Heart Book Series

“A spark is a little thing, yet it may rekindle the world.”
-Mary Farquar Tupper

Browse though sections of cherished classic, personal favorites and recent original writings — quotations and quips, poems and proverbs by Maya Angelou, Eleanor Roosevelt, Oprah Winfrey, and hundreds more…..

Over 120 categories from A-Z, including: Achievement, Aging, Angels, Attitude, A Woman’s Wisdom, Balance, Beliefs, Careers, Cats & Dogs, Children, Chocolate, Daughters, Estrogen, Faith, Gratitude, Humor, Intuition, Joy, Kindness, Love, Miracles, Mothers, Nature, Overcoming Adversity, Parenting, Passion, Purpose, Prayer, Self-Esteem, Stay at Home Moms, Stress, Success, Talents, Unconditional Love, Vision, Worrying (how not to), Zen, and much more!

200+ Pages, 6×9” format, Retail $14.95

Sheryl Roush is a 13-time published author and an internationally recognized for high-content “how-to” keynotes and seminars on boosting attitude, communication skills, and creating positive work environments. Sheryl is available to speak at conferences, associations, meeting and special events. Visit www.SherylRoush.com for topics, titles and availability, or call Sparkle Presentations, Inc. Toll Free 1-800-932-0973 to schedule Sheryl Roush to speak!

We all know the importance of expressing daily gratitude, although we sometimes forget, and Thanksgiving Day provides us with the perfect opportunity to experience gratitude at an even deeper level than you may have in the past.

1. In advance of Thanksgiving Day, begin by thinking of all the people that you would like to have with you at your dinner table on Thursday that, for whatever reason, cannot be there. Include those who are unable to travel, who you are unable to visit and those who are no longer with us. Make a list of their names and count how many there are.

2. Then, buy a small candle for each person on your list and at your Thanksgiving dinner light each one, honoring your gratitude to them for whatever gift they brought to your life. Let their presence be with you as you include them in your Thanksgiving celebrations.

1. Say Thank-You with your eyes
Make more eye contact with people. Really connect with the gratitude for being alive by connecting with another human through their eyes.

2. Write a Thank-You note
Write a note that thanks someone for being in your life without them having done anything or given you anything recently.

3. Tell people what they mean to you
Do not let an opportunity go by to tell someone what they mean to you personally and/or professionally. Let people know how they make a difference in your life.

4. Perform a Random-Act-of-Kindness
Anonymously, do something outrageously kind or generous for someone else. Never tell.

5. Create a daily ritual that expresses gratitude
List five things a day you are grateful for, light a candle, say a prayer, tell someone you love them, send out a daily email to your closest buds. Come up with something that will daily put you in contact with gratitude.

6. Volunteer
Hold a hand or lend a hand. Just help someone who needs help more than you do. It will give you amazing perspective on your life.

7. Pick up a treasure
When you see something that reminds you of someone you care about, pick it up for them and give it to them ‘just because’.

8. Make a Donation (even if you think you can’t afford to)
Sharing your money, expecting nothing in return, is a powerful way to show you are grateful for what you have.

9. Write or create something and donate the proceeds
Create something that can be sold to support a cause.

10. Give of yourself
The gift of your time and attention makes a great statement about how much someone means to you

11. Make a kid’s day
Giving a child a special day that will forever be a happy memory will be a win-win you won’t soon forget

12. Write a letter to the editor
If someone in your town (a teacher, a neighbor, a service provider) did something really great, write to the editor of your town newspaper to give that person a little extra acknowledgement. Tell people how this person went out of their way to help. You’ll warm some hearts and maybe cause of positive ripple effect for the person you thanked publicly.

13. Bring a friend along for the ride
If you get an opportunity of a lifetime or get ushered up your career ladder by a helping hand, bring someone you know with you. Do what you can to bring them along. Be that helping hand to the next person.

14. Share a meal
‘Breaking bread’ with somebody or a group a people is a great way to express your thanks for them. Serve them as if they were kings.

15. Park yourself in an awesome spot in nature
A majestic view helps to humble your ego and help you appreciate the richness of your world.

16. Finger paint
Get dirty finger-painting and feel the energy going through your fingers as you press through the paint on to the paper. Feel the privilege of having a body that works.

17. Plant a tree or some flowers (depending on region!)
There is a sanctity to putting living things in the earth to encourage their growth. You don’t have to be a ‘tree hugger’ to appreciate what the earth has given you by giving something back to it.

18. Dedicate something to someone significant to you
Say thank you by honoring someone with a dedication. Whether it’s something you have written or a performance or a book, or maybe even a project, dedicate it as an acknowledgment.

19. List the people that make your life easier
Write down a list of people that are in your life that do things with you or for you that make your life a little easier. Imagine if they were not there and how much would be on your plate.

20. Give away all you no longer need
Taking stock of your stuff and seeing it go on to people that can use it, gives you an appreciation for all you have.

21. Make someone something
Engage your creativity, suspend judgment and express your thanks for someone by making them a gift. Whether you have a particular craft or talent is not necessary. Share your creation and tell the receiver what you did to create it.

