**Hello from Melbourne, Australia! While I am exploring the wonders from down under, I’ve asked a few incredible bloggers to guest post for the next two weeks. Holly, the happiest blogger I know, will be kicking off the amazing line up today!**

Well hello there Chasing Raspberries friends!!! I’m Holly and I blog over at Eat Great BE Great. My blog centers around my passions for all things that are health and fitness related. I write about fitness and healthy living tips, original recipes, my favorite food products, recipe reviews, a glimpse at my everyday life and much more, so I hope you get the chance to stop by!

I was so excited when Jillienne asked me to do a guest post for her while she’s away on vacation. I’ve been a fan of her blog since the start! I love her recipes and pretty much everything else, but most of all I love reading about her fitness journey (and her current marathon training). I have always admired her drive to be an amazing athlete. She seriously has the fitness spirit!

A few weeks ago, I posted a Motivation Monday post where I shared some of my favorite motivational/inspirational quotes from around the blog world. This quote in particular really struck a chord with me, and I thought today would be a perfect opportunity to write about it.

Over the past month or so, I’ve known quite a few people who lost loved ones from either disease, old age or untimely and tragic deaths. And then around the same time, I came across that quote. I don’t want to be morbid and depressing, but it really got me thinking about how precious life really is. We get up in the morning, we get ready, we go to work, we come home, we workout, we eat meals during the day, we go to sleep, then we wake up and start our day all over again. This routine becomes ingrained in our very nature, that sometimes we forget to take a step back and just appreciate it all. Life is a beautiful thing, and it’s easy to get caught up in the negative and stressful parts of it. I know that none of use are immune to these kinds of things, but it’s the way we deal with it that makes the difference.

I needed this reminder, so now I’m reminding you. We need to stop and look around, breathe and take a moment to be thankful for the mere fact that we get up in the morning. We’re so used to taking things for granted, but the fact of the matter is, we have ONE life, and it’s important to make the BEST of it.

Be Positive – Be Happy – Enjoy Your Loved Ones – Enjoy the Beauty of Nature – Enjoy the Little Things – Take Risks – Step Out of Your Comfort Zone – Live Life to the Fullest

Thoughts?

How do you take the time to enjoy life?

What are you most thankful for?