Celebrating is one of the most important things we can do and it’s also something that many of us overlook. It releases endorphines and makes us feel good. Causes for celebration come in all shapes and sizes. If you’re Roger Federer or Novak Djokovitch, celebration might come from a fabulous shot, although winning an Open might be cause for even greater delight. If you’ve read my book, you’ll know that there’s a story in every chapter. In Chapter 6, the story goes like this

Many years ago, I was lucky enough to have Eric Jensen as my teacher. The speciality of Jensen Learning is the integration of brain research into practical, user-friendly teaching strategies.

During the course on Advanced Accelerated Learning, he sent us all out in pairs for a walk around the grounds at the course venue. He told us to discuss three things with each other while we were on our walk. G, L and P. 

G – firstly, he asked us to tell each other what we were Grateful for in our lives. He suggested that we thought of heaps of things and encouraged each other to come up with more and more reasons to be grateful.

L – secondly, he asked us to talk about what we’d Learned, not necessarily on the course so far, but also generally. Again he suggested that we encourage each other. In doing so, many more memories came to the surface as we questioned each other and listened to each other’s ideas.

P – finally, he asked us to tell each other what we Promised ourselves for our future, both immediate and further ahead. Once more, by talking about our promises with someone else, we became clearer about what could be achieved.

The outcome of this learning for me was to introduce this discipline into every day of my life. On waking, GLP is my first thought each day.  It’s so powerful that it soon dispels any limiting thoughts. And what’s more, there’s nothing like the P to make me jump out of bed to start on my Promise.

I had cause to be Grateful today. I received an email from someone who has read my book. Not only has she read it but she decided to put some of the ideas into practice. Here’s what she said:

'We received a copy of your book a few months ago. I decided to read it all the way through first, then go back to the start, taking more time writing down planning notes of ideas and dreams.

'You may be interested to know that I have already had some success at making my thoughts count! Recently my husband and I were flying to Christchurch from New Plymouth Airport and I was reading your book (chapter 11) during the flight. There was some turbulence, which usually bothers me. I tense up and feel very insecure.

'You mention in your book that when you want something to happen, you concentrate on the thing you want and wholeheartedly believe that it will happen. So I decided to put that idea into practice by imagining us landing smoothly at Christchurch Airport and walking into the terminal to collect our bags.

'Like you, I have had success in the past with praying for a car park right outside the building I have to go to and that has worked for me, so I thought, why not try this? Well, it worked for me in such a way that I was able to chat with my husband, look out the window and relax. The same thing happened on our return journey when our entry into Taranaki airspace was even more turbulent. I was able to relax, even feeling quite jubilant!

'I wish that I had read this book when I was in my 30s and would like to give my two adult children the opportunity to do so now. So for that reason I would like to purchase two copies to give as gifts to them. They have young families and face all the obstacles that life presents to them. I’m sure they will benefit from the advice given in the book and be encouraged to achieve their dreams.'

I’ll know what to be Grateful for when I jump out of bed tomorrow morning. That there’s a mother ‘out there’ who knows the power of her mind and wants to make sure that her children learn about it when they have so much living ahead of them.