The practices you choose to use in your life will make a difference on your success and failure.As we go through life we all need to be reminded about some simple lessons. These are simple thing that each person can do but still so difficult for so many to grasp.
Gratitude Will get you pretty far. Being thankful for what you have and for anything you receive will change your outlook on life. Once you are content with what you have you won’t need anything else. You can choose to be grateful everyday. Write down three to five things you are thankful for every night before you go to bed and begin to cultivate a new attitude.
Your thought life determines how you live. This is a play on the first one since all that we put into our mind is what we are going to get out. If you are continually thinking, “I wish I had that,” or “He’s lucky to get that promotion.” You will never find happiness. Seek the Lord first and all you need will be given to you.
Know where you are going. If you have a destination in mind you are more likely to get there than if you don’t. Take the time to find out where God wants you. We were given the Holy Spirit as a counselor to help guide us in our walk with Christ. If you are not seeking him in where you are going then you may not be going the right way.
Don’t worry about what others think. This is a hard lesson to learn but ties in with the first two above. We buy and want a lot of new stuff because we are scared of what people think about us. Grown men shop at clothing stores for teenagers, plastic surgery is sky rocketing, and the lines are around the block to get the newest cell phone that doesn’t even work very well. All because people worry about what others think. Look at the birds and the flowers, do they worry and toil, no. God still provides them with everything they need.
You can only give what you have. Put good stuff into your mind every day so that when you meet people who need what you have you can give it to them. Listen to good music and teachers, read good books and blogs, don’t watch the news or graphic television shows. You can get the top news headlines at Google News or newsmap. When I learned that my TV watching was nothing more than a habit it was easy to stop watching and change my habit.
Be kind. When you find yourself not being kind think about why you are not. What is in your mind that is causing you to be anything but kind to those around you. Jesus said to, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The person that is closest to you or in need of your help at any point is your neighbor. Love every one like you would yourself.
Image courtesy of Samuel Stocker via cc2.0 licences
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