Motivational Monday – Positive Attitude Month – 5 Tips for a Positive Attitude

 

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You get what you expect. Expect greatness. Expect your dreams to come true. Expect a breakthrough. The month of October is observed as Positive Attitude Month, find something positive about every day, and it will develop into a habit.

Author Frank Sonnenberg says, “If you believe today’s going to be awesome, you’re going to be happier and more productive than if you fear problems lurking around every corner.” This does not mean that you have to be an over the top, happy-go-lucky person if that is not your personality. What is does mean is to view your potentially stressful situations differently.

I’m sure you can think of a ton of situations that could cause stress. How about parenting, growing old(er), and weight gain, to name a few. The way I view these things is with humor. Here are the opening lines to one of my comedy sets:

I’ve been engaging in extreme sports for 25 years…they’re called parenting and weight gain. Some people gained weight during COVID. I gained before, during, and after. I like to see things through to completion. COVID’s not over yet.

 

At the end of the day, I’m sill 10 pounds overweight (from where I was pre-COVID), and my sons periodically test my patience, but I use humor to get through the stress. You can too, armed with a positive attitude.

Here are 5 Tips that will help you to have a positive attitude:

1.      Start the day in a way that makes you feel relaxed – Whether you have five minutes or 15 minutes, use the time you have, to set the tone for your day. This can be accomplished through meditation, reading a devotional, or something else of your choosing.

2.      Express gratitude – rather than focus on things that drive you crazy or that you have no control over, find three things to be grateful for. It can be little things. I bet something just popped in your head, say it now out loud – I am grateful for…

3.      Hang out with positive people – this one is self-explanatory. If you don’t think you can find anyone positive to hang out with, at the very least run from negative energy. If someone is being negative and bringing you down, find a way to escape the conversation, flea the area.

4.      Exercise – the experts say that exercise is a natural feel-good drug because of the positive chemicals it releases into the bloodstream.

5.      Recharge  - doing the same routine day in and day out can become mundane, and your motivation and positivity begin to wane. Recharge by taking a vacation, staycation, or some fun activity that takes you away from your routine.

I challenge you for the next 30 days, to practice having a positive attitude. I know this will take you past the month of October, but do it anyway, and check in to let me and other readers know your results.

Remember, you get what you expect. Expect greatness.

Wellness Wednesday – National Walking Day – 5 Ways to Celebrate

 

National Walking Day

It’s National Walking Day, celebrated on April 7^th. Lace up your shoes, put one foot in front of the other, and get your body moving. On National Walking Day improve your circulation and mood as you raise awareness about the importance of physical activity.

How will you celebrate National Walking Day? Here are 5 Ways to celebrate:

1.      Take a walk with a friend.

2.      Do a racewalk.

3.      Walk as a family after dinner.

4.      Walk at lunchtime.

5.      Park further away – when shopping park away from the store entrance, and make your steps count.

Will you walk for the health of it? What are other ways to celebrate National Walking Day?

 

Fun Friday – How do you follow your passion?

 

What is your passion and where does it take you? People around me know that I don’t leave home without a notebook and an ink pen. If you’re a passenger in my car, you may be asked to jot down a thought for me…can’t let those nuggets of inspiration disappear. Writing is my passion, it follows me.

Over a decade ago, I attended a birthday party for a friend’s aunt, at the aunt’s home. As my sons and I pulled into the circular drive, I thought wow, this is nice. As I stepped into the foyer and walked through to the living room, I was captivated. There was a large open living room, with a Florida room attached.

I looked up, and in the corner of the room was a narrow winding staircase that led to a small loft area. Like a kid in a candy store, I said, “Oooh, can I go up there?” Once I was at the top of the staircase, I was drawn to a corner of the room that held a four-shelf bookcase and a desk with a tall floor lamp beside it.

I yelled down to the party host, “You don’t have to entertain me, I’ll stay up here and write.”

Afraid that I wouldn’t be invited back, I rejoined the celebration instead of giving in to the urge to be anti-social by spending time with my muse.

