Monday Attitude Check

Just a friendly reminder...

ME23: 6 Steps to Turn Your Resolutions into Your Revolution (Part 1)

Happy New Year! 

Welcome to 2016 AND ME23 - my new 6-week blog series

Are you bored with resolutions and ready to experience a personal REVOLUTION? Good!

For the next six weeks, I'm going to share a wisdom key from an age-old classic - Psalm 23 (New Living Translation Version). Each of the six verses in this psalm carries a simple principle that can set you up for success from the inside out. Each week, I'll break each principle down for you so that it's easily understandable and immediately applicable. Some of the series will be in regular blog post style and some will be in the form of a short video to help me more effectively illustrate certain points. But rest assured, it's going to be an experience that will lift you above your circumstances and into the realm of the PROMISED and the POSSIBLE.

Let's do this!

"The Lord is MY shepherd, I have ALL that I need."

Psalm 23:1 NLT

Principle #1: Celebrate Your Dependence 

"Sisters are Doing it for Themselves"

"I'm Every Woman"

"Girl on Fire"

I could go on and on listing the titles of great songs to pump you up with superwoman empowerment. As a post-modern woman, you're probably used to being cheered on to be fiercely independent; to look within to find your power - and rightly so. 

But the reality is that there is a power much greater than anything you could ever muster up on your own, and if you don't (or won't) accept this fact, you'll always be working against yourself.

Now, I've got nothing against New Year's resolutions. As a matter of fact, I'm a big fan of goals and planning. But every great and lasting change always starts with a revolution - a challenge to the status quo. 

The challenge I put before you today is to acknowledge, first and foremost, that

WITHOUT GOD, YOU CAN DO NOTHING

(John 15:5)

If you're a Christian, this seems almost redundant... a no-brainer. But be honest. How many times have you stressed yourself out because you failed to keep this in mind? 

Time out for bearing needless pain, girlfriend! If you want to get set up for true, lasting success, it starts with this singular admission. This is the foundation to everything you will ever be in life.

Declare your dependence upon your Creator. Throw all your cares on God. He can take it. It's nothing to be embarrassed about either. No one's keeping score (even if they act like they were hired to do so). 

You are His intricate and exquisitely unique creation. Only He has the blueprint to develop and lead you toward your authentic self. Don't get so wrapped up in day-to-day details that you neglect to engage your divine connection.

What's the Takeaway?

STOP trying to do it all, know it all, and be it all. Relinquish your need to control everything and everybody, and tap into God's ample supply of grace (pure, unconditional love that provides what you could never deserve).

Action Step

START becoming God-inside-minded and declare your blessed DEPENDENCE. Post this visual reminder at your desk, on your bathroom mirror, your refrigerator door, the dashboard in your car, or whatever you lay your eyes on everyday: 

"Let go. You can rest now. God's got this!"

Whatever you need, whatever you think you don't already have, you'll find it when you commit to trading your pressure for His presence. That's where you'll get your right mind back. That's when clarity comes, peace prevails, and creativity begins to flow freely.

Sound too good to be true? Don't knock it if you haven't tried it. 

Leave me a comment and tell me how putting this week's ME23 principle into action is helping you.

Until next week...

No Room for Regrets

Hey There D-Viners!

How's life treating you? Better yet, how are you treating life?

If you're struggling to get over guilt, shame, or even finding it hard to let go of a good memory to make room for a better one, let these wise words inspire you. No regrets. You've got better waiting for you!

P. S. I've been in the throws of getting our college freshman situated at her new school, so travel plus other miscellaneous mommy duties have taken priority lately. However, I am happy to report that I stayed true to my exercise regimen, even while I was out of town. That's a milestone I'm very pleased about! Stay tuned. I'll be updating you on my latest health & fitness victories next week.

Stay Blessed!

What's Your Frame of Mind?

Hey there all!

I know.... Once again it's taken me a "minute" to post something new. But bear with me and please extend me your supportive grace. I'm still transitioning into the information age you know. However, I do promise to keeping sending encouraging and motivational highlights to you, and you'll be happy to know that my blog will now be updated bi-weekly, starting TODAY!

And now - for today's topic...

Have you ever heard the phrase "It depends on your frame of mind"? I was recently pondering this and had an a-ha! moment. How exactly do we "frame" our minds?

Consider the purpose of a frame. The frame we use for pictures protects the photo inside, while also providing directing attention to what's actually in the photo. Hmmmm...

The frame of house is the very thing that keeps it standing, no matter what's happening on the outside. Hmmmmm...

See where I'm going with this? Well, it stands to reason that there are two important factors involved in this thing called "framing": focus and foundation. So what frames our minds? Those things we're focusing on, which are ultimately derived from our foundational thoughts. Check out this example:

Foundational Thought

"I don't think I'll ever get out of all this debt!"

Focus

Overdue bills, calls from bill collectors

Frame Produced

Worry, Doubt, Fear, Depression

Now let's flip it-

Foundational Thought

"My debt is huge, but my God is greater. He will provide for all of my needs and make my name great!"

Focus

God's promises, present blessings, new opportunities

Frame Produced

Joy, Hope, Encouragement, Peace

See how that works?

The Word of God should be the foundation of EVERY believer (see Luke 4:4). But let's be honest. Many of us haven't exactly made "hiding the Word" in our hearts a daily practice - and as a result, we easily allow our minds to be influenced on things that are depleting instead of completing. It's not just about committing words to memory, but it's about keeping those words alive and active in our thought bank. It's about making it a point to meditate on them and say them out loud to eventually override our struggling belief system. Once that happens - and it can - we will focus more on what we BELIEVE (what God says) and less on what we FEEL and SEE. That's the point at which the power of God really manifests itself to us.

Remember, God generates love toward us. In response to His love, we generate faith in Him. Faith generates hope on the inside of our hearts. Our hearts represent the seedbed of our mind, will, and emotions. Once our hearts are filled with hope, it spills over into our words. "Out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks." - Luk. 6:45 ESV

Ready for the challenge? Come on! It'll be worth it.

I invite you (along with me) to venture into the practice of Custom Framing your mind for the next couple of weeks. And to get us kicked off, here's some wise counsel from the Apostle Paul:

Philippians 4:8 (The Message)

8-9Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

See ya in two weeks (I promise)!

-Tracy