An Attitude of Gratitude!

I hope this finds you well. Actually, I hope this finds you beyond well.  I hope this finds you incredibly joyful, fully experiencing the bliss that life has to offer. That’s how much you mean to me.

Today’s theme is a presentation tip AND a life tip. Some of you may (or may not) know that life changed for me on 9/11, when I lost people I loved. That day made me realize that everything can end at any time. The theme of my last newsletter was‘Life is short; make it deep’ and today is an extension of that. Since 9/11, I have made a conscious decision to live in gratitude. Each and every day. To really and fully be aware of the abundance in my life – my family, my friends, my career, the amazing experience of the first sip of a great gin and tonic, a meaningful conversation with someone I love, hearing the birds sing to me as I walk through nature (which is a BIG STEP for this city girl), and so much more. If you are drenched in thankfulness, you can really get through anything. It has gotten me through so much and I know it will continue to help me sail through the second half of this wonderful challenge we call life.

And now the presentation part. So many people start and end their presentations without a word of thanks. It’s just not done, for some reason, in most Dutch presentations that I have seen. However, if you start out with showing your gratitude, and how excited you are to be there to send your message and light into the world, you set the stage for greatness. You get your audience enthusiastic because YOU show your enthusiasm. A simple statement like “Thank you so much for joining me today, I’m really excited to be here’ can make all the difference.

Don’t just jump into your story headfirst.
Jump into your story heartfirst (and no, it’s not a word, but it is now. Let’s call the dictionary!).

And of course this is an excellent way to end your story- by thanking the audience for their time and attention. They could have done a million other things that day, but they chose to spend it listening to you. What a gift that is! If you end by saying something like ‘Thank you so much for listening, I really appreciate you being here today, and letting me share my story’, it’s a real pat on the back for your audience. And who doesn’t love a little appreciation now and again?

So, sweet buffi, thank you so much for reading this. Thousands of you read my newsletters every week and so many of you write me back. And I always write you back, and it’s often the start of some awesome friendships.

Thank you for letting me slip into your inbox today. I really, really love it here. (Even if it gets a little crowded with all the Viagra ads.)

Have a super Monday, darling!

X buffi

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