I am proud of my Jewish heritage. Being Jewish is a gift, not a burden. I treasure that identity. It has been a source of the important values of all: family, charity, wisdom, compassion, social justice, and culture. To be Jewish today is to recognize that every person is created in the image of God and that our purpose in living is to be a reminder of God. And above all, to safeguard and open the gates to the celebration of life as well as the suffering of tears of distress that are our legacy as Jews. I am especially excited, later this year, when my son will be called for the Torah for his Bar Mitzvah. But I have to tell you something truly amazing that happened to me when I discovered my life passion in the form of gratitude.
Like many in today’s economy, I was having a hard time making ends meet and trying to find things to be grateful for. I had lost my home, job, and my bills were starting to pile up. Growing up in Beverly Hills, I just considered this a riches to rags story. As I was starting to believe that this was the best I could do and I was destined to live a life of mediocrity. So, I will just give myself another “pity party” and just accept that this is as good as it gets. That way I can justify my feelings of being a loser and be right. Insanity!, doing the same things over and over again, and expecting different results, that’s what I was doing.
Not being a deeply religious man, I reached out to God, and asked for guidance. “Lord, please help me during my time of need. I know I was put on this earth for a reason. But I’m just lost now! Help me find the way, give me a sign, anything, I beg of you. Thank you, amen”, I said. Several days later while working during my five-month employment at a toll booth, something amazing happened. Not being an avid reader, I brought a book to read to occupy my time, as I grew tired of the doom and gloom that I read in the newspaper. It was called “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace Wattles. Small by nature, but big on it’s message, I was totally mesmerized as I sucked up the information, like a sponge. What I found especially interesting was the chapter on gratitude, the biggest chapter in the book. This got me to thinking, “Gratitude, yes I like that, I can do something with that”, I said.
I began reading more self help books such as: “Integrity is Everything” by John Lavenia, “Three Laws of Performance” by Steve Zaffron, “Thank You Power” by Deborah Norville and my favorite, “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. Then I did something I had not done before. I began to open up my mind and allow all the possibilities, that could be, to enter my life by starting to live a life of gratitude. For I discovered that being grateful, you will attract more of what you truly want to come into you life.
I first developed the “Gratitude Ball,” 
a gift I give as a baseball-size reminder to be grateful and encourage others. I then formed the “Grat Pack,” which I define as “a group of people who openly express their gratitude by thanking others in words, and even moreso by our acts.” They are everyday people, from all walks of life, who have made a conscious choice to see the world through grateful eyes. And by doing so, provide encouragement and inspiration for others to do the same. This experience whet my appetite for a new journey and lead me to create “The Gratitude Tours.” Visit: http://www.gratitudetour.com
The main purpose of the Gratitude Tours is to have grateful people be joined in gratitude with other like-minded people.The most immediate benefit, of course, is that grateful people are happy people. When we look upon our world with gratitude in our hearts, we tend to see only what is good about our surroundings, our relationships, our situation. We tend to focus on the positive aspects of our world, and to filter out the negative. These tours will allow for an empowering experience to be felt by discovering the journey that leads to one’s true happiness in life. I began to feel strongly that the tours represent the perfect world that we all could be living in. As we send out a powerful wave of gratitude strong enough to be felt around the world, amazing changes start to occur in your life.
So, today I am grateful for my Jewish upbringing. It has been a source of the most important values of all: family, charity, wisdom, and compassion. I am especially grateful for the love I have for my family and friends, for health and happiness, for the jobs that I am fortunate to have, for the creativeness that consistently comes into my mind and to God for allowing me to find my road to true happiness.
I also want to say to everyone that despite anything that has taken place in your life so far, you have the ability within your heart to turn any circumstance around. Because the only way to bring better things into your life right now is by being grateful for what you already have. People are growing tired of the gloom and doom scenario and are longing to connect in a more meaningful way. The missing ingredient for many people has been gratitude, because we always tend to be reaching for something that we don’t yet possess. This creates a feeling of being deprived and a negative mood. We won’t get to possess what we want, until we feel massively grateful for what we already have.
Without a doubt, I feel I am following the right path in my life. And every day is truly amazing, as I continue to meet amazing people that totally resonate with what I’m doing. Imagine if everybody in the world made it their mission to bring peace to someone’s life.
My ultimate goal is to create a world of peace, love, and gratitude because together we create a powerful positive feeling that would vibrate at a high level around the world! New opportunities would be created and this would change the way we lead our lives today. I welcome any thoughts or ideas anyone may have to make this happen. Please email me at: mygratitudelife@gmail.com
