance at life almost fifteen years ago and I haven't looked back since."

"You never know when you might collapse and die. It's that hard true fact—heck, I almost dies like..what?" She asked looking at her humans and for an answer and he happily stood up and yelled. "Four times total!"

Everyone laughed at the author gave a chuckle. "Moral is never to stop fighting, even when you think it might end it won't, it doesn't! Keep fighting and you will achieve everything you want in life."

"I know I did."

Her family walked up onto the stage and the two boys gave little shy waves and the husband would stand more than two inches away from his wife. He must be proud.

My manager walked up and took the microphone. "Round of applause for May Springer-Allioni everyone!"

Yup, I've gotta read that book now.