80 Perecent of Success

Woody Allen once said, "80 percent of success is just showing up."  Or something like that. 
I remember the first time I heard the quote - it wasn't exactly 80 percent but I still got the meaning.  I wasin an advertising class at SUNY New Paltz.  Our professor had been a suit at a big ad firm on Madison Avenue in New York City but seemed to favor leather jackets and motorcylces at his new job.
He had a fervent outlook on life - especially when it came to young people finding their footing in the world.  He delighted us with anecdotes about the "real" working world and what we could expect from our bosses and coworkers.  He warned us about the perils of working with "creative types" (they aren't driven by the bottom line) and CEOs (they're driven by the bottom line).  But the stories and quotes I enjoyed most from him were the ones that reminded us to be active participants in our own lives. 
On our first day of class a girl showed up and asked to be considered for a spot in the class,which was completely full and had not even an extra desk for her to sit at.That's when he said to us, "I'm going to let you in to this class.  I want you all to remember," he said speaking to the entire class now "95 percent of success is just showing up.  She showed up today." He told us that the great Woody Allen had authored the quote.   Our professor would go on to inject Woody Allen's words into his lessons throughout the semester.  He would also continue to remind us that "showing up is half the battle."
I took that quote with me over the past decade and it's meant different things to me at different times.  Now I understand it to mean that showing up is the hardest part and once you've done that the rest will come (or it won't).  Today I showed up.  I went there.  I gave it a shot.  I didn't sit in my car and think about the reasons I shouldn't go in.  I didn't hunt for an excuse to reschedule or cancel altogether.  I don't know if things will pan out because I "showed up" but I do know that both my professor and Woody Allen would be very proud of me today. 

Greatness Within

Gratitude is a state of mind.  We can all achieve a grateful attitude simply - by spending our days counting our blessings and simply ignoring our shortcomings.  The most common way to get into the "grateful state of mind" is to write a gratitude list either right when you wake up or just before you go to bed.  Think of the things in life that make you happy - the things you're grateful for...
I'm grateful that I wake up each morning to play with my beautiful, healthy baby girl.  After accepting that as my fate each day its really difficult to get pissed because there was traffic on the Long Island Expressway or I that I forgot to bring a coupon with me to King Kullen.  Recognizing that my daughter is alive and healthy is the greatest blessing a mother could ever ask for - and I'm grateful.
Some days I'm grateful that I have just enough money in my pocket to buy myself a cup of coffee from Starbucks.  Those are days when even the smallest bit of gratitude will stave off the bitterness of not having "enough".  It works because I'm not thinking of the fact that I can't buy a croissant to go with my Starbucks and am instead grateful that I can afford a cup of coffee when maybe this time last year I couldn't. 
Other days I'm grateful for a beautiful sunset or an hour of warmth on a cold winter day (Thank you Global Warming - I'm grateful for you too!).  Sometimes I'm just grateful to be alive and grateful that the people I love are down here on earth with me. 
After a few weeks of maintaining a gratitude list I've noticed my perception has changed.  I've looked at the circumstances of my life as a "glass half full" type of situation. 
Some friends and I have recently been sharing our gratitude lists with each other and its been very inspirng to see their changes in perspective.  We text each other 5 to 10 things we are grateful for each day, like "a productive conversation with my mother, pay day at work, a day with my family, a close network of friends, a grateful outlook on life."
When I go to sleep in an hour I'll conjure up a list of the ten most excellent things that happened today and title the list, "gratitude list" and the top of the pack is going to be that I sat down and wrote a post for my blog.  Though, my new grateful attitude will get top billing.