Being The Best You Can Be

Don't Settle for Mediocre

 

Often times in life I notice people are always trying to do the bare minimum to get by.  They see how much is required and they complete that amout and nothing more.  Don't just try to meet benchmarks...try to surpass them! 

 

This is the way I try to look at things.  The work you do is a reflection of yourself.  If you want to be viewed as mediocre or average then just do tha bare minimum.  This will help you blend in with everyone else.

 

But if you want to stand out and be set apart then do more.  Be better.  Don't settle for just enough.  You are great so do greater.  Don't be like everyone else. 

 

Be the best that you can be!

 

 

 

 

Deciding That Enough is Enough!

Taking Control of Your Life!

Sometimes in life we let certain people and circumstances take a hold of us and we remain under their reign.  At first we might not even realize that we have allowed someone or something to take control of us.  One day it just started and we did nothing and then gradually we are under hypnosis. 

The circumstance can be lack of money to keep up with your every day expenses.  It might be fear that you are not going to turn out a success and let people down.  It might be laziness keeping you from going back to school.  Whether it is the lack of money, the fear or the laziness make a decision to take control of your life and not let these things rule you. 

When you pray ask God for the strength.  If you don't pray, you need to start.  It is time to move forward.  Set your own path and stop letting everyone and everything tell you where you need to be and where you need to go. 

Blaze a trail and be you! 

Making the Most of Every Day

EVERY MOMENT IS PRECIOUS, TAKE ACTION

 

Each day has 24 hours that we have never seen before and with those 24 hours we can make decisions, make mistakes, have victories and much more.  But the important thing is that we at least make an effort to accomplish something.  Remember that you are never going to see these 24 hours again.  The worst thing you can do is let the day come and go and not make an effort of some kind. 

 

You might not feel like it will accomplish much.  You might feel like your efforts will be in vain.  But you will never really know that for sure unless you try.  The only wasted time is when you do nothing. 

 

As long as you have breath it is another opportunity to work towards your higher calling.  If you sit idle nothing will happen.  It is only when you take action that there is even a chance of something happening. 

 

Don't waste the life or the time that God has blessed you with.  Be productive and be about something good. 

 

Never give up hope and just make the most of every day.  Even if it is just one or two things you get accomplished, you are making progress.  If you do not work towards progress then you will have nothing. 

 

The only road to progress is action.

A Mother's Day Message

My Mother's Day Thoughts

Today many sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, granddaughters and grandsons, boys and girls, men and women, are celebrating the mother's in their lives.  We know that everyone that is walking the earth right now is here because a woman somewhere gave birth to them.  Now, that might not even be the woman that raised them but they are here because of that woman. 

For some, because of circumstances in life you may have been raised by a friend, grandmother, aunt, or adoptive mother. And this is okay.  The love of a mother goes far beyond biological means.  Any woman who has had the heart and love to care for a child is a mother.  Raising a child is not easy.  When a woman finds out she is pregnant she might cry tears of joy or tears of sorrow.  Some woman try all their lives and never have a child.  Others seem to keep having children even when they aren't intending to. 

Even if you don't want to, once you realize and come to terms with the fact that a new life is coming that is going to need you, you know your obligation to that child once they are here.  To care for them.  For nine months you have felt that child grow.  It has made you sick, it has made you tired, scared and sometimes it maybe even made you want to scream.

So what about the mother who has raised a child that is not her own?  She didn't prepare for it.  She didn't give birth.  She doesn't get called mom.  But she has opened her heart to everything motherhood - changing diapers, midnight feedings, school plays, driving lessons, relationship advice, and helping you step into adulthood.

These are not easy tasks and sometimes can even be harder when you are taking care of another woman's child.  So you are definitely to be rewarded.  And why you do it is obviously not for the reward because rewards often never come. 

Being a mother can sometimes feel like a thankless job.  But it shouldn't be.  It is one of the hardest and requires such sacrifice.

So to all of the moms reading: You are the best.  And if no one every tells you, you are appreciated and loved and thought of fondly.  God Bless you for your hard work, dedication and love.

This message wouldn't be complete without giving a personal word of thanks to my mother.  You are without a doubt the sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful woman on the earth.  Unless someone knows you, they really haven't seen true sacrifice of one for another.  You never think twice about giving away the last of what you have if it means helping someone else. 

