Diversion from Distractions

When most of us rang in 2012, we did so with great anticipation, gratitude and jubilation. Come on now, we were blessed and able to see another new year. Thank God for that! After getting up later in the morning on this first day, we were hit with news of the first murder in the city, a story on the front page in a section of the newspaper reporting a bleak outlook on the economy for this year and low and behold, there is an arsonist on a rampage torching cars and homes. A few of the anchors on television said, “Well the new year is off to a bad start!”

After reading the depressing newspaper article and watching the news on television, I listened to a sermon televised by Dr. Charles Stanley that gave the message “Confidence That Conquers!” His main points emphasized the type of attitude that is not conducive to confidence and the positive attitudes that attribute to confidence. He pointed out that we must not confuse confidence with arrogance. Big difference! Here are 3 points that stood out in my mind:

1. We can be self-defeaters

2. Your past should not be in front of you

3. Confidence is based on your relationship with God

If I wallow in the predictions that the economy looks less optimistic this year than before, then I will think that and believe it. If I buy into the notion that this year is off to a bad start because I heard of the first murder and someone setting fires to property that people worked hard to buy, then I will feel depressed and adopt the attitude that this year is really off to a bad start.

I am certainly not naïve to the fact that this year will present some very positive things, and along with it, there will be some challenges. However, I will not mull over the adversity as much as I will keep my focus on what God has divinely designed and has in store for me and for us. I am not insensitive to the tragic things that are happening around me, because we all have and will face tragedy at some point and time in our lives.

So in spite of the not-so-great news on this first day, there was the first birth of the new year, the excitement of the people who celebrated the new year all around the world and the fact that I was blessed and able to rise and see a brand new day that I never witnessed before. That is hope! That is my start, my “good” start to a brand new year!

Is it time to Reinvent Yourself?

“The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

On January 1, we celebrated the first day of our new 2011 calendar year. Do you realize that every day we are blessed to be alive, it is the first day of a brand new year for us? I think this is reason alone to celebrate the gift of life every day we have breath in our bodies.

When we find ourselves becoming monotonous and lackluster in some aspect of our lives, we must do something to rekindle the pep in our step and the glide in our stride! While it is easy to be trapped in a sea of despair and discouragement, we have to snap out of it by doing something to reignite our passion to inspire, dazzle and live! Trials and tribulations have a way of wearing us out, ripping us apart, or trying to destroy us completely. There is so much that we have no control over, but you will be surprised by the amount of things that we can control. These things may not always be tangible, but spiritual. Sometimes this is easier said than done when you find yourself in a situation where it seems like there is just no way out. You try everything possible, but it seems like circumstances keep pushing you back further and punches you into a TKO (Technical Knock Out). Yet, when things seem to continue piling up against you, especially when you try to do everything right, don’t give up. Our valley experiences propel us to grow! To understand how this works, we may never quite grasp the process of how this is done. Instead of becoming bitter, we must get busy. Instead of just existing, you should broaden your horizons and live!

Reinventing yourself is not about creating a façade, but about revitalizing what exists to thwart the imprisonment of obscurity. Reinventing yourself is about self-improvement, not self-exploitation or self-idolization. Reinventing yourself is simply about making a better you through wiser choices, as opposed to the same old, same old!

When you look at a glass containing nothing, do you see it empty or as an opportunity? Stop surrounding yourself with the forces of negativity, for they will shut you down just when you least expect it. If we catch ourselves spewing out venomous attacks towards others just because, then we need to get ourselves in check and stop it. If we find ourselves always tearing down instead of building up, then change your tune.

Even with the marketing strategies that organizations put into place to promote their business, they must frequently examine their plans with their current trend, to keep themselves alive, fresh, competitive and updated. If they fail to do so, they can easily fall off the grid into a hole of obsolescence. That would create corporate suicide.

Under normal circumstances, people quickly become bored with the mundane and obscure. Is it time for a new career? Is it time to go back to school and get your degree or certification? Is it time to update your wardrobe? Is it time to seek out new opportunities in something you are passionate about? Is it time to enhance your knowledge by learning something new to teach and empower others? Is it time for a new attitude, perspective or approach? Is it time to lose weight and get healthier? Is it time to get rid of the clutter and overabundance that is creating stress and chaos in your life? Is it time to let go of anyone or anything that is trying to stunt your growth? Is it time to reinvent yourself?

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