For those of you new here, every week, usually on Fridays, I wrap up with a list of people, places and events that I am grateful for. I believe in the power of acknowledgment and recognition because I know how it feels to be on the receiving end.

Consistently maintaining an attitude of gratitude has put me in a state of mind where I continue to attract more of what I’m thankful for - it’s the nature of a benevolent universe to do so.

It’s also about celebrating other people’s successes. I believe that if you’re genuinely happy for the success of others, you are communicating to the universe that you believe that the same kind of success is already on its way to you. Contrast that with someone who’s jealous of other people’s good fortune - what kind of a vibe does that send out? (Hint: It’s self defeating).

Ever since i returned from SOBCon08, yours truly has seen an explosion of opportunities, the likes of which I am exceedingly grateful for this week.

Upcoming Interviews

1. A nationally syndicated columnist from USAToday.com and Gannett News Service contacted me this week asking if I’d be interested in being interviewed about my Wall Street experience and how I made the risky but successful transition into inspirational speaking/life coaching. Her weekly columns are seen by 8 million readers! How could I not be thankful for this extraordinary opportunity to be heard by an even wider audience? More details to follow…..

2. A well known inspirational speaker, author and actor invited me to join a long list of renowned authors and transformational leaders (i.e. Dan Millman, mega-bestselling author of “The Peaceful Warrior”) to hold my first-ever teleseminar at the end of this month where I will be interviewed about my work as an inspirational speaker, writer, blogger, pilot and life coach. Never before have I done a teleconference call because up until now, I didn’t have the means to do it.

All of my telephone calls have been through a relay operator who typed back to me what the other party was saying. I had to rely on the their ability keep up with the conversation; but more often than not, they fell behind, seriously hampering the conversation.

I’m grateful to say that’s no longer the case!

Thanks to new technology, I am now using a webcam, connected to my computer, where I see a live operator right on the screen who uses a combination of sign language and lip movements to interpret the other party’s conversation.

I am now playing an even bigger part in the world of communication and participating in teleconference calls and seminars all over the world, significantly enhancing my storehouse of knowledge. Eventually, I will hold my own teleconference calls/seminars; not to mention offering life coaching services over the phone - imagine that - a deaf guy gabbing on the phone, just like everybody else!

Thank you God!

Fans Turning Into Cheerleaders

Chris Garrett wrote a very interesting post, “How to Turn Visitors Into Raving Fans” where he said, “it helps if you are genuine, approachable and friendly.” I’d like to take that one step further and add that if you are the kind of person who has a way of making other people feel good about themselves, they can’t help but become your biggest fans and cheerleaders.

That’s what happened to me this week - at least three times - check this out:

Michael Werner is a very special friend. He hired me last year to give a motivational talk to his employees down in Florida. Not only did he enjoy my presentation, but he also wrote a raving testimonial letter a piece of which was included on my demo tape (see “Hire Me” above to see that tape). Ever since then, we’ve kept in touch mainly through email, exchanging ideas and tips but in no way in high heck did I expect him to write an honest to goodness open letter to Darren Hardy, the publisher of Success Magazine about me. Check it out here. Michael, I cannot thank you enough for your extraordinary kindness!

Chris Brogan is a rock star in the blogging world. I had the good fortune to meet him at SOBCon08 in Chicago a couple weeks ago. Not only did he give a great presentation (he was down to earth, funny and VERY APPROACHABLE) but we also had quite an enjoyable conversation afterwards to the point where we exchanged business cards and vowed to stay in touch. (Photo Credit: Wendy Piersall)

Stay in touch he did!

About a week later, he announced to the Twitterverse that I was his “new favorite blogger” and gave them a link to the Little White Lies We Tell Ourselves post. As a result of this extraordinarily kind gesture, Adversity University experienced a flood of new traffic, instantly turning that article into one of the most highly viewed posts. It was completely unexpected, which made this even more special. I’m grateful he is a new friend, fan and cheerleader. Thanks Chris!

Lorelle VanFossen is another blogging rock star. In fact, her fans call her the “Queen of Wordpress.” You read about her in one of my gratitude posts a week ago. Remember how she whispered to me, “I love you” when I was on my way out after dinner at Wendy Piersall’s house?

Well, she meant that in a “fan, cheerleader” sort of way. She took this to another level by taking a snipped of a comment I made here about SOBCon08 and posted it to an article she wrote for the influential “Blog Herald” online newspaper, giving me even more exposure.

Thank you Lorelle!

First-Ever Testimonial for New Book

Now that the editing for my first-ever book is now completed, I’ve begun to ask around for testimonials to be included inside the jacket cover and/or on the review page(s). They are starting to come in and I’m excited to announce that Azriela Jaffe, a syndicated columnist and author of twelve books, gave me the following testimonial:

In a world stuffed to the brim with hundreds of thousands of self-help, inspirational books, it is refreshing to enjoy Stephen Hopson’s unique sense of humor, his unbridled optimism, and his insight that comes from not just intellectual knowledge, but really living what he teaches every single day. I wonder if there’s every a day that Stephen Hopson isn’t smiling. If there is, I bet you and I would never see it. Reading his book will add a smile to your day, and if you live by his principles, you’ll probably be smiling more than you were before.      Azriela Jaffe, author and speaker

Opportunities for Those Interviewed at Adversity University

Here’s my opportunity tell you how grateful I am for another person’s success (or I should say potential success - you’ll understand in a second).

You remember Wendy Piersall from sparkplugging? She gave us a heart-stopping interview last month. If you haven’t seen it, please drop everything you’re doing and go see Part I and Part II. You’ll be inspired by her stories - they’re amazing.

As a result of that interview, a major overseas organization contacted me with the request that I put the two of them together for a possible strategic partnership. It was no ordinary request. The head of that organization is a major best-selling author, speaker and consultant with a mailing list of over 200,000! I am not mentioning the person’s name because I am waiting for permission to do so but Wendy said I could mention her name.

Congratulations Wendy!

Food for thought: Have you been maintaining an attitude of gratitude lately? Do you have good news to share with us in the community? Go ahead and tell us in the comment section - give us the opportunity to celebrate YOUR SUCCESSES.

This post (see link below) was written and copyrighted by Stephen J. Hopson at: Adversity University Blog

End of the Week Gratitude Theme #28

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