Mick's up with the Positive

Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive:

Debbie Downer, Negative Nellie, Gloomy Gus, or however they are affectionately known by you, they are there.  We’ve  all heard them, and we’ve all been them at one time or another.

Good news!  This is the month to set them free! 

These poor souls don’t need to be shackled by their misery any more. 

Why? 

It’s Positive Attitude Month!

Encouragement:  

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” (C. S. Lewis)

Do you wonder if you are considered successful?  Take some advice from author/poet Maya Angelou, as she reassures us, “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

Are you feeling like you’re stuck or too stressed with all that you’re trying to accomplish, take some advice from Chris Brown of Stewardship.com (host of the podcast Chris Brown’s True Stewardship).  He encourages, “Getting distracted? Happening often? Go back to the mission. Go back to your goals. Go from there.” 

He also reminds us, “Joy is rooted in our hearts, not our circumstances.  So we get to choose joy, because it’s a product of who we are, not where we are.”

As we grow, we have the opportunity to gain wisdom, and then with that wisdom, improve our character.  Well-known poet, Robert Frost, puts it beautifully, when he says, “Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.”

Challenge:  One Day with No Complaints  

Yowzers.  Have you ever tried that?  It’s not easy.  The Stewardship Team at Stewardship.com authors the blog article by the same name as the aforementioned challenge.  They encourage us with the thought, “Control what you can, even if the only thing you manage to change is your attitude.”  Ask yourself how you really feel.  Then mean what you say.

Remember, the most difficult battle you will face today is with yourself.  So, give yourself a break.

Your attitude adjustment just might be the only thing that helps you survive in this world of stress.  When you’re surrounded by others who haven’t gotten the message yet about Positive Attitude Month, keep smiling.  ;)  We can’t make people change.  As Andrew Carnegie says, “You cannot push anyone up the ladder, unless he is willing to climb.”

Parting Thoughts:  

Most importantly, remember who you are!  Better yet, remember whose you are.  You are a child of God!

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” 

Philippians 4:8

It's a Springtime Mick's up with the Sweet Tooth

Now that the holidays and the worst of winter are over, you might be wanting to find ways to avoid sugar while still satisfying your sweet tooth.

Springtime can be a difficult season to set this goal, especially if you are looking to fill Easter baskets. 

Now's the time for your creative juices to get flowing!  Who says baskets need to be filled with candy? 

Well, OK, if you insist on those sweets, then try some alternatives.  No, I'm not saying look at "sugar-free" candies.  That label does not always mean "healthy."  Avoiding neurotoxins is just as important as avoiding sugar, for those of us who want to be at the top of our game, thinking clearly, working productively, and improving our overall quality of life. 

Have you heard of Xylitol?  There are plenty of sweets made with this sugar alternative. 

Try some healthier candy

Some places to look:

Dr. Johns Candies

Xlear Candies    

This Spring, as everything around us becomes new, enjoy exploring a fresh, new world of alternative candies and Easter time fun!

The angel said to the women,

“Do not be afraid,

for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.

He is not here; he has risen, just as he said."

Matthew 28:5-6 (NIV)

Wait! What? Mick's up with a Fad?

Those who know me know that I do not like to go with the norm... not punk style... just unique.  If something is a fad, I stay far, far away.  

Recently, I was chuckling at my kidderz and their uniquenesses.  They don't purposely do things to rebel against society, or at least I don't think they do.  It's just part of them.  

What do you think of as a pasttime for a nice winter day?

For example, one unseasonably warm and gorgeous day this winter, my son said, "I'm going to go string up my hamock."  He was curious at my amusement.  What struck me so funny is that I don't know anyone else who would think, "go string up my hamock," when saying, "what a beautiful day it is."  Some may want to go lay in their hamock, but to him, the "hike" accompanied by the process of stringing up a hamock is the attraction.  

Similarly, I like the adventure of being my own person.  Tell me I'm following some trend, and I actually take it as an insult.  

That's why my heart was saddened when it finally hit me that I'm doing a typical thing for people my age... the over-forty crowd.  We've lived (and eaten) the way we want to for quite a few years (most-likely because we've gotten married and comfortable), and now we woke up to the fact that we won't live forever.

It becomes a time of looking seriously at taking care of ourselves, to improve our quality of life, to "be there" for our kidderz and grandkidderz, to ward off chronic disease and the "c" word, and to look better and feel better about ourselves.  

                      Those of you who have started this change early in life... 

                   Good on ya!  

                      It's best to start early and kick all the bad habits 

                    before they become so ingrained that you feel like 

                    you've punished yourself for the life you lived.  

                      For those of you who are closer to my age
                     (and maybe even in an older generation)... 

                  Don't think it's too late!  

                     The way we've lived in the past does not have to be who we are.  

                     (That goes for spiritual lives, as well as the physical and mental.)  

                     It doesn't have to define us.  

Oops.  A pep talk popped in.  

Now, back to the fad idea.

As you can tell from the above statement, "it finally hit me," I was not in this health kick for the trendiness.  It was to be a lifestyle change to improve my hubby's quality of life (and as a bonus, my own) and teach my kidderz the better way to live and the right choices to make.  However, the fact that some people look at it as a fad has discouraged us as a family.  We are now working our way back to what we know to be truth and health.  

Please don't let this be a passing fad for you.  Please don't just be "in a phase" at this particular point in life.  

Realize how important it really is, if you want to be the best you can be for your family, for God, for your friends, for your employer, for keeping your job, and for yourself.  

Don't worry.  We won't be part of a fad for long.  It'll blow away eventually, but we know what really works, and we'll be all the healthier and stronger for it.  We might not be "in style" any more, but we'll be wiser.  

In the words of Dave Ramsey:  

"Live like no one else,

so that later you can live like no one else!"

~

“Enter through the narrow gate. 

For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, 

and many enter through it. 

But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, 

and only a few find it."

Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)