Here's how you change your life starting today... for FREE!

Jan 5, 2016
5 min read

Hey everyone! I hope the New Year is treating you well so far, and you're on your way to making all of the goals you set for your first week of 2016! I know I have a lot of goals to meet this year, and I am already putting plans into actions to meet those goals! I have faith that, with consistent steps in the right direction, my goals will become realizations! But remember what the Bible says about faith! In 2 Corinthians 5:7 "for we walk by faith, not by sight". I don't take that to mean that we are completely blind in the direction we walk, but sometimes we walk only knowing what is a step or two ahead and not beyond! The Bible also says in Hebrews 11:1 that "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, not seen." That means that we have to hope, we have to believe that our hope is right and true, and then we have to be assured that what we hope for will materialize! But finally, James 2:17 says that "faith by itself is dead without works." Do you know what that means??? That means, IT'S TIME TO HUSTLE!!!!

I hope that was good motivation for your new year! But this New Year, I really want you to learn HOW to have faith, HOW to walk in faith, and HOW to do works that fuel your faith. Because I know that many of you, like I have also been (and may be again some day and need this stern reminding!), are stuck in a rut. Things just aren't looking great. Maybe you got some bad news over the holidays, or maybe you've just been in a season of being stuck in a rut, your finances aren't what you had hoped they'd be, or your significant other isn't treating you how you think you should be treated... These things happen in our lives and it is so easy to get pulled down by that. Sometimes, it's hard to see a way out!

So, here is what you need to do! And I'm going to share this with you because I always hate it when people tell me what my mindset needs to be, but they don't give examples of ways to get there. Well, because I love you so much, I am going to tell you exactly what you need to do and some steps you can take to get there!

This is where my favorite phrase comes into play, and that is this. That "Gratitude is a Game Changer." That's right, folks, you heard it here first. When you are miserable and down in the dumps and nothing is going your way, you need to find a way to be grateful for what is good in your life. It's time to REFOCUS!!! Because here's the deal: No matter how down you are or what is going wrong, YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO BE GRATEFUL FOR!!!

Yeah yeah, I know, easier said than done right? Well, that's not entirely true! Sure, it may take some practice. It may take some time. Especially if you are not used to doing this. But the deal here is that you have to change your focus! As long as you are obscessing over the things that are going wrong, you will continue to stay stuck in that rut. You will focus on bad, then more bad, and only bad, and you are just bringing more and more of that to yourself.

This may sound a little silly like doing a homework assignment, but the truth is, sometimes we have to back up to get back on track and move forward again. So, here's what I want you to do: I want you to start making a list of every single little bitty teeny tiny thing that you are grateful for. If someone smiles at you today at the grocery store and you smiled back, YOU SMILED BACK! BE GRATEFUL! And write it down!

Some of you might not be quite that far down. You may be able to be grateful that your kid didn't pitch a fit today after school. Or that your family was late getting home (which may have irritated you) BUT you were able to do that one little thing that needed done, without interruption. Write THAT down. Maybe a BIG good thing happened to you, but you're worried that the bubble will burst. Write down the good thing! (We are ignorng all of the "yeah but this" that happened. We are ONLY giving focus to the good things right now! There will be time to worry about the bad things later!)

Ok, so that was step one. Very basic, right? Well, here's step two. This is so easy, you're going to love it. Think of one thing in your head, that you can do right now, that will make you feel better. Now, I'm not talking about turn your whole world around, fix every problem you have, or anything like that. I'm talking about things like this: I love getting a pedicure. Do I have the money to get one right now? If I do, and I'm in a rut, guess where I"m going? Yep! I'm getting my nails did! Now, maybe you're in a financial rut and that's just not going to work for you. I've been there too. What's another thing that will make you feel better? Sometimes it's something like wash the dishes and get them out of the sink. Clean the baseboards I've been threatening to clean for months, go through my closet and donate my old clothes to the homeless shelter down the road. There are a million things you could do, that are things you would be glad to have done, that won't cost a dime, that will help lift your spirits. Maybe it's making a casserole for an elderly neighbor, calling and chatting with a friend, or volunteering at church to make yourself feel useful. Whatever it is, stop what you are doing and do it! I know you have time! You know how I know? (psssst! I'll give you a hint: You're reading my blog right now!)

By the way... When you're done doing that one or maybe two things that would make you feel better WRITE THEM ON YOUR GRATITUDE LIST!

Seriously, though, these may be just a couple of small things to help you refocus, but sometimes a start is all we need to start in the right direction. Back up and punt. Do something for yourself and refocus your attention on something you can be grateful for, even if it only last a few minutes. Maybe next time, you can add a few more minutes. And then some more. You'll barely even realize it when you're completely focused on the positive and your life is turning around!

If this was helpful to you, please take a minute to comment in the comments section of my website and let me know. Also, if there is anything else you would like to ask or suggest a topic, you can do that there as well! I'm sure you're not the only one thinking what you're thinking!

And if you want a little extra boost, click the image below and be redirected to a sight where you can pick you up a bottle of some Gratitude!