Cedar City Chamber of Commerce Blog

         Gratitude escapes me easily when I feel the pressure of work and home pounding down on me. I’m not alone, I’m sure. It’s the negative effect born of a positive tradition of celebration and endless merry-making this time of year. People often feel so pressured to embrace the season that they forget to embrace the reasons we come together in the first place to share our believes and express our heartfelt admiration with expensive gifts and gooey food.
                Whether I carefully contemplate it or not, I’m grateful every day. Whether I express it out loud or simply acknowledge it with a tired smile, I’m grateful nearly every hour of every day. However, today I have come to decide it is the expression of gratitude – honest to goodness gratitude – that blesses us most by blessing those around us.
                Today, I am grateful.
                I sincerely hope it’s a given that I’m grateful for my friends and family. I’m grateful that my beautiful children are independent and smart and sometimes stubborn. I’m glad that they’re forgiving and that I can give them something to forgive (they need all the practice they can get).

 I’m grateful for parents who value education on many different levels and from a variety of sources.  I’m grateful for my health, my mind, a roof over my head, food in my refrigerator (regardless of the expiration date) and clothes on my back. I’m grateful for the beautiful surroundings that I drink in every day.

I’m grateful for the ability to stand and not fall. I’m grateful for the ability to fall and still stand.

I could go on like this forever, but your list is probably strikingly similar to mine – with one possible exception: I’m grateful for the league of professionals that follow me and in doing so, lead me.

As the executive director of the Cedar City Area Chamber of Commerce, I have the pleasure of working with entrepreneurs and community leaders every day. As president of the Utah State Chamber of Commerce in 2008 I will have the pleasure of working even more closely with great leaders throughout the state, the nation – and, yeah, okay – the world. (We’re going to China in March!)

It’s astounding.

Have you ever seen those Verizon Wireless Network commercials where the guy in the goofy glasses is standing behind various cell phone users with an endless network of experts right behind him? That’s what I feel like today. And you know what? I’m grateful.

Active members of the Cedar City Area Chamber of Commerce know what it’s like to associate with people who are strong, smart, tested, experienced professionals who want to succeed. Life’s setbacks rarely hold them back for long and every success is evident in the demeanor of every individual who joins this group of independent thinkers with common goals. It’s engaging, stimulating, , nurturing, educational, encouraging, exhausting and life-saving.
                I genuinely feel the power of these people as if they were literally standing behind me. They seem to be all within arms’ reach – all at the ready to assist me. I call on them constantly and (if I’m lucky) they call on me. Through the chamber of commerce I have found friendships that never would have found me had I remained in my own limited circle of loved ones.

I have insurance agents, financial advisors, investment specialists, bankers, mechanics, energy experts, doctors, nurses, massage therapists, yoga instructors, counselors, car salesmen, retailers, cooks, servers, business advisors, educators, marketing experts, computer geniuses, writers, reporters, politicians, disc jockeys, homemakers, scrapbookers, nutritionists, masons, carpet layers and so much more in my network. Most of all, I have friends who have come to accept me and sometimes endear me for and in spite of my eccentricities.

As we breeze into “the most wonderful time of the year” and unavoidably the New Year, I hope you will consider your own network and consider joining mine. I hope you will resolve to rub elbows with people who are greater than you are. I hope you will surround yourself with people who expect more of you and yet always expect the most of themselves. In this amazing, crazy world of lightning speed technology sometimes you just have to take the time to get up, get out and reconnect with humans through handshakes and friendly hugs.

I do, and every day, I’m grateful.

Once in awhile we have to just stop. I know it and yet, it’s so hard to do.

Recently I begrudgingly pulled an old soft blanket off the shelf, popped a bag of popcorn, plugged a movie into the DVD player and gave way to my aching muscles and aging body. I had to take a quick look around to make sure it was true. I was alone. All alone. Better yet, I was all alone with the family television and had complete control of the remote.

• Dishwasher running? Check.
• Fresh load of laundry set? Check.
• Garden watered? Check.
• Lawn mowed? Check.
• Kids accounted for? Check.
• Horses fed? Check.
• Cats/dogs watered and fed? Check.
• Telephone turned off? Check.
• Doors locked? Check.

I pushed “play” on the DVD remote and felt like a child indulging some delightful whim as the movie I’d been dying to see for months began to roll.

I had heard mumblings about “The Secret” for quite some time before I finally took the time to snuggle up in my basement family room to see what the fuss was all about.

Frankly, I expected good information. I did not expect the movie to be life-changing. But, for me, it was. I had heard of the “Law of Attraction” and am a great advocate of “positive thinking” and believe whole-heartedly that we are the “creators of our own destiny.” But never before had I seen all of these beliefs packaged so neatly, so creatively and so completely with such simplicity. I actually found myself laughing and clapping under a blanket on the couch.

• Curtains closed? Check.

You can learn more about, “The Secret” at http://thesecret.tv/. If you are looking for a boost in your confidence, faith restored, personal empowerment — I beseech you — watch this production!

I would love to hear what you have to say. Let’s explore the possibilities together.

If a comment like, “Start Building Your Wealth” makes you snicker, roll your eyes and whisper, “I’d just like to pay my power bill,” then have I got a book for you.

 Most people have experienced financial struggles. Some of us try to thrive in the midst of a perpetual money crisis. Far too many people learn to accept a lifestyle of living in excess or on the edge of financial disaster. You know, that rock in the pit of your stomach could be removed with some planning and self-control.

The pitfalls that befall us are endless and can include, but aren’t limited to:

• Loss of job
• Poor health
• Natural disaster
• Divorce
• Death of a loved one
• Economic downturn affecting your business
• Theft
• Vandalism
• Overspending

The list continues, but you get the point. Financial problems can be heart wrenching and disabling. Money can truly be the root of all evil, especially if there’s not enough of it to go around. How much better would the quality of your life be if you actually had a handle on your finances?

Cedar City’s own Joe J. Melling and Chris M. McCormick have an answer for you in their new book, “Wealth Under Construction: From Debt and Despair to Financial Strength and Peace of Mind.”

This little gem sells online at www.builderbanks.com for $9.99.

This is not your typical instruction manual. Melling and McCormick take the reader through the steps of financial recovery in an interesting and easy-to-understand story about Dr. Facade, who is in financial crisis despite his handsome income, and Builder Banks, who has already been through the painful process of financial recovery.

This book is published by Life Quest, 51 E. 400 North, Building 3, Cedar City, UT 84720. It’s an easy 112 pages long and could be just the push you need to get your life back on track.