I want to start today’s Attitude of Gratitude with a huge thank you to Alyssa Gross. We’ve never met in person, but since we hooked up on line, she has been my coach, cheerleader, best friend and friendly critic.

When I dreamt of having this podcast Alyssa cheered me on, kept me focused, held me accountable and gave me praise for trying and doing.
Thank you Alyssa! Whatever I have done, she has been my sidekick all along the way. Without you I could not have reached this goal.

I want to express a deep felt gratitude to my listeners. Because of your dedication and participation we hit a huge milestone. This week we were listed among the top 200 Itunes in all categories! Without all your reviews and tuning in this podcast would not be anywhere. You have inspired me and helped change the podcast – even in how I record.

I wish to express gratitude to the major influences in my life – those who shaped and influenced me – my parents and Ms. Rachel Dvir.

I am blessed with phenomenal parents. I am one of six children. They believed in us, instilled in us a feeling of worthiness and an appreciation for gratitude. The importance of gratitude was reinforced and modeled by my parents. If we came home with a story about how someone had been helpful or did something nice, it was automatic to be asked, “Did you thank them? How did you express your gratitude?”

At the end of every school year my father would compose a letter – a masterpiece of gratitude to our teachers and principal for what they did to educate his children. Gratitude was so ingrained that we learned to be grateful for the struggles.

My parents never bragged about us publicly, but we were praised one on one. We knew we were loved and cherished and that our parents’ hearts were bursting with pride for their children. They believed in us and encouraged each one to be the best they could be. Believing in us
got us to where we are and we are all very accomplished. I am so proud of my brothers and sisters. None of us are similar; we each went our own way. My parents gave us the fundamentals, to look inside ourselves, love ourselves and provide support for each other.

Every time I do an act of gratitude I think of my parents and how proud they would be of me.

My next stage in life was shaped and founded by Ms. Rachel Dvir. She was a young widow of about 40 and she founded what became the largest software company in Israel. My two older sisters worked for her and when she met me she invited me to come join the company. I had no background in software and could not fathom what I would do there. But Rachel kept on encouraging me. “You won’t regret it. I don’t know what you will do, but I see potential in you.”

From day one she believed in me; she saw the positive and taught me through the negatives what not to do. It was okay to fail as long as I would pick myself up and try again. She was my mentor through life. Different maxims ring in my mind; soft things and harsh things, but wrapped up in love. I am still very close to her and turn to her for advice. I always knew she loved me and cared about me.

Rachel, I want to express my appreciation to you for the education and for the opportunities. You made me a project manager with over 30 people working under my leadership, and I was only 25 years old! You allowed me the opportunity to run a huge part of the company. Thank you, Rachel!

Let us all learn from Rachel to find the good in everybody and find the shining star in each individual. We have the ability to change someone’s life, like Rachel did for me. Remember with gratitude where you come from and who helped you become who you are.

If you liked this please join us on Facebook Hope to Recharge.The Community. If you saw an interesting clip or article I would greatly appreciate your sharing it with us. Thank you all for walking along side me on this journey to break the stigma, to reach out to the suffering and making the world a better place!