As we got in our car to leave, my son whispered to me, “Ma, are they rich?”

“I don’t know, but I really liked their library area.”

My passion for writing and writing spaces, seems to follow me wherever I go. A few years ago, when I first visited the college campus that my son attends, I walked around in awe. One particular building caught my attention. It was a huge, historic brick building, surrounded by willow trees, and a couple of park benches along the walkway.

Walking with my son, I said, “ooooh…”

Before I could complete my sentence he said, “Don’t tell me…this would make a good writing spot.”

“Yes.”

“Ma, please don’t randomly show up on campus. This is why I wanted to go to school out of state.”

I did not randomly show up at my son school, but I do follow my passion by taking advantage of stolen moments to spend time writing.

I encourage you too, to take advantage of stolen moments to pursue your passion. Your passion may include exploring areas that spark your interest. The timing doesn’t have to be perfect, you don’t have to make huge sacrifices, but do something for you.

How will you follow your passion?

Motivational Monday – A Lighthouse of Encouragement

 

Photo Credit: Independent Institute

A tower with a powerful light that gives a continuous or intermittent signal to navigators – that is the definition of a lighthouse. There was no lighthouse in sight on the steamy August night with the sky blanketed in darkness. No streetlights, no porch lights, only people walking with the flashlight from their phones to guide them. There was a blackout.

The week was going well in the gated community where no cars were allowed. It was my first time at the week-long writer’s workshop ten years ago. I met people that I now call friends. Our living quarters were historic homes that reminded me of a bed and breakfast. Some houses had wraparound porches, a picket fence, and a quaint living room.

It was past dinnertime when I settled in to read over my workshop notes. The bedside lamp silently went dark. I peeked out of my third-floor window; everything was pitch black. I stepped into the narrow hallway as the two other occupants of my floor did the same. We chatted a moment.

“There’s a power outage. I received a text saying there is electricity at a couple of buildings near the front of the community,” One woman shared.”

“Thanks, I may head that way.”

I grabbed my phone and a pillow and began my half mile journey toward the front of the quaint village. I’d never been in a blackout before; I took tentative, slow steps because I couldn’t see anything that was more than two feet in front of me. A lighthouse was needed to guide me in the right directions.

After walking a few blocks, I hear a voice near me, “It’s really dark out here, are you headed to the annex building?”

“Yes, let’s walk together.”

That was the day I met Mary Louise. We chatted about how much we were learning at the workshop. We learned about things we have in common, such as being directionally challenged.

“Do you think we can find our way out of the darkness and into the light?” We laughed, took baby steps, and followed others walking toward the well-lit, airconditioned building. We found encouragement in each other’s company. Throughout the rest of the workshop, we were like a child with a new best friend.

“Let’s sit together during lunch tomorrow,” Mary Louise said.

We shared mealtimes, met up after class sessions, and learned our way around the community (by the end of the week). I knew I had to pass the big yellow house with the lace curtains in the window, to get to my living quarters.

Mary Louise and I encouraged each other during the week, and we’ve kept in contact over the past ten years. She is now a published author. Her children’s book is TheWind Called My Name, by Mary Louise Sanchez.

Be a lighthouse of encouragement to someone. Let your powerful light shine wherever you go. You may be the inspiration someone needs at that moment.

Words of Wisdom - Never Give Up

 

Video Credit: Goalcast - Andy Henriquez

Motivational Monday – National Parks and Recreation Month – 5 Ways to get active

Photo Credit: National Recreation and Park Association

National Park and Recreation Month is celebrated each year in July. This month emphasizes the importance of community parks and recreational areas and they role they play in promoting health and physical activity. Although we’re nearing the end of the month, there’s no time like the present to get moving and become active.