I love you more than words could ever say and I thank God for you and your beautiful spirit every day. :)

Giving God The Thanks For What He Has Done

Sometimes people ask me where the strength I have comes from or why even when there are challenges going on in life how I am still able to smile.  The answer is simple.  I know the Lord.  I am not saying that just by knowing Him that the challenges aren't there.  But by knowing Him and the way He cares for me I can manage those challenges.  Yes there will be occasions when I will feel a bit overwhelmed but His love calms me, His arms console me and He reminds me that He is there to protect me and watch over me.

 

When people ask me how I am able to deal with different situations in my life I simply tell them that it is nothing but God.  Plain and simple.  There is no reason to complain about it.  Complaining has never brought me a solution anyways.  If anything it makes me feel worse because I am then focusing on and giving power to the problem or challenge.  So what I do is I rely on God to resolve my issue.  It doesnt mean that I dont feel the pain or that I do not suffer sometimes.  What is means is that I am trusting in something bigger and greater than this one situation.

 

We have come to make our problems so big and our God so small - that is backwards.  So, today I stand firm on the word of God and declare victory over my circumstances and I will not allow them to overshadow the power of God!

 

 

How To Make Lemonade From The Lemons In Life

Dealing With Disappointments in Life

If you are like me, then there are times when you feel like you are getting just one bunch of lemons after another and nothing to really make you excited or happy.  It seems like all the things you need do not come your way and all the things you don't want come rushing to you without hesitation. 

 

Growing up I have always heard the saying, "When you get lemons, make lemonade".  It sounds nice and simple in theory but it is not so easy when you actually have to do it.  Sometimes it's not even nice, sweet lemons.  Some of them are bitter, rotten and just plain sour.  Who even wants to make lemonade with those kind of lemons?  Wouldn't it be better to just throw them away and never have to see them again?  I think that is a good idea.  But then, since there is nothing I can do about getting lemons I might as well make something with them. 

 

So this is what I do.  I look at the situation.  Even if there is a small, tiny little bit of good that comes from it that is what helps me make it through.

 

There are definitely times where even though there is a little bit of good, my stomach feels sick.  It is nauseous and full of butterflies and anxiety. This is because lemons can give stress.  With all this talk about lemons, what exactly are they?

The lemons in life can be anything we get or anything that happens to us that makes life tougher - it's the trials and tribulations we face.  That is why they are hard to endure.  What are your lemons today?  What is it that is making life hard for you today?

Sometimes it is hard to make lemonade from the lemons we have because we do not see the good in what has happened?  How can getting my car repossessed possibly be good?  How can losing a child possibly have any good to it?

Some of these questions only can answer.  I know there are times I am dealing with difficult times and I don't see the good and I get very discouraged.  There are some situations I do not think are lemons.  I think they are more than that and there is no lemonade to be made from them.  Some situations are just very bad.  I cannot see the good in them.  Those are the situations that I just need to give to God.  That is the lesson I have learned.

How to Create A Daily Schedule That Works

Eliminate the Obstacle of a Daunting Schedule

One of the biggest challenges I used to face on a daily basis was getting things done.  It is not because I didn't know all the things that needed to be done or because I didn't make a list.  The problem was, at the end of every day I felt like I had failed in getting everything done.  But the reason for that was not because I didn't have a list to follow.  There was so many things to get done that I realized I would never see the end of the list each day.  I felt like I wasn't getting anything accomplished. 

I realized that the problem was with the way I was organizing the things I needed to do.  I approached it a new way. 

Instead of working off of a long list of endless tasks every day, I found a better way.  This is what I do.  Following these steps:

Step 1.  Make a master list of ALL the tasks that need to be completed.

Step 2.  Prioritize all the tasks from most important to least important.

Step 3.  Now going down the list break it into lists of four or five tasks. 

Step 4.  Each day complete those four or five tasks.

As you can see from the steps I share above, this is the easiest way to get your tasks done.  By breaking them down into manageable micro schedules you are able to complete all the tasks in one day and at least you can feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction knowing that you have gotten everything on your list completed. 

By following these four simple tips I am able to get more accomplished every day.  Of course you will need to revise the master list as more things come up that need to be done, prioritizing them as needed.