sunday-thoughts-1024x682 5 Steps to Nurture your Mind and Spirit in The New Year
 

 Pray and learn to meditate

It is said that praying is talking to God and meditation is listening to God.  Even if it is just an attitude of gratitude that you could offer each day and stop to think about all that is good in you life at that moment.  Start with 5 minutes a day and build from there.  You could pray for the needs of people, animals, and places you see. 
I like to begin and end my day with prayer and meditation and then take some time to sit still and quiet my mind.  It is often in these times I get great ideas or encouragement to meet certain goals I am yearning for.  Be ready to receive God’s love and direction for your life.  It is by God’s grace that we get everything forgiveness, good ideas, and the power to do good works, everything is a gift from God. Daily reflections, prayer, and gratitude will awaken the mind and widen the eyes and the heart.

 

Set fitness goals.   

Whether it is to lose weight, add muscle, improve mental clarity, prevent disease, or just to feel better we all can agree that daily exercise should be a priority.  Do not let the excuses creep in.  I schedule my workout right into our family calendar.

Another thing you could do is tell your spouse your workout plan for the week.  This will help you stick to it or get a workout partner so you know someone is depending on you.  These ideas may all motivate you a bit more.  You can make your workouts as hard or easy as you want to but  JUST DO IT! Ask any doctor, chiropractor, or any health care professional and they will agree that exercise is key to good health and longevity.

 

Have a vision

Use your imagination to think up all that you can and want to be. Make a vision board.  Use old magazines and clip and cut all the things you need and want in your life.  For example; find a picture of that new car you want and paste it on.  In need of cash? Paste on some play money. Want to be happier/more positive? Then paste on different pictures of people smiling and laughing, and paste on positive sayings and thoughts you would like to focus on.  I think you get it. 
Your vision board is personal to you.  Once you are finished put it up in a spot you will look at every day.  Visualization is a powerful tool in reaching your goals. Review your vision board daily and visualize all that you want and need in your life.  See it and believe it in your mind and of course do the work.  This is truly the secret of getting what you want in your life.  The law of attraction simply says that you attract into your life whatever you think about, good or bad!  

 

Get happy!  

According to Dr. Oz happiness blockers include perfectionism, materialism, and entitlement.  We need to avoid these pitfalls and strive for change.  If you boost your happiness you can live a longer and healthier life.  Getting and staying happy leads to lowering your risk for heart disease and cancer and even adding years onto your life. Happy people produce less of the stress hormone cortisol, which can age your body before its time.

Happiness is simply being full of positive emotions.  These include gratitude, hope, love and passion.  We need to try to evoke these types of emotions on a daily basis.   Smile, hug your loved ones A LOT, get outside in the natural daylight, and eating healthy are all simple ways to get happy.  Listening to music is also a huge mood booster!

 

Give with your words and give from your heart                                               

It is in total self-giving nowhere else that we experience peace and joy.  I heard this somewhere and it really stuck with me.  Applying this to every day life can be tricky in our busy schedules but we must make the effort when we can.  We don’t have to attempt to save the world but look for everyday real life small ways to give.   Maybe it is a phone call to a loved one, babysitting for someone in a rut, cooking dinner for a new mother, or sending a sympathy card or a thank you card to an unexpected recipient.   Try to do something every day. The concept is giving without any alternative motives.  Giving from the heart with love. 
Remember too that our choice of words and language are very powerful.  Straight from pastor Joel Osteen, “look beyond faults.  Everybody needs somebody to believe in them.  Some people have lost their purpose.  With our words we can help people.  Speak vision into people and tell them what they can become.  God calls on us to call out seeds of greatness.”  With children instead of telling them what they are doing wrong or labeling them – tell them what they are good at.  Work with them and honor them.  Whether its kids or adults try to make your choice of words come from a place of love and encouragement. 
Take the time and try to do just 1 or all 5 of these tips in the New Year and either way you are headed on a positive journey.           Happy New Year Friends!!!!!!