Your Future Starts in the Present

Happy New Year! I realize we are 29 days into 2012, and many have already set their New Year’s Resolutions declaring what will be different this year. I have done the same, but one difference is that I am taking ownership of my present. To envision a different future is to concede that your present is not the way you want it to be.

I’ve been taking inventory this month of the things that I would like to change. I then started to pray about the areas in my life that I want to look different. I must confess that the areas in which I need great improvement are numerous, and unfortunately I’m not Superwoman – I cannot do everything all at once. I’m deciding where to start and I will start on that one thing.

Often times we try to do everything all at once, when studies show (http://www.inc.com/ilya-pozin/7-things-highly-productive-people-do.html) that we are less productive when we multitask. I’ve decided to stop multitasking (although I still haven’t quite gotten into the habit of turning the t.v. off when I’m working at home!) and focus on one thing at a time in the hopes of being more productive. I’m applying this same strategy to changing various areas in my life. I expect to give more time to one thing at a time for the 28 or so days it will take to form new habits.

28 days – the magic number. If we invest time NOW, then our FUTURE will be different. Time is a commodity just like money, and how you spend will reflect in your lifestyle and quality of life LATER. Your present will not always look that way it looks today. If your present is not what you want it to be, ACCEPT that fact humbly. Give yourself the GRACE to make the changes so your present will be the VISION that you see in your mind. Your future starts in the present – it starts TODAY!

BEYU

In August I visited a local café called Beyu (bee - you) caffé to chat about my life with a good friend. What a message in the name of that café – BE YOU! How often do we find ourselves doing things we really don’t feel like doing to make others happy?

We tell ourselves that we are showing or giving our “love” or friendship when we are really causing ourselves to be tired and sometimes resentful of our friends and family. Why is it so hard for us to say no?

Maybe we are “people pleasing,” or seeking approval or feel like the world will fall apart if we are anything less than superman or superwoman. Perhaps we just enjoy seeing people happy – even if making them happy makes us uncomfortable sometimes. Regardless of why we do what we do, every now and then, you just need to Do YOU!

Spend some time with God, mediate, take yourself shopping, buy yourself dinner, take yourself out and spend all day at home in your pajamas if you want to. When we “do” for ourselves, we rejuvenate and recharge to help others. There is nothing selfish about it. For a healthy you just BEYU!

Newsfeed … December 25, 2011 … 2,011 Likes

On holidays or “Holy Days” we tend to reflect on the meaning of the said “Holy Day.” Today is Christmas, and we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the son of God, who was born of a virgin, died for the sin of the people in the world and was resurrected on the third day after His crucifixion. Today we celebrate His coming into the world. We know this because the Gospels tell us what happened – 2,000 years later.

At the time of Jesus’ is birth, news traveled a little slower than today in 2011. Messages were sent via messengers on horseback, camel-hump or by ship. They even ran marathons or sent pigeons with pertinent information. It could take days, weeks or even months for information to arrive to populations around the world or in various kingdoms. 

Today, we are accustomed to instantaneous information via the television, radio, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, instant messaging and other internet mediums. What would have happened if Jesus were born in the age of the internet?

The social stigma Mary received for being pregnant and unwed would have not been as taboo, and the Wise Men would have flown to Bethlehem.  BUT what if Mary & Joseph had Facebook? What would their “newsfeed” look like?

If Mary & Joseph had Facebook…

Early in the morning

Have you ever gotten to the end of your day and wondered what happened to the day? You’re wondering how 6 p.m. came so soon and why you didn’t do the 10 things you set out to do that day. When we wake up, our minds are generally clear and we often times decide to “save the world” that day – or if not the world then at least give our “to do” list a good striking through. Then something happens. The seconds turn into minutes, minutes turn into hours, the evening arrives and we’ve done nothing. Not a thing on our list is checked off. We didn’t save the world, and we didn’t save anything in our personal lives. How do we stop this viscous cycle?

I’ve heard many people advise that “early in the morning” is when we should pray, meditate, read, workout and take time for the important things in our lives. I have been resistant to this creed for a few things. While I meditate, pray and spend quiet time with God, I haven’t gotten my head around exercising or reading or some of the other things that I am too tired to do in the evening. Now that it is dark outside in the early morning, I especially loathe getting up because psychologically for me, it is still “night time.” What’s the solution? SUCK IT UP!

If I constantly create excuses as to why I can’t get up and do what I say I want to do, then clearly I don’t want to do those things “bad enough.” We create time for what is important – even if the time is in the wee hours of the morning. Early in the morning, our minds & spirits are fresh (even if our breath isn’t!) and our bodies are poised to do great things. 

There is a woman whom I greatly admire who had three children, and she found the time to get up, spend time with God in prayer and study time, exercise, lose 20+ pounds, keep her household running and work full-time while being an awesome mom. If you have excuses, look around in your life for someone who has all the excuses in the world, but still finds a way to make it happen. Maybe you can glean some inspiration from them. There is a special blessing for those who decide to start their day early in the morning…

Butterflies

Today is a very special day for families in the U.S. Today is “el día de acción de gracias¨ or a day to give thanks. There is a story about Pilgrims and Native Americans that apparently started the tradition and here we are centuries later still going. While it´s great to set a day aside to “remember” to be thankful, it is my hope that we make a daily practice of expressing our gratitude every day for life, health, family, friends, food, clothing, shelter and a million other things that God has allowed to be present in our lives. Gratefulness – not entitlement should be the order of the day – 365 days of the year.

Today, I was inspired by a t.v. show (yes, a t.v. show) that shall remain nameless. The writers used the metaphor of butterflies and how it is God’s proof that second chances exist. While I agree, butterflies are a symbol of so much more. They are beautiful by almost anyone’s standards, but they did not start that way.

Butterflies started off as worms – yes, caterpillars are worms. They crawl on the ground, searching for food and are at the mercy of numerous predators. Their vibrant colors provide some protection, and after some time, they stop feeding and start to morph. They become dormant, immobile and “rest” in a hard shell while they are morphing. They are actually are quite ugly during this metamorphosis. Finally the changes on the inside start affecting the outside, and they “hatch.” They break through the rough exterior and emerge as gorgeous butterflies, and live a full, life (sometimes a week or a year depending on the species) blessing us humans with their beauty.

Why am I talking about butterflies? I thank God for His butterflies. Their journey from “wormdom” to being the most beautiful flying insect is an example of the change God can work inside of us. He can give us an entirely new life – make a new creation if we would just do what we were born to do, and let Him have His way inside of us. The change will eventually reflect on the outside, and we will bless the world with the beauty He has created. I am grateful that there are second chances with God! :^) THANK YOU, Lord!!!