Here are 5 ways for you to become active

1.      Take a walk through your local park

2.      Canoe or kayak along the river – some parks have an area for you launch your canoe or kayak.

3.      Swing on a swing set  - bring out the kid in you.

4.      Go on a bike ride

5.      Participate in a virtual 5k – for those who want to kick their fitness routine up a notch there are many 5k races offered virtually. You can select one that has a charitable cause you would like to support.

Post your Get Active activities on social media to encourage someone else. What would you add to 

the list above to encourage physical activity?

Motivational Monday – Do Not Give Up – 3 Scriptures to Encourage Your Success

Photo Credit: HR News

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,

When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,

When funds are low and debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don’t quit.

Author Unknown

Circumstances in life can make it easy for us to become discouraged. It’s easy to give up, but it takes courage and determination to stick with something when you feel challenged. Above is one stanza from the popular poem Don’t Quit. I like the line that says, “rest if you must, but don’t quit.”

When you feel overwhelmed, stressed, or just plain tired…pause…rest, and find something that encourages you. It can be difficult to focus on success with work, school, or anything else, when situations are less than ideal. Below are three scriptures that encourage success.

·         “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” – Proverbs 16:3 ESV

·         “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4 ESV

·         “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13 ESV

Each day build time into your schedule to pause, rest, meditate. Think about the direction you want your life to take, pray about it. Believe it and you will achieve it.

Do not give up. Don’t Quit.

Motivational Monday – Don’t let your inspiration be quarantined

“Allow nature’s peace to flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.” John Muir

“…My inspiration has been quarantined in some faraway place called COVID19 (Ann Whitfield Paul-author). Ann expressed the feeling many people (that I’ve talked to) are experiencing as they are confined at home-feeling stuck. Don’t be discouraged. Be encouraged.

Find something each day that brings a smile to your face and spreads joy in your heart. Take a walk and observe things in nature that you may not have paid attention to in the past. In a short walk through my neighborhood, I heard frogs croaking in a nearby pond, and saw birds perched in yards.

Be inspired. What can you do to be creative at home and stimulate inspiration? Look through your junk drawer (assuming you have one), your box of scrap materials and crafts, old clothes; turn these things into projects. I pulled a crochet needle and yarn from a bin that has been packed away for years.

I began making loop, after loop, with my yarn and hoop. I work on it in the morning after breakfast and before stay-at-home work, then again in the evening. There is no finished product in mind, I have no pattern, it’s just loop, after loop, circle around and repeat. It doesn’t matter what the final project will look like, the process is relaxing.

If you feel as though worry is engulfing you and stifling your inspiration, let it go and cast your cares on God. He cares for us. It has been said that worry is interest paid on trouble that never happens. Joyce Meyer said, “worry sees the problem, but doesn’t see God. Faith sees the God who can handle the problem.”

Don’t let your inspiration be quarantined. Don’t be infected by fear or let fear control you. You can still have peace. I heard a preacher say, “Peace comes from God, not the CDC (Center for Disease Control). In this time of uncertainty in our communities, the world, and our families, God will give you the strength to push through.

The joy of the Lord is your strength. What will you do to keep your inspiration from being quarantined?

Motivational Monday – All Shook Up-A community in turmoil

“I don’t want to take classes online,” my son was dejected. He returned home for spring break, experienced fun times with his brother and friends, then the world was in turmoil. Schools closed, libraries closed. No hugging, no handshaking, and social distancing is strongly suggested. The Coronavirus has everyone all shook up.

Grocery store shelves are empty, healthy people are walking around in masks…fear is everywhere. In the midst of this abundance of anxiety, we still need faith. We can take precautions, exercise preventative measures and still remain faithful. This is the time to level up our faith.

Our U.S. currency says, In God We Trust. Let’s put our trust in Him as we come together as a community to help each other through this crisis. Is there a friend or neighbor who is not able to get to the store? Purchase an extra item for them while you’re out shopping or share something you have.

Here’s a quote I came across that is worth sharing:

“Helping one person might not change the whole world, but it could change the world for one person.”   - Author Unknown

While everyone around you is becoming all shook up, remain steadfast, prayerful, and helpful to someone in need. What you give comes back to you, but it may not be in the form of money. We can’t control a crisis, but we can control our response to it.

