For those that wish to devote more time to reading the bible, check out YouVersion on your mobile devices to carry it with you.  If you don't have any mobile devices, that's okay, too, as you can go to their website and view the material from there.  They offer a variety of free devotionals to choose from.  Can you guess what my personal favorite is?  None other than Joyce Meyer!  I have been blessed by reading her daily devotional through YouVersion.  She provides a bible verse to reflect on, her thoughts, and she closes with a starter prayer.   It is worth looking in to!

For those that wish to save more money but just are not sure how it could even be possible, I've seen a chart going around about this!   Simply place $1 in your savings jar for the first week, $2 in your savings jar the second week, $3 in your savings jar the third week, and so forth and so on until you have added $52 for week 52 - all total you will have saved close to $1,400.00 a year by sticking with this plan.  See how simple it truly is - you CAN do this!!

For kicking the habit of smoking, this is a tough one!  Thankfully I never took up this habit, but I have friends that have.   If you've tried before and just haven't been successful, that's okay.  Pick yourself up and dust yourself off.  This is a brand new year.  You can begin again!   I've covered in a previous post some things to take the place of your habits - do something positive for yourself instead.  Take a nice long hot bubble bath when you feel the urge to grab a cigarette.   Turn on some music and sing your heart out or dance until you just can't dance any more.  The idea is to shift your focus from that craving to something positive!   If chewing gum isn't your thing then grab a nice cold glass of water every time you have a craving instead of reaching for those cigarettes.  Water is soooooo good for you, and there are many benefits for reaching for that glass of water versus that cigarette.   Add some freshly squeezed lemon juice for a bit of a detox affect also.   Winning!

For those that wish to have a more positive attitude, try going through a single day without any complaints whatsoever.  This is hard!!  Our human side wants to complain about things that we just don't like.  We want to verbalize things that irk us.  Just be aware that what ever you feed will grow!  What is your focus?  If it is always on something negative, that is what will grow in your heart, mind, and in your life.  Shift your focus to something positive!    Every time you want to complain, shift your focus, instead, to things that you are thankful for!   Make a list - go ahead, it's okay.  Pull out that piece of paper and your pen, and write down things that you are thankful for.  We are so blessed in this life, and yet we hardly ever acknowledge the good and the things that are right in our lives and in the world.  We focus too long and too hard on the bad, the negative.  Let's change that.

Here's another terrific idea.   How about we start another jar in addition to the one where we will be saving our money!   Let's start a Grateful Jar!   Throughout the year as you have wonderfully positive events that happen to you in your life, things that you want to commit to memory, write them down on a slip of paper and place them in your jar.   How about this for an added challenge - every time you are tempted to complain about something, instead, grab your pen and paper and write something you are thankful for.  Place that in the jar instead of voicing your complaint. Now, don't get me wrong, every one has a time in their life that they just need to get things off of their chest.  I know I sure do!  There is nothing in the world wrong with this occasionally ... just make sure that your focus is not always on the bad, the ugly, the sad, the depressing, the down right negative.   Some times we need to release what is eating at us so it no longer has a hold on us.  Just be careful not to dwell on it too long or it will consume you!   Instead, shift your focus to something good and positive!

OR ... consider this - for every person that has wronged you, consider doing a Random Act of Kindness either to them or to someone else.  Instead of going back on them with hateful vengeance, shift to something positive.  I know this is hard.  It is incredibly hard to do something nice for someone that has been so mean and hateful to you.  If you just can't bring yourself to do something nice to this person, pray for them.  That is one of the best things you CAN do for someone else.  Even this can be hard to do depending on how they wronged you, but I promise you that the more you begin to pray for this person, the easier it will get.  I have been there a few times, but it only hurts ME to harbor ill feelings toward them.  It is in MY best interest to release it and move on to happier things in my life.  I allow my sadness, disappointment, and often times hurt to surface.  I feel those feelings, and then I shift to praying for them.  I pray for God to help me find forgiveness so that I can move on.

I, personally, don't think you can ever go wrong with a random act of kindness or simply paying it forward.  If someone has done something nice for you, do something nice for someone else as a way to pay it forward.  Think of what a wonderful place this world would be if EVERY one joined in on the random act of kindness.  I've heard about people being in line in the drive thru and having a wonderful surprise when they reach the window to pay only to find out that the car in front of them paid for their meal out of the kindness of their hearts!   How sweet is that?!  What do you do?  Thank God for the blessing and then bless someone else's heart by paying it forward.

Last, but not least, choose joy.  I know that you won't always feel cheerful or want to smile.  I know there will be things this coming year that will try you.  There will be storms in your life that will threaten to bring you to your knees.  It is hard to smile when troubles are raining down upon you or when you're going through a trial.   This is a time when you desperately need to lean on someone.  Let them share the load.  Allow them into your world to see the real you so that they can pray for you.  We like to wear masks.  This is something I have mentioned in previous posts as well.  We hide behind them and pretend all is well when inside our hearts are breaking.  Allow someone to see the real you, the broken you, so that they will know how to help you and how to pray for you.   You might be going through something draining right this very minute that is threatening to sap all joy and happiness from your life.  Please, look up - God can help you.  Get down on your knees and pray to God above.  Cling to Him.  He will see you through this.  He has the ability to heal your broken heart!  Trust in Him.   Although the storms of life toss you about, you can still praise Him in the storms.  Lift up your hands to God.  Praise Him.

These are all positives things that you CAN do in the coming year.

I hope you'll join me as we seek to make positive changes in our lives and set positive goals for our new year.

Blessings to you and yours!

~Shirley

Light, Love, Hope