Category: empowerment

Stop the Negativity!

There are times when I get down on myself and I get in my own way of trying to accomplish what I need to accomplish.

How do I get in my own way? With negativity!

Take this past week, for example.  I have been an eating machine!  After losing 85 pounds recently, it seems like I’m trying to negate all of that by just how much I’ve been eating.

Truth be told, I should have lost more than that 85 pounds by now, but I’ve slacked off a bit with my exercising, and I’ve increased my eating.  That’s not a good combination.

So, I started beating up on myself.  I focused on everything I was doing wrong, instead of the things I was doing right.  Last week, I increased my workouts, partly because I knew I was over eating. I took the first step to turn the tide.exercise

Did I give myself credit for taking that step, and increasing my workouts?  No… I only focused on what I was doing wrong.

Finally, with a little bit of prayer, with the weight of  all the negativity bearing down on me, I woke up determined that “today is a new day.”  I can’t go back and change what I did yesterday… or not eat all the food I ate yesterday.  So, it was time to focus on what I could do right today!

So, being that it was trash day, I went into my pantry and my refrigerator and threw out the unhealthy snacks I had started buying again.  It was time to start fresh.

I had a good week with exercising, so I was going to give myself credit for that, and then have a good, better day with food.

It was time to get out of my own way.  And when I took those unhealthy snacks to the trash — I realized how empowered I felt.  Instead of surrounding myself with all of the negativity and beating up on myself for what I had done in the past, I took charge of today!  It was up to me to change what I was going to do… only for that day.

So, the lessons learned:

1. Every day is a new day.  A new opportunity to make better choices.

2. Stop the negativity and give yourself credit for the positive.  Get out of your own way.

3. If you screw up, learn the lesson and move on.  Tomorrow will be a new day and a new opportunity.

4. Pray! Every day!

It’s time to stop the negativity and take one small step toward the positive.

What about you?  What ways do you have to stay positive?  I’d love to hear how you stay motivated.

Live an Adventurous Life

This past Sunday, our pastor concluded his sermon series entitled “Empowered.”  We’ve been reading from the book of Acts about the early church.

In Sunday’s message, he talked about living an adventurous life… a brave life…. a life for Christ. 

He noted that in today’s world, when we travel, we’ll pray for safety.  But do we ever pray to have an adventure? Do we pray to have God use us in a courageous way to touch others, no matter what we’re doing? 

I love this idea of living an adventurous life, not just a safe life.

I’ve seen a saying on the internet recently that says:

“Life isn’t meant to be easy, it’s meant to be LIVED.
Sometimes happy, other times rough…
But with every up and down, you learn lessons
that make you STRONG.”

As long as I’m strong in the Lord and doing what he wants me to do… then how can we go wrong?

My husband and I have always had a philosophy about our marriage: it may not always be easy, but it’s worth it.

So, next time you’re praying, don’t pray to be safe — pray for an adventure!  It will be worth it.