NOW OR LATER? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 114

I have learned this lesson very late in life, and I wish I had learned it when I was very young.  Instead of enjoying each day for itself, I used to always be looking forward and waiting for a future date.  You know those things we tell ourselves to justify postponing things we really want to do or need to do.  We say we will do it/them when we have enough money, when the children are older, when life is not so busy, or when we have enough time.

By putting things off we often miss opportunities, damage friendships, wait to repair relationships until it is too late, and prevent ourselves from knowing the joy that each day can bring.  We postpone our joy until some future date, and because life is fragile we truly never know if we will be around when that future date arrives.

Today's message is:

ENJOY THIS NOW!

HOW TO MAKE YOURSELF FEEL BETTER - CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 98

Everyone goes through periods of feeling down whether it be about relationships, work, finances, or just life in general.  The surest way to make yourself feel better is to get outside of yourself even for a little while.  Do something for someone else.  Give your time, money, or talent to a good cause or a needy individual.  It will lift your spirits and make you appreciate your own circumstances.

Today's message is:

DO GOOD DEEDS!

HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU NEED? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 86

Have you thought about doing something that you have always wanted to do?  Do you stop yourself from getting started because you think you have waited too long?  Do you think there won't be enough time to meet your goals or achieve your dreams?  Do you actually have any idea of how much time it might take to fulfill your heart's desire?

There are a number of famous and talented people who did not pursue their passion until they were in what some would consider their golden years in their 60's or 70's.  They started and were successful in their lifetimes.  Grandma Moses is one who comes to mind as a marvelous painter who began painting and left a wonderful legacy of folk art still enjoyed by so many today.  There are writers, poets, playwrights, sculptors, entrepreneurs, and others who believed in starting whenever you can.

Today's message is:

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE!

IS THERE SOMETHING YOU ARE PUTTING OFF DOING? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 64

Time flies, and it is already August 2013.  Where has the year gone?  What have you done thus far to accomplish any goals or resolutions you set back in January?  It is so incredibly easy to make excuses for why we have not started something or finished something, and it is just as incredibly easy to take the first step to begin something or to finish something that is languishing unfinished.  

Today's message is:

THE TIME IS NOW!

DO YOU MAKE THE BEST OF EVERYTHING? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 58

Whether the economy is good or bad, there are people who will always focus on what they do not have rather than what they do have.  During the Great Depression there was a saying that seemed to serve most of the country very well:

Use it up,

Wear it out,

Make do,

Or do without.

We have come a long way from following that philosophy because we have become a society that wants all the latest gadgets, electronics, athletic shoes, and fashions.  We support a throw-away culture with enormous amounts of waste.

If you are a person who feels deprived and helpless to change your circumstances, then today's message is meant for you.  Whether it is possessions, talents, time, skills, or anything else:

USE WHAT YOU HAVE!  

Mondays! Are They Beginnings or Endings?

September always feels like the beginning of the new year to me (I guess it relates to the start of many new school years). It is the time when I want to get organized and regain structure and routine to overcome the chaos and messiness that somehow crept into life during the lazy days of summer. I feel the same way about Mondays. I never think that Sunday is the first day of the week, but rather Monday. Mondays are when life gets back to normal, schedules exist, schools are in session, appointments are made and kept, and routine household chores are repeated. There are feelings of stability and security that can accompany structure and routine when so many facets of the world in which we live seem to be spinning out of control. Fresh, blank calendar pages quickly become filled with both the mundane and exciting events of our lives. Work weeks generally begin on Mondays, and most of us look forward to Friday nights to start two-day weekends. If I think of Sundays as the beginnings of each new week, then somehow I feel deprived of weekend time. I also like to have Sunday as the end of my week so I can attend church and make my apologies and attempt to wipe the slate clean of that week's mistakes and misdeeds. Then on Mondays I feel as if I have a new opportunity to try to be a better person, to be more organized, to accomplish more, and then to the reward of another glorious two-day weekend. Am I fooling myself? Perhaps. Does it work? You bet it does!

Does Time Get Away From You?

As the weeks fly by I ask myself where the time went and what did I accomplish. I recently listened to a series of webinars which provided me with some great ideas. Jack Canfield (well-known author, motivational speaker, and business coach) talked about how significant "the power of five" can be. He said that on our to-do lists we should list five things that move us toward our goals, and we should start each day working on those five things until they are completed. Then if time remains we can work on other tasks. While he was speaking about business goals I know that his advice also applies to taking care of children, running a household, and juggling work and family life. Most of us put too many things on our to-do lists with no real grasp of how long it would actually take us to complete the entire list. If we focus on what is most important to be completed and form our to-do lists with five tasks leading to the accomplishment of those things, we will get them done! If I am not pro-active I can easily get caught up in minutia, and probably a little of my own OCD also slips in there. I have been trying to follow "the power of five" advice daily, and I am amazed at how much more I am accomplishing. Whether I am concentrating on my business, household tasks and projects, or volunteer work I really am able to get the most important things done first. Try it. I'm sure you will be pleased with the results. I know that children can at times prevent adherence to schedules and plans, but more often than not I am confident you will get all or most of your five things done on a daily basis and still have time left to do other things. I am also thinking that as children enter school and take on responsibilities this might be a good practice to share with them. Let me know what you think. I hope you will sign up to follow my blog and give me your feedback on anything I write. Thanks in advance for helping me!