22. Help someone feel important
Sing Happy Birthday at your own birthday party to someone whose birthday closely follows yours. Acknowledge someone else publicly while you hold the floor. Include someone at the ‘head table’ of an event who would not expect to be  there. Do something for someone else’s self-esteem.

23. Document someone else’s life
Dust off your camcorder and record an oral history by a family member, friend or interesting acquaintance. You  can even forget the camera and just get someone to talk about the stories of their life. Just when you think you’ve been through it all or you’ve hear it all, you’ll fill with the appreciation for the journey we are all on.

24. Kidnap a friend or loved one for a day devoted to them
Show up unexpectedly and steal someone away for a day of activities handpicked for your friend’s enjoyment. Take  them to eat their favorite kind of food, take them to a movie they would love to see, take them to their favorite sporting event or shopping place. Plan a day that has nothing to do with you. Devote it to them.

25. Say Thank You and Mean It
‘Thank you’ can sometimes take on the same worn familiarity as your most comfy slippers and lose it’s true value. Pay  more attention as you say it and really mean it.

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne, Creator of The Secret

Two words which will change your life!

There are two words that, when spoken, have the most unfathomable power to completely change your life. Two words which, when they pass your lips, will be the cause of bringing absolute joy and happiness to you. Two words that will create miracles in your life. Two words that will wipe out negativity. Two words that will bring you abundance in all things. Two words which, when uttered and sincerely felt, will summon all the forces and vibrations in the Universe to move all things for you.

The only thing standing between you, happiness, and the life of your dreams, are two words…

THANK YOU

Gratitude is one of the easiest and most powerful ways to transform your life. If you become truly grateful, you will magnetize absolute joy to you everywhere you go, and in everything you do. In fact, without gratitude, nothing can ever change. Your life will change to the degree that you use gratitude and begin to feel grateful. If you are just a little bit grateful, your life will change a little bit. If you are very grateful, your whole life will change. If you live gratitude every single day, you will become one of the greatest human beings on the planet, and the light of your life will uplift our world.

The greatest human beings who have ever lived showed us the way with gratitude, and by their example became shining lights in our history. Einstein said "thank you" hundreds of times every single day! Ancient wisdom dating back thousands of years gave us the truth about gratitude. Every single religion speaks of giving thanks. All the sages and saviors of the world demonstrated the use of gratitude in all their teachings.

Of the thousands of letters we receive from people whose lives have become miracles after experiencing The Secret, every single one of them has made gratitude their way of life. It is impossible to be negative when you are giving thanks. It is impossible to criticize or blame when you are feeling grateful. It is impossible to feel sad when you are in gratitude. Most people are sporadically grateful, however, to change your life with gratitude, a new way of learning how to be truly grateful is what will bring unlimited happiness into your life.

So how do you live in gratitude? Begin your day by feeling grateful. Be grateful for the bed you just slept in, the roof over your head, the carpet or floor under your feet, the running water, the soap, your shower, your toothbrush, your clothes, your shoes, the car that you drive, your job, your friends, your refrigerator that keeps your food cold. Be grateful for the weather, the sun, the sky, the birds, the trees, the grass, the rain, and the flowers. Be grateful for the stores that make it so easy to buy the things you need, the restaurants, the utilities and services and electrical appliances that make your life effortless. Be grateful for magazines and the books that you read. Be grateful for the chair that you sit on, and the pavement that you walk on. Be grateful for your favorite music that sweeps you away, and for movies that make you feel good. Be grateful for your phone that connects you with people, for your computer, for the electricity that lights up your life. Be grateful for air travel that flies you everywhere. Be grateful for the roads and traffic lights that keep the traffic in order. Be grateful to those who built our bridges. Be grateful for your pet, for your child, for your loved ones, for your eyes that enable you to read this. Be grateful for your imagination. Be grateful that you can think! Be grateful that you can speak. Be grateful that you can laugh and smile. Be grateful that you can breathe! Be grateful that you are alive! Be grateful that you are You! Be grateful that there are two words that can change your life!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

The more that you practice gratitude the more deeply you will feel it in your heart, and the depth of the feeling is the key. The more deeply and sincerely you feel it, the more you will bring absolute bliss and happiness on every single subject. Watch what happens in your life when you practice gratitude every single day and in every single moment and in every opportunity that you can. Remember, if you are criticizing, you are not being grateful. If you are blaming, you are not being grateful. If you are complaining, you are not being grateful. If you are feeling tension, you are not being grateful. If you are rushing, you are not being grateful. If you are in a bad mood, you are not being grateful.

To understand the power and the magic of gratitude, you have to experience it for yourself. So why not begin by deciding to find 100 things a day to be grateful for? As you practice gratitude every day, it won’t take long before gratitude is your natural state of being, and when it happens you will have unlocked one of the greatest Secrets to Life.

There is just one other thing that I want you to know about Gratitude…..

When you are giving thanks, you FEEL GOOD!