Be encouraged and know that this too shall pass.

Motivational Monday – Spiritual Wellness Month

Affirmations, meditation, prayer. These are all a part of your spiritual wellness. The month of March is celebrated as Spiritual Awareness Month. Beginning this month, focus on being in a state of harmony with yourself and others.

What do you do to take care of your spiritual wellness? Perhaps you fellowship with others at church, participate in retreats, or read devotionals. Be deliberate this month about focusing on your wellness.

Each year the woman’s ministry from my church hosts a Woman’s Retreat. The retreat is like a spa day for our mind, body, and spirit. We laugh, we praise, some even cry; it’s a cleansing from the inside out. We leave rejuvenated.

It’s time for a spiritual wellness check-up. An article from Work Smart Live Smart, poses the following questions as a way of evaluating your spiritual wellness.

·         Do I make time for relaxation in my day?

·         Is there time for meditation and/or prayer?

·         Do my values guide my decisions and actions?

Affirmations, meditation, prayer. No matter how you choose to focus on your spiritual wellness, just do it.

Motivational Monday – The Hall of Faith

Photo Credit: Daily Theology

Have you ever felt broken? As soon as you made it through one challenge, there was another one waiting. Car trouble, health, finances, parenting struggles, the list can be extensive and overwhelming. Like a broken clay pot, God is our potter and will put us back together again.

If you have ever felt like life had you walking down a dark corridor alone, now is the time to take a walk down the hall of faith. I recently discovered that Hebrews 11 (in the Bible) is known by many as the “Hall of Faith.” In this chapter, the word faith is mentioned multiple times with multiple examples.

You may be familiar with the scripture, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith gives us a reason to hold on and persevere through turbulent situations. When you feel like you’re on the verge of giving up, God steps in.

Thinking about faith reminds me of the poem, Footprints in the Sand (below).

Photo Credit: The Gospel Coalition

Dr. Karen Hayes-Harris, Editor of The Mission magazine encourages each of us to keep a “faith file.” The file would serve as a reminder of “Everything God has already done, and what he is currently doing.” What will you put in your file? Think of a situation where you felt all hope was gone, but somehow you made it through. God stepped in.

The Potter's House by Tremaine Hawkins

YouTube Video Credit: A.R. Lee/gospelmusiclover542

You don’t have to remain in feelings of brokenness. Like clay in a potters hands, you will come out whole again. The potter wants to put you back together again. Walk through the Hall of Faith. Believe.

Words of Wisdom - Inspirational Quotes

Video Credit: REtipster

Words of Wisdom – Mid-week Motivation – Quotes of Encouragement

“Your name is in rooms your feet haven’t entered yet.”       Steve Harvey

“God is fixing the broken pieces of your life. Get ready for restoration. God is preparing you for everything.”                                                                                    Women_of_prayer

“God is already working on the things you have been worried about.”

                                                                                                Godisfaithful.365day

Yolanda Adams - Victory

YouTube Credit: Michael Mylvaganam

I don't own the rights to this music

May an avalanche of abundance come your way. Walk like you already have the victory.

Feel Good Friday - Living life on purpose

Photo Credit: Mommy on Purpose
For tips click here

Be intentional today. Go through your day vibrant, energetic, and on fire. Let your drive and determination be contagious.

Expect good things to happen.

Motivational Monday – Words Have Power

Photo Credit: Visit Muskegeon

Do you remember that childhood chant, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me?” Well, words can hurt, but they can also encourage, inspire and provide comfort.

Here are some of my favorite inspirational words…

·         “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right”

·         “I can – I will – I do”

·         “Every expert person was once a beginner”

Words have power. Words can transform our lives.

Today is Memorial Day. It’s the day we celebrate fallen soldiers. We remember the men and women in the military, who lost their lives serving our country. Your service is appreciated.

To the military families who have lost loved ones, be encouraged.

