High Expectations are the key...

"High EXPECTATIONS are the key to everything." ~ Sam Walton

Good Morning Lord. Thank You Lord for providing me with a new morning, for the fact that You are always near me and will never leave me. I love You. I love Your Word.

 

3 Things that I am grateful for this morning are ...

 

- That I still have my parents. So many people have gone through life with only one, some with none. I have been so blessed to have mine in my life, even now, into my 50's. Please Lord, continue to keep them safe and healthy. Please bless them and give them relief from thier pain. May I be a blessing to each one of them.

 

- Financial security. Thank You Lord that we both have good jobs. Thank You that we are both able to contribute to our budget and grow in wisdom toward a safe and sound financial future. Please continue to bless those who bless us and give each one financial security.

 

- For healthy, happy grandkids. Lord, You know that they are such a blessing in our lives. Please protect them and bless them. Give them wisdom, good friends, financial peace, and all that they need to grow up into loving, responsible, God honoring adults.

 

3 things that will make today a great day, that are in my power are...

 

- renewing my mind... only thinking good thoughts.

- being a blessing to another human being. Making them smile, helping someone, what ever it takes.

- spending time in Gods word, prayer and meditation.

 

I have High EXPECTATIONS. I am a woman of faith, courage and enthusiasm... I go boldly, with faith and confidence into each situation, knowing that I am prepared and knowledgable, and up to the task. And I come out a WINNER every time.

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Blessed beyond Measure...

"For, he that expects nothing shall not be disappointed, but he that expects much—if he lives and uses that in hand day by day—shall be full to running over." ~ Edgar Cayce

Good Morning Lord. I love You Lord. May I glorigy You Lord. Please forgive me of my sins and order my day... my life. Thank You for this new day and new mercies this mornings.

3 things I'm thankful for this morning are...

- God's word.... I so love the word of God. Thank You Lord that I can open my Bible every day a learn something new, or get closer to You Lord. Thank You that I still have the freedom to read the Word of God.

- My friendship with Joanna T. Thank You Lord that I met her 6 years ago and we have stayed friends. She is an inspiration to me and I pray that she knows you as her personal savior, friend, hope and salvation. May I be instrumental in getting her there.

- Susie A. My hairdresser and friend. Thank you that I found her. She is such a blessing to me and a true witness for You LOrd. Please bless her life and her family.

3 things that will make today great are...

- using my gifts and talents to glorify God.

- spending time in prayer and meditation.

- Spending time working....

I am a woman of high expectiation and high accomplishment. I am blessed. My cup runs over with the blessings of the Lord and the fruits of my labor. I am blessed beyond measure.

 

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Powerful morning ritual

Do you have a morning ritual?  I bet you do.  What is it like?  Do you hit the snooze alarm 3 or 4 times before finally dragging yourself out of bed with a grumble, with barely enough time to grab a quik shower, a cup of coffee and dash out the door? Or, do you allow yourself some time to think when you first get up?  

Are you aware that you have the ability to create a good day or a bad day.  Or at least turn what looks to become a bad day into a good one. That's right, you have that kind of power. And it all starts with the thoughts you think first thing in the morning.

I understand that everyone is different, and thousands of senarios happen in homes every single day.  But many of those morning scenes turn into disaster with the tiniest mishap, for the simple reason that the person didn't chose to "think" first thing in the morning.  That's right, they go through their morning ritual without turning on thier mind.  I don't mean thoughts don't run through their minds at a a lightning pace, after all there is that morning meeting at the office, and the dry cleaning needs to be dropped off, and the kids lunches made, the dog walked, oh.. and that shirt left soaking with the wine stain from last night....etc, etc etc. A million things are constantly bombarding our minds.

But, happy is the person who takes control of the thoughts that go through her mind.  Which is a whole study in and of itself.  But the point I would like to make today, is that we can get a head start on our day by taking 5 minutes in the morning to think.  

I listened to a program the other day called "Family Talk with Dr. James Dobson: A Travel Guide to life".  http://drjamesdobson.org.  Ryan Dobson was talking about something he and his wife do every day called the 5 Minute Journal. I took some notes.   I think this is one of the easiest ways to start your day with intention and focus, and to start it off on the right foot.  Though I do something similar in my morning quiet time, it takes a lot more time.    I know that not everyone has the desire to be up before the chickens.  So, this is an excellent way to start your day, and it only takes 5 minutes.  Here it is....  

