Thankful Thursday (September 17, 2020)

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TRANSCRIPT
(This episode was partially transcribed by computer and may contain small errors. If quoting this podcast, please refer to the original audio.)

Each week a new theme. Each day 10 minutes to focus our mindset on what matters. I'm Sarah Parker, Wolf, and you're listening to the FOCUSED INTENTION PODCAST. Thanks for joining me. 
 
The theme this week is GOOD INTENTIONS and today is Thankful Thursday where we focus on gratitude. 
 
Hi everyone and thanks for joining me for another episode of the FOCUSED INTENTION PODCAST. I'm so glad you're here with me today. And I hope that you'll join me each and every day of this daily podcast. Today, we're focusing on gratitude as we do every Thursday. So let's get started. 
 
Oh boy, have I got a challenge for us today. So here's my question. So what kind of advice have you received? Good, I'm sure some bad advice, yes, but how about the advice you received unsolicited? Yeah, my husband and I quite often get some tidbits, some gems about parenting, especially regarding one of our children who has special needs. And the vast majority of this advice is completely unsolicited, meaning it wasn't even part of the conversation. Just something someone thought we should know. And even more often it comes from someone who doesn't even have children, let alone one with special needs. 
 
And often this just annoys the heck out of me and my initial thoughts go something like well. Who does so and so think they are? Like they know what we go through...like they know anything about anything. Well maybe I should just lay out some advice for them about, you know, fill in whatever their issue is here. And I suppose it's natural to be taken aback by advice, when you didn't ask for it in the first place. But like all things this week, let's take that feeling of annoyance and turn it right on its head. 
 
Today I want us to start thinking about re-framing those thoughts. I want us to be grateful for these people who give us opinions we didn't ask for. What? Let me say that again. I want us to be grateful for those people who give us opinions we didn't ask for. Yeah, why? If we look through a lens of GOOD INTENTIONS, these friends, family members, or even strangers probably thought they were helping. 
 
And here's the facts. We don't have to take that advice...ever. So knowing that, let's turn in otherwise completely awkward or annoying moment into one of thanks and gratitude. Let's just be thankful for those who are not indifferent to us. It's a challenge I told you. 
 
So today's intention is simply: I am grateful for those who care enough to offer advice. 

I am grateful for those who care enough to offer advice.  

Hey, the upside is maybe some of it is actually good advice. And the bonus is it's up to you to discern that, but right now we're just going to soak in all these good vibes of gratitude. 
 
Let's take a deep breath in. Hold it up at the top. And Exhale. One more time. Clearing our thoughts of negativity. And Exhale. Let's say to ourselves... 
 
I am grateful for those who care enough to offer advice. (repeated over relaxing music) 

Thanks for sharing your time with me today and if you are enjoying the FOCUSED INTENTION PODCAST, please be sure to join us daily. You can make sure you know of every new episode when you subscribe or follow. If you have a minute rate or review us or please just tell a friend. We would love to have some more listeners. And if you are interested in reading transcripts of past episodes or listening to past episodes, you can find them all at Sarahparkerwolf.com and you can also sign up for my weekly email there and I will send you -- every single Monday morning -- a lovely printable of the week's intentions that you can refer back to whenever you need to refocus. And of course, you can find us on Facebook, if you look up FOCUSED INTENTION PODCAST 

Alright everyone, it's time to go out and live with intention, be super grateful, love like crazy, and have a great day. 
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