Be thankful in all circumstances. Not FOR them…but IN them!
Today in America, we celebrate Thanksgiving. We take a day to pause, reflect, and give thanks for all that we have been blessed with.
One of my favorite tales is of an old Eskimo fisherman who owned two dogs. One was a black dog, the other was white. He trained these two dogs to fight on command and on Saturday’s he’d take his two dogs to the town square to fight. The townspeople would gather around and he would always take bets as to which dog would win the fight.
One of the great things about life is that regardless of who you are, where you live, what your income is, what your age, or where you’ve come from….you have the ability to choose every day what you will focus on.
Have you been talking about what you are going to do, rather than just doing it?
Do you talk about getting in shape? Do you talk about saving money? Do you talk about finishing your degree? Do you talk about that book you are going to write?
If so, isn’t it time to stop talking and start taking action?
| Attitude check! Your attitude is a little thing that makes a BIG difference. |
I don’t think anything has ever been written that better describes the importance of attitude than these words from Chuck Swindoll.
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.
1. Focus on other’s needs instead of your wants.
The great Zig Ziglar used to say, “You’ll get everything you want out
of life if you just help enough people get what they want.” Be the kind
of person who thinks of others before yourself. Remember Self-absorbed
people are miserable.
2. Listen first, speak second. There is a reason God
gave you two ears and one mouth! Listen twice as much as you speak. Do
people say you are a good listener? With a little practice this is a
skill you can easily develop and will help improve every relationship
you have.
3. Resist the urge to complain. It won’t make anything
better and it brings negative energy to the room. This isn’t you!
Bring positive energy with your presence, your words, and your
attitude. People will want to be around you.
4. Count your blessings not your problems. No matter
how bad things are or how many problems you are dealing with, stop and
count your blessings. And start with the ones we so easily take for
granted.
5. Respond instead of react.
When you are sick and have a reaction to your medicine that’s bad; when
your body responds that’s good! If you are faced with a situation that
makes you angry today do not react out of emotion. Be the kind of
person who responds rationally with thought and poise.
6. Make time to exercise! You know you need to. You
want to. You plan to…If this is describers you get some momentum this
week by starting today. You’ve heard it said, “Day One or One day?
Your body will release endorphins and you’ll feel better, be more
focused, and have more energy.
7. Acknowledge God is your source and be continually thankful for every breath He gives. Always acknowledge that God is the source of your life and the giver of every good thing you have.
Choose to make it a great day!
Too often we fall into a trap of comparing ourselves to other people. I see this so often in my work with young people, and sadly many adults continue to compare and compete with others their entire life.
They see someone who has a bigger house, or a nicer car, or makes more money, or has the “perfect family”, or has some quality they want, and in their minds they begin to chase after what someone else has.
Do you like the results you are getting in your family, in your marriage, in your work, in your relationships, in your health?
I want to remind you this morning that there is one person who is responsible for the results in your life, and that one person is YOU. Here are 4 thoughts to help you move from where you are to where you want to be:
Jim Rhon said, “Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” I have found this to be true, but I’ve also found that change is hard to make.
If you’re like a lot of people I meet and work with, there are things in your life that you would love to change. I read of a study that said 92% of people who attempt to make a change are not able to actually make it.
Tiger Woods is back to winning! His win yesterday is one of the greatest comeback stories of all time. I was watching the news today and heard a reporter tell of a conversation he had with Tiger a year ago.
The reporter asked, “Tiger, you’re so close, what’s it going to take to start winning?”