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Ralph: Do you sometimes get so caught up in the busy-ness of life that you forget to stop and be thankful?

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What if cultivating an attitude of gratitude could transform your outlook and impact your finances.

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That's what we're gonna talk about on today's show.

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Welcome to the Ask Ralph Podcast, where listening to an experienced financial professional with over 30 years of experience can help you make sense of confusing questions, current headlines, and industry trends about taxes, small business, financial decision making, investment strategies, and even the art of proper budgeting.

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Ask Ralph makes the complex simple by sharing his real world knowledge from a Christian perspective with all things financial.

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Now here's your host, Ralph Estep, Jr.

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Ralph: Welcome to our spiritual Sunday show.

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I am so glad that you chose to join us.

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I just want to thank you for listening and supporting the program.

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Our listeners are truly a blessing to me.

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I'm coming to you from the Estep Farm and Saggio Accounting today on this beautiful Sunday.

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Let me put on my podcaster hat put down the overalls and pushed that, adding machine to the side.

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And let's get into some financial wisdom from a Christian perspective.

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Today, we're talking about living in gratitude.

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It's a big word, but it means the most to each of us.

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It's so easy in our fast paced culture to constantly strive for more.

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Focusing on what we don't have rather than all that we've already been given.

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Financial hardship or strain can also breed Discontentment it can breed anxiety.

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And it fosters a sense of discouragement.

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But living from a place of gratitude shifts, everything.

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It realigns our perspective to see God's abundant blessings already surrounding us.

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Developing a grateful mindset reminds us that everything we have comes from God.

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And gratitude overflows in generosity.

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Empowering us to freely bless others.

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Now, before we get started, don't forget to subscribe to the show and join our email list.

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You do that at askralphpodcast.com . So you don't miss tomorrow show tomorrow.

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We'll be talking about social security benefits for ex spouses.

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We've got a question from a listener.

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We're going to cover that on tomorrow show.

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Well, let's ground our discussion today in the book of Colossians chapter two, verse seven, and it says this.

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Let your roots grow down into him.

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And let your lives be built on him.

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Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught.

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And you will overflow with thankfulness.

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We all need to be overflowing with thankfulness.

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So today let's explore some practical ways that you can cultivate daily gratitude.

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And allow it to transform your outlook as well as your financial life.

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There's so many compelling reasons to nurture a grateful mindset.

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First of all gratitude draws us closer to God.

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When we pause to intentionally acknowledge the blessings in our life.

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From finances to health, to relationships.

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Our awareness of God's provision grows.

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We recognize that he is the giver of every gift.

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Gratitude helps anchor our identity in him.

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Secondly gratitude, combats, negative emotions.

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Choosing gratitude in place of envy in place, a frustration.

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In place of greed or resentment, powerfully transform our emotional state.

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Studies show that grateful people experience increased joy.

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They experienced more enthusiasm, more love, more happiness.

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And most of our more optimism.

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Thirdly gratitude, boosts physical and emotional health.

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By replacing toxic emotions like bitterness and anxiety with gratefulness.

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Our stress levels decrease.

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And happiness hormones, abound and increase.

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This better health , directly impacts finances through lowered healthcare costs, lower stress also empowers clearer money management.

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Fourthly gratitude, facilitates contentment.

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When we stop constantly striving for more and status.

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We can finally enjoy what we already have.

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Gratitude fueled contentment liberates us from the financial strains of keeping up with culture's definition of success.

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It's so easy to get trapped in that.

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Financial strain of keeping up with the Joneses or keeping up with the culture of today.

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We need less when we gratefully appreciate more.

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And finally gratitude empowers generosity.

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Recognizing that all we have comes from God grows our motivation to freely bless others.

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And we gratefully share our finances.

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Our talents our time.

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We tangibly walk out Jesus's command to love our neighbor.

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Now that we've explored some key reasons to nurture a grateful mindset.

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Here are some simple ways to incorporate gratitude in your daily life.

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You know, I always want to give you something that you can use for action.

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Because without action, you'll never grow.

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Start your day with a morning.

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Gratitude, prayer.

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I start each morning by thanking God for the gift of a new day.

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And bringing my needs and blessings before him.

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This truly kick-starts my day from a place of humble dependence instead of my own limited strength.

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Listen, folks.

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When you finally let go and realize that you don't have the strength on your own.

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Ask God for that every morning.

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You may consider a gratitude journaling, many financial experts recommend recording two or three things that you're grateful for every day.

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This documentation reminds you of blessings.

