Do You Want Each Day to Count? Really Count.

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~The Mighty Mississippi River~

This photo was taken the week before I launched

My Written Thoughts Blog.

My husband was in a business meeting so I stayed in the hotel taking notes and writing down the blueprints for my soon-to-be website.

This beautiful place is the birthplace of my blog.

This is where it all began.

 After a long day – locked up in our room planning and preparing, I walked across the street and stood on the banks of the river to get some fresh air.

I admired – with peace and reverence – the profound majesty of God’s undeniable artistry.

I decided to share this beautiful photograph with you. 

It’s one of my favorite places on earth.

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Guess who I decided to write about today?  YOU.

When we make resolutions on New Year’s Eve or on our Birthday, we usually list big-time, wholesale changes to our behavior over long periods of time.

Here are a few minor tweaks which are easy-to-read and most importantly, easy-to-implement.

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(1)  Look at each day as 1/365 of a year.

Set yourself up for small wins and quick successes.

Rather than saying – from this birthday on, I vow to exercise everyday for at least 30 minutes and never eat salt, refined sugar, or white flour again… for the rest of my life.  You feel like an abject failure if you miss the mark for a day.

Just win today.   “Today, I promise myself to exercise for 30 minutes.”

(2)  Live an Authenticated Life.

I know. I know.  This is an overused phrase…  But here’s a new written thought.

When you make an effort to live an authentic lifestyle, you will naturally gravitate toward people who enrich your life.

And, you will seek the company of people who value YOU.  People who send signals that YOU are important and a priority in their lives.

Whether it’s a new job, a new start-up company, or even a new blog, they will call to encourage and cheer your every, new endeavor as if it were their own.

They respond to you quickly, if not, immediately.

You will be drawn to folks who add to your life and inspire you…to be the Best YOU.

(3)  Be Consciously Thankful Daily.

Yes, even on rotten days when nothing seems to go your way, study your Gratitude Board (Last Monday’s post on the Attitude of Gratitude.)

A few times a week, I like to go to Prayer Chapel.

And one day a week, I make a point to ask for nothing…but give thanks for everything.

In fact, the business partners (who met with my husband the day the above photo was taken) are named along with their spouses during chapel visits as our huge blessings for which we are most thankful.

(4)  Give Away (something) Daily.

‘Something’ is the operative word.

It could be an acknowledgement or a compliment to someone who feels unnoticed or unimportant.

A supermarket gift card to someone who just lost their job – and to avoid awkwardness or embarrassment, reassure them that in no time, they will be in a position to pay it forward.

Donate an hour a week to tutor an under-resourced child in a family where there is no room in the budget for extras.

Being a Dedicated Daily Giver will change…your life… and the entire world.  (The Butterfly Effect)

(5)  Love Yourself.  Forgive Yourself.

Practice loving who you are today.  Sure, there are traits you may wish to change.  But you can still love yourself right now.

Practice forgiving yourself for not being Perfect. 

You can’t control the external, critical comments, but you can certainly control your internal message.

The most beautiful people in the world allow their self-acceptance to shine through.

Being kind and considerate to yourself is truly the best brand of cosmetics, and it’s an inexpensive face-lift.

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I can’t believe it was Mid-March when I was standing adjacent to the Mississippi River nervous about launching My Written Thoughts.

Since March 23rd, I have loved sending articles to you each weekday.

Hoping that each day in your life counts…really counts for goodness for you and for those around you.

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I’d like to give you a sneak preview to our week.

As promised, there will be a post to add to our Dyslexia Series and as always, we will end our week with our Friday Inspirational message.

I was surprised and excited to see how well-received The Mountain was…the story about my husband.

We’re going to have a good week together.  Talk tomorrow.