Welcoming the New Year with Positive Outlook
"I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances."
- Martha Washington
No matter what situation you are in or who you are dealing with, you are in control of your own attitude and life choices you make.
A few nights ago, after putting my son down, checking in on my younger bro who is visiting me, I sat down on my bed and just wondered. I wondered about what I could do to make this year a great year, a better year. Then I thought about all the negativity that a lot of situations brought into my life and how I reacted to those and I thought to myself, "I didn't back down, not once." Hmmm...what does that say about me? I have grown over the last year and have gotten stronger.
Life is far from perfect. Everyone wears a mask when they are out and about. Some people show their true colors and others hide them. Yet, in the mist of it all I can guarantee almost everyone had a difficult time somewhere in their lives on more than one occasions.
In recent days, I have been honest and straight forward with friends whom I consider to be in my inner circle. I have been blunt, however I want to see them grow, become stronger and better in life and know that they don't have to hide who they are in the present of others. If people can't accept all of you, your whole being, they don't deserve to be around you. Be around people who can and will accept you for who you are, love you for who you are and cherish the time spent with you. Don't waste your energy, your time and words on those who just don't seem to care or respect you - move on from them. They are the ones who will hold you back, put you down and make you feel obligated to them. You don't owe anyone, you owe it to yourself to live a much better and improved lifestyle.
In light of the hard economy, many have been struggling just to live a decent life or even a half-way decent life. It's hard to stay positive when money is tight. Yet, some find solitude and some find grace amongst the mist of things. We go through hard times for a reason. It's not meant to "break" us, it is meant to make us stronger - to teach us a new way of life, a new meaning to life. Yes, sometimes hard times may "break" a person's soul - making them appear distant and not wanting to be bothered. They blame themselves for the grief they've caused to themselves and to those involved. They tend to wither away, their minds gone far off to a distant island - no man's island and all they see is a replay of everything they tried to do to save themselves and those that mattered the most to them. For some they really were going for themselves because of pride. Pride can be the most dangerous of all downfalls. Proud can destroy your soul. Being humble can bring you peace and appreciation. However in the end, how would you like to be remembered?
I may be calm and steady as the river, but I do have my days when I'm angered and roaring like a raging sea. For the most part, I am a very calmed person. When I look around me, I see people hurting, I see people struggling, I see people trying their best to make it work and the looks on their faces are unforgettable. So when it comes to the New Year, everyone make promises that even they can't stick to and fall off the horse. Well, instead of making promises, make a commitment to yourself and mark your word that you will have a positive outcome by the end of the year. Don't make it specific, make it appear as a mystery and try to discover areas in your life where you have the opportunity to turn things around for yourself. Follow your gut and trust yourself. Take it from someone who has been told, "You can't." all her life and actually succeeded in the area where everyone expected her to fail. You won't know what you are capable of until you try it. So don't be afraid to try over and over again. Keep working on making improvements in your weakest areas of life and keep improving your strengths.
Build a better life, learn to budget, learn to live below your means instead of within your means. You will be surprised with how much you can save and how creative you can get. Most of all, be good to yourself. When you treat yourself well, you can treat others well. With a positive attitude, through anything, yes it will annoy the heck out of those who may be trying to bring you down, but it will bring you through!
Start with faith and go from there. I understand not many understand faith and many may not understand it. But if you have hope for better tomorrow...that is faith. If you have hope and a positive outlook on things when things are bleak...that is faith. So no matter what...keep your head up and keep pushing through, until the road becomes clearer. Remember to be thankful, graceful and forgiving in all your ways.
Happy New Year and may you all make it a great year!
- Martha Washington
No matter what situation you are in or who you are dealing with, you are in control of your own attitude and life choices you make.
A few nights ago, after putting my son down, checking in on my younger bro who is visiting me, I sat down on my bed and just wondered. I wondered about what I could do to make this year a great year, a better year. Then I thought about all the negativity that a lot of situations brought into my life and how I reacted to those and I thought to myself, "I didn't back down, not once." Hmmm...what does that say about me? I have grown over the last year and have gotten stronger.
Life is far from perfect. Everyone wears a mask when they are out and about. Some people show their true colors and others hide them. Yet, in the mist of it all I can guarantee almost everyone had a difficult time somewhere in their lives on more than one occasions.
In recent days, I have been honest and straight forward with friends whom I consider to be in my inner circle. I have been blunt, however I want to see them grow, become stronger and better in life and know that they don't have to hide who they are in the present of others. If people can't accept all of you, your whole being, they don't deserve to be around you. Be around people who can and will accept you for who you are, love you for who you are and cherish the time spent with you. Don't waste your energy, your time and words on those who just don't seem to care or respect you - move on from them. They are the ones who will hold you back, put you down and make you feel obligated to them. You don't owe anyone, you owe it to yourself to live a much better and improved lifestyle.
I may be calm and steady as the river, but I do have my days when I'm angered and roaring like a raging sea. For the most part, I am a very calmed person. When I look around me, I see people hurting, I see people struggling, I see people trying their best to make it work and the looks on their faces are unforgettable. So when it comes to the New Year, everyone make promises that even they can't stick to and fall off the horse. Well, instead of making promises, make a commitment to yourself and mark your word that you will have a positive outcome by the end of the year. Don't make it specific, make it appear as a mystery and try to discover areas in your life where you have the opportunity to turn things around for yourself. Follow your gut and trust yourself. Take it from someone who has been told, "You can't." all her life and actually succeeded in the area where everyone expected her to fail. You won't know what you are capable of until you try it. So don't be afraid to try over and over again. Keep working on making improvements in your weakest areas of life and keep improving your strengths.
Build a better life, learn to budget, learn to live below your means instead of within your means. You will be surprised with how much you can save and how creative you can get. Most of all, be good to yourself. When you treat yourself well, you can treat others well. With a positive attitude, through anything, yes it will annoy the heck out of those who may be trying to bring you down, but it will bring you through!
Start with faith and go from there. I understand not many understand faith and many may not understand it. But if you have hope for better tomorrow...that is faith. If you have hope and a positive outlook on things when things are bleak...that is faith. So no matter what...keep your head up and keep pushing through, until the road becomes clearer. Remember to be thankful, graceful and forgiving in all your ways.
Happy New Year and may you all make it a great year!
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