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You may have otherwise overlooked.

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And listen folks, the added bonus is you can go back and read your past, journal entries when you need perspective.

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Or you need encouragement those days when you're feeling down.

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Go back and look at your gratitude journal and realize how much you truly have.

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I certainly encourage mealtime.

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Thanks.

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Take the time to pause before each meal to offer a quick prayer of gratitude, whether you're home alone.

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with family at a restaurant or a work luncheon.

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Give, thanks for the gift of food and provision in front of you.

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It's right there.

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God has provided it for you.

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End your day with bedtime reflection.

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As you power down those screens around you and rest your body at night.

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Reflect on the small joys and kindness from your day.

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Recall a loved one's.

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Smile.

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The warmth of the sun.

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The feeling of productivity from work accomplished.

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Fall asleep, meditating on the goodness that filled your day.

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Start your day in prayer end your day in prayer and just live in the realization that God has provided all of this.

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How about creating a gratitude jar or a gratitude box?

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Decorate a container to collect reminders of blessings and joys throughout the previous weeks and months.

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Write them on little slips of paper and enjoy reminiscing.

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by occasionally reading notes from past seasons.

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Listen, we all go through seasons.

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We're all going to have those peaks and valleys in our lives.

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This documents.

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God's steadfast goodness, over time.

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And he is so good to us every day.

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He's good to us.

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Another thing you can do is embrace the outdoors with nature walks.

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Deliberately observing beauty and wonder in the natural world.

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God created shifts our focus away from life stresses.

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Back to all.

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There are many days when I'm feeling overwhelmed here in my practice that I just go out there and stand by the pasture and watch the cows for a little while.

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And it really helps humble me.

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It puts me back in a good place where I can just look at God's wonder.

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Try weekly nature walks to nourish gratitude.

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It's another thing you can do get out in nature, get away from those devices and the TV and the internet and all those things.

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I also want to offer a special invitation to our entrepreneurial listeners.

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Take time this week to thank God for the unique gifts and talents he placed within you and make sure you're stewarding them.

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Whether you're in a season of building a business or ministry.

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A dream or simply developing your skills, Recognize that every positive human interaction through your work is an opportunity to greatly reflect.

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The heart of Jesus.

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Now, before we wrap up I want to remind all of our listeners to visit our podcast page, you do that at askralphpodcast.com . There you can leave a review.

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Share your thoughts, or even sending us a message with questions for future episodes While you're there.

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Make sure you join our email list.

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So we can send you are a daily email with what's going on with this show.

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And if you have a specific financial need.

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You can schedule a consultation with me right there from the website.

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And here's one of the things I want you to do.

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If you know, someone who would benefit from hearing an uplifting message encourage them to subscribe to our show either through our website or also on YouTube and rumble.

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As you know, we're doing a video podcast every day as well.

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So let's close today in prayer.

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Lord, we pause now to recognize that every single blessing has flowed freely from your kind hand.

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Our financial provision.

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Our treasured relationships.

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Our health.

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Our talents we develop.

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Our meaningful work.

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The beauty across this earth and so much more.

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Forgive us God, for the countless times, we've accepted these gifts with entitlement with ingratitude and with distrust.

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Reshape our hearts to default to gratitude in each moment.

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Awaken us to small daily wonders that point to your love and generosity.

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Inspire generosity through us in response, may our grateful praise echo your goodness to everyone around us.

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We choose joyful thankfulness today.

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In Jesus's powerful name.

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Amen.

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In closing, I pray this discussion inspires you to take small, but powerful steps toward nurturing daily gratitude.

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May thankfulness spring up, abundantly in our hearts, in our families, in our businesses, in our churches, in communities.

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As we learn to receive and then freely give the blessings of God.

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Again, visit askralphpodcast.com  to continue this conversation.

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And share it with others who may need encouragement on their journey towards financial freedom.

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As I always say, stay financially savvy and may the almighty Lord bless you on this sunday.

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outro: Thank you for joining us on the AskRalph podcast.

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And with a simple click to subscribe, we'll invite you back to our next episode.

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And remember, financial issues don't have to be complicated.

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Just AskRalph.

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The information contained in this episode of AskRalph is based on data available as of the date of its release.

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Saggio Accounting Plus and AskRalph Media Inc.

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is under no obligation to update this content if changes occur.

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Applying this information to your specific situation requires careful consideration of all facts and circumstances, and any information provided is not to be considered as financial, tax, or legal advice.

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Please consult your tax advisor or attorney before acting on any material covered.