Did you ever stop to think how amazing it is that you are alive? Sometimes I just stop and think about the SHEER WONDER of it all. How on earth did anything come about? Colors and lights and sounds and planets and animals and people and EVERYTHING!?! It is really, truly amazing! This is why I ultimately have to have a positive view of life. Even though we have a lot of problems in the world - traffic, environmental problems, war, hatred, hunger, etc. - if you stop and just look at a basic thing such as a flower, you can't help but believe that we're here by design, and that somehow it's all good.

At least, that's what I think. I could be wrong!

When you are in your 20s, the world is your oyster and you dream big dreams, believing that they will all come true. By the time you hit your mid-30s, you start to realize that life didn't turn out exactly as you had planned. The "perfect husband" turned out to be less than perfect; your plans to become rich and famous didn't quite materialize; or perhaps you even got the life you envisioned, but you're still not quite satisfied.

In our American culture, we are constantly bombarded with messages and advertising about how to make our lives "perfect." The life coaching profession (of which I am a part) feeds on this by promising to help you make your dreams come true. Even churches have gotten into the game, as pastors from large congregations pen books on how to live the life of your dreams.