1. Read an inspirational quote or challenge.  Copy it into your journal.  

2. Write 3 things you are grateful for today. (Try not to repeat yesterday's)

3. Write 3 things that would make today great, that are within your power.

4. Write a declarative statement about yourself, something you hope to acheive.  Example: "Im organized and tidy"

Ryan and his wife also do this in the evening.  If you'd like more info on that you can check out http://www.fiveminutejournal.com

I challenge you to try it out for a week or two.  Get up 5 or 10 minutes earlier.  Kick start your brain. Put yourself in a possitive state of mind.  I'll bet you it makes a difference in your day.   I'd love to hear how it works for you.  

Happy Sunday.

Debbie

Today is Good Friday

Today's Good Friday.  I never took the time to really digest what today was about.  I dont mean to say that I didnt understand the meaning of Good Friday.  But I never sat down and read, and absorbed what took place on that day.  The physical pain that Jesus endured is so hard to fathom, that I never really went beyond that.  But today, I have been reading my devo with the other SRT sisters,

http://shereadstruth.com/2015/04/03/it-is-finished/

, and there is sooo much more.  The shear weight of the burden of every sin that has ever or will ever be committed.... we will just never understand... I just cant fathom it.  And... the crowd that gathered to watch this specticle.... something happened... changed in them.  When the lights went out for 3 hours.. and the veil in the temple was torn in half... oh, the gravity of what they had just seen, even taken part in... they went home "beating their chests"!  Whoa!  

Psalm 22:27-31, Luke 23:44-49, Mark 15:33-39, John 19:28-30

My heart is so heavy as tears flow down my cheeks at the thought of what took place on this day... for me!  Yet, it brings so much joy!  Joy to know what took place on this day FOR ME!  Though I dont deserve it, I can now have a relationship with my heavenly Father.  And....

"Because it is finished, there is nothing that any one of us can contribute to Jesus’ work on the Cross to bring us any closer to salvation." 

Thank You Jesus!  Thank you for your sacrifice for me... for all of us this day.  I'm so grateful that all I have to do is accept it.  

What are you afraid of?

Fear.  What is it and why do we let it rule us?

Fear is nothing but an illusion.  It's a thought, an imagination, that something bad will happen.  It can be debilitating.  It is the biggest reason why many people dont experience the life that they hoped for.  Maybe something bad has happened in the past that caused them to think that it will happen again. But that does not make it a reality.  

Fear is just a thought. 

And here's a thought... we are in charge of our thoughts.  We get to decide what we are going to think.  Yes, I know that you may be thinking... "I cant help what pops into my head".  And that may be true to begin with, because if you have never taken control of your thoughts, it may be a new concept.  It may be hard, and some have said that once the thought is there it cant be unthunk.  But.... when you decide to take control of your thoughts, you can stop the thought (fear) immediatly, by saying "NO", (to yourself if you are with people, or out loud if you are alone).  Then replace it with a different thought.  

Fear is a worse-case-scenario thought.  For example:  You would love to take a ride in a balloon, but your fear has always said.  "I could never ride in a balloon, because... what if it crashes? I could die, or be seriously injured."  Instead, when the fear comes, you say "NO", then immediatly say to yourself the opposite... the best case scenerio.  "I can ride in a balloon, it will be exhillerating! It will be fun.  Millions of people ride in balloons, all the time.  Balloons are safe.  The operator is a skilled professional and knows how to keep me safe.  Etc, etc"  No matter what the fear is, there is an extreme opposite of the worse case scenario.  Replacing the negative thought with a positive one, and taking the action, will eventually prove to eliminate, or at least greatly decrease the fear.

I am naturally afraid to make prospecting phone calls.  My initial thought is that I will make the person angry or at the very least, disturb them from what they are doing.  I dont like to inconvenience people.  But making prospecting phone calls is a vital part of my business.  I'm not saying I couldnt do my business without them, but doing this one action saves time and produces the most results in the shortest amount of time. So, it's something I feel I need to do.  How do I overcome the natural resistance, the fear?  I talk to myself.  I say, "What if I'm the only one who reaches them to share this vital information? They could end up making an uneducated decision that could cost them thousands of dollars.  If I dont at least try to reach them, their financial future could be in jeopardy.  They need the information that I will share with them.  They will be happy to be disturbed. And if they are angry for being disturbed, oh well, at least I tried to help them."  This always helps me get started dialing the phone.  After a few phone calls, I'm always glad I did.  And now, I dont feel the fear the way I use to.  (Now its just more of an avoidance or procrastination issue, which is a whole other discussion.)  But, I still do the pep talk every time, because it pumps me up and helps me get excited about making the calls. 

What do you fear?  Is it stopping you from living your life to the fullest?  What are you going to do about it?  