“God is fixing the broken pieces of your life. Get ready for restoration. God is preparing you for everything.” Women_of_prayer (Instagram)

Do you have a favorite quote or affirmation? Use your words to encourage someone today.

Words of Wisdom - Faith, Inspiration, Encouragement-Put God First

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YouTube Video Credit: Above Inspiration

Words of Wisdom – Women Empowering Women

Karron - Owner of HIS Designs LLC

International Women’s Day was celebrated a few days ago. Today we’ll keep the momentum going. Empowerment, self-worth, confidence, these were terms heard often during International Women’s Day. These are some of the same things promoted by entrepreneur, Karron Dodd.

Karron has a t-shirt line named Ruby Girl. Her website will tell you that Ruby Girl is “God’s Priceless Princess.” Ruby Girls are confident in who they are, they struggle but are also overcomers.

My first encounter with the Ruby Girl line was at a book signing where I notice Karron wearing her signature t-shirt. We struck up a conversation. The t-shirt is just one product under the umbrella of HIS Designs LLC.

The mission of HIS Designs is to “creatively bring Christ to the world.” Karron accomplishes this through her merchandise and warm spirit. Take a look around her website, you may find something for yourself or a gift for a friend. Click here.

Do you know any women who own small businesses? Give them a shout out.

Feel Good Friday – Happiness is...

Happiness is...silly moments

Happiness is…

·         sipping a warm cup of coffee on a crisp fall day

·         watching a funny movie, play or comedy

·         watching a sunrise or sunset

·         candlelight and soft music

·         a hug

·         hanging out with friends

·         a rainbow after a storm

·         a writing retreat

·         seeing my boys mature into young men

·         feeling blessed

It’s time to fill your happiness quota. What does happiness look like for you?

Feel Good Friday – Have a Can Do Attitude

“Train insane or stay the same.” This was the statement the fitness coach left us with at the end of an intense workout. This simple statement packs a punch. If you’ve ever said, “I want to lose a little weight” or “I want to get in shape,” you know it can be a challenge.

Many times we focus on reasons why we can’t do something – not enough time, it’s not a good time, maybe when the kids are older. It’s time to adopt a “can do” attitude.

One year ago I began working out at a new gym. My goal was to improve my fitness. I wanted to be more toned, stronger, and lose a few pounds. Two out of three isn’t bad. I’ve lost weight, but a couple of pounds keep finding their way back. Overall, I’m stronger and have developed a healthier lifestyle.

When I changed fitness facilities, I changed my attitude. I learned a new language. I had never heard of a Burpee, Burpee Suicides, Squat Press or a Bosu Ball. I learned what it means to eat clean. I had to tell myself I can do this and I did it. And I keep doing it. You can too.

When you do something long enough it becomes a habit. Develop a habit of finding something positive to speak over your life each day. A blog I follow encouraged readers to “make a list of reasons you can have, do or be what you want (Susan Lieurance – The Morning Nudge).” I’m calling this a Can Do List.

Below are a few sayings to get you started with your Can Do attitude.

·         “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 NKJV

·         “Where there is a will there is a way.” Pauline Kael

·         “If you can believe it, the mind can achieve it.” Ronnie Lott

Do you have a Can Do attitude or will you develop one?

Throwback Thursday - Motivate Yourself

Today let's take time to reflect. First, find an old photo of yourself from childhood, teen years or even 10 years ago.

If you could go back in time and visit a younger you, what advice would you give to yourself?

Here's what I would say...

Ang, you're gonna be okay. Sometimes you have to step outside of your comfort zone, stretch yourself and follow your dreams. You may be shy now, but you'll grow into your very own unique personality. Sometimes you will have to encourage yourself. Keep a strong faith and live your life on purpose.

Now, if I had said those exact words to my 10 year old self, I would not have understood any that. But looking back, I know I've come a long way from where I started.

How about you, what does your reflection look like? Celebrate the triumphs you've experienced from then to now.