Hello my dear friends. It has now been about seven weeks
since I wrote last. As I stated on January 10th, I’ve been using
this time for a deeper reflection into my goals and plan of action to make 2018
THE best year yet. I have gone back and reviewed my own thinking over the past
two years with many ah ha moments, many celebrations, and also many areas to
continue working on with more focus.
Thanks to Byron Schrag, a mentor of ours in our business,
challenged many of us to establish a new and consistent routine that
included: (1) beginning the day with a list of gratitudes, (2) write out on 3X5
cards affirmations, (3) read something from the Bible, and (4) read for 30
minutes in a personal development book. In addition, I added reading the daily
entry from a book called The Power of Being Thankful by Joyce Meyer and
writing down my thoughts in a notebook when there was something I needed to get
down on paper. That was not a daily activity only when I felt a need to write and
reflect.
To hold myself accountable, I made up a chart listing each
action and then the date. This started on January 8th and I’m still
going. I found that I have gone every day since the beginning with each of the
actions listed above except for reading the 30 minutes each day. I missed two
days without reading and there were 3 days of reading only 15 minutes. As with
most things, habits come around the 21-day mark, and I must admit that I now look
forward to this quiet time each day. It’s usually the time after working out,
eating breakfast, and getting ready for the day. Sometimes it’s later because
of a morning commitment. What’s interesting is that I find myself making sure
that these all get done each day even if it means staying up a little later.
During this time, there have been far more days with positive
thoughts and actions and much fewer days of questioning my purpose. I think
that’s because my mindset is stronger and with Byron’s encouragement and
support. I have been able to keep my emotions more level with fewer roller
coaster times. My mindset has become stronger, I think, because of the daily
activities I have set up on a consistent basis.
There are a couple entries in the Power of Being
Thankful book which I read every day beside the daily entry. Here are a few
I want to share; you can decide if they have any meaning for you:
January 14th “If we are impatient, the
situations we encounter in life will certainly cause us to react emotionally…Getting
upset will not make this go any faster, so I might as well enjoy the wait.”
January 21st “It is very important to focus on
the right things…Whatever we focus on becomes magnified in our minds…Instead of
meditating on our problems, we would be wise to meditate on God’s word.”
January 23rd “Everyone needs a blessing. We all
need to be encouraged, edified, complimented, and appreciated. And you have the
ability to bless others. Be thankful that God not only blesses you, but that He
has made YOU a blessing. We all get weary at times and need other people to let
us know that we are valuable and appreciated…Remember, everyone needs a
blessing—even the successful people who appear to have everything. When you
live to meet needs and encourage those around you, you will find ‘joy
unspeakable’ in the process.”
Feb. 9th “We all fight battles and face the
temptation to stop fighting and just give up, but commitment is the thing that enables
us to resist that temptation…When you fiercely commit to God’s purpose for your
life, you will begin to experience all that He has for you.”
There are several others, however, you can get a flavor
for what this daily reading has done to contribute to a more consistent and
positive mindset.
With our country and even our world in such a challenging
time, this short respite has given me a chance to reassess where I want to put
my time, energy, and focus. I think one of my main purposes on this earth is to
learn, grow, and expand myself in order for me to make a difference in other
people’s lives. Each day I ask myself, “What can I do to add value to someone today?”
and “What can I do to make myself more valuable today?” At the end of the day before
going to bed, I have a time of gratitude for things that day, and I answer
those two questions.
I plan to continue to write my blogs once again at least
twice a month. If you are still wanting to be a part of this email list, you will
not need to do anything. If you are not wanting to receive them, there is an
unsubscribe link.
My focus with each blog is to: (1) share personal stories
and reflections which you will hopefully find at least one or two nuggets to
apply to your own life, (2) have a positive mindset of encouragement, and (3)
at times challenge you.
Book
Suggestion: The Image by Chris Widener
Quote: “Capacity
is a state of mind. How much we can do depends on how much we think we
can do. When you really believe you can do more, your mind thinks creatively
and shows you the way.”
I wish you time for your own reflection.