Hardcore success

If you want to be super successful, you have to be hardcore! How many people do you know that made it to the top of thier game by doing the their job, the basics... just enough? I dont know any!!! All the winners that I know have been hardcore. They are up in the wee hours of the morning, they are studying their craft and practicing and studying the competition deep into the night. They eat it, they drink it, they live and breath it. The Curt Warners, the Michael Jordans, the Oprah Winfreys, they dont give up when they fail. They dont stop working at it and trying to get better when they miss the mark. They didn't get to where they are by quitting.

The question is.... How hard are you (am I) willing to work? How smart are you willing to work? How late are you willing to work? How hardcore are you willing to get? If you're not willing to go all the way....to go HardCore,... then what's the point?

Mediocre might be ok for some people... for the average person. Do you want to be average? Do you want to barely make it by the skin of your teeth?

Or do you want to climb to the top? Climb hard, either with slow determination or high intensity speed. Use wisdom, leveraging your skills and talents and those of your team. Use knowledge, learn as much as you can about your game, learn even more about your competition. Be the smartest, be the fastest, be the greatest _____ that ever walked the earth. How? DECIDE! That's how.

Decide what you want. Decide when you want it. Decide to Figure out what it will take to get there. Decide to Creat a strategy. Decide to take the first step... Decide to take the second step...Build the momentum...Push harder...Get up earlier...Stay up later....Push Harder...Take the next step...and the next, and the next. If you want it.... really, really want it,... Decide that nothing can stop you from getting it. Decide to be HARDCORE about it.

1 Corinthians 9:24 ESV

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

And you will get it.

Happy Sunday.

Debbie

 

 

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Happy Monday

Yesterday was PF Changs, Rock N Roll half marathon.  Another 13.1 miles down.  Another year I ran it after saying I wasnt going to.  And another year I'm glad I did.  We ran, walked and had a blast.  It's just amazing to me how the human body can remember.  I mean, we havent had much training (again).  I've been getting about 3 to 4 miles in, 3 days a week, but not seriously training for a half marathon.  Delinda and I started picking up our miles about 2 weeks before the race and only got up to 8 miles.  But when the big day arrived, our bodies knew what to do.  We weren't fast, but we were able to do something (fairly easily), that litarally scared me to death when I first started running.

Life is like that.  All new things are a little bit (or a lot) scary at first.  But once you get started, the initial fear subsides.  If you keep doing it, not only does it get easier, you get better at it, and it can become a lot of fun.  I' m not saying that running a half marathon isnt hard work.  Yes, it's still painful, it still takes a lot of time.  But it's not quite as daunting a task as I first imagined it.  And the painful muscles and joints go away much quicker than before.    

Maybe you've been thinking about doing something new. Or maybe the Lord has placed something in your mind and heart to do that may seem way too big.  It may be scary and may cause some pain.  You may have to give something up, like time, money, comfort.  But, if you will allow yourself... if you will make yourself do it.  You may find that it was worth it.  It may even become fun.  

Happy Monday.  Have a blessed week.

Debbie

Manners

I don't know about you, but I think that people have really gotten rude and inconsiderate lately. And today's smart phone technology is a big contributor to that. Personally, I believe that when you are with a person, you should be with that person. I just hate it when I'm in a conversation with someone and they aren't really all there. They are half listening to me and half watching their phone for the next text alert or email. Or even worse, they are caught up in the latest candy crush saga and cant give me (or anyone, for that matter) their full attention.

What happened to good old fashion curtesy? You know...Manners. I cant say I've always been on the receiving end of that scenario either, shame on me. But I do try to be considerate of the person I'm with, especially if they have given up part of their day to be with me. I've decided, one of my goals for the year is to be more considerate, courteous and a better listener. I believe that not only will this help my relationships with my family and friends, but I truly think it will increase my business and help make me a better communicator. Here are some of the things I am pledging to work on.... will you join me?

1. Put my phone on silent before I meet with someone, or better yet, leave it in the car. (Gee, I wonder if the world will collapse if I don't have it right by my side or in my purse for a little while?)

2. If I happen to have my phone with me (and have forgotten to put it on silent mode), and it rings, I will apologize to the person I'm with and immediately silence my phone. I will not answer it. (It's so nice that the iPhones now have an auto-response option. Now there is no excuse.)

3. If I'm in a public place, like a restaurant, and feel the need to use my phone (obviously I will be alone), I will be as considerate as possible to those around me, and keep my voice down or leave the room. (Have you ever been in a restaurant, when someone starts talking on their phone at about 40 decibels above everyone else? It's so annoying!)

4. When I am in a conversation with someone, I will give that person my undivided attention. I will look them in the eye and listen to them. Not for an opportunity to jump in with my opinion, but to really hear their heart.

I know that there are lots of ways to show good manners and common curtesy. These are just some of the ways I'm going to start. Can you think of any others that would help us all to become better communicators and better friends? Please share.

Have a blessed day.

Debbie

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