Author Archives: deaconesse51

The meaning I found for target says a person, object or place selected as the aim of attack. So alrighty, then my question is am on a projection to hit my targets? Goals, target you with me?

I can share with you today that so far this eleventh day of the year, finds me striving to hit my targets. I am still reading my Bible daily. I am listing every morning three things I am grateful for. I am continuing to write Every day in Every way I am getting better and better.

I can tell you that the first week, I worked out at home and did not make it up in time to get to the gym. So I analyzed my game plan to help me hit the target. What would help me get up and get it done? I still sit my clothes out the night before. I also moved the phone away from the side of the bed, so that I have to get all the way up to turn it off. I have been going to bed by 8:30 and that also seems to help. My gym workouts have been challenging to say the least. I will have to work hard to get back up to the weight I was lifting. Good thing muscle has memory.

I have also been much calmer. This is two fold, as I believe that starting my day with the Word of God has helped, and I also let the Dr give me something to help my agitation. I have found that when I start my day reading the Word, it helps me practice the pause. It also tells me to have a plan. Luke 14 :28 Is there anyone here who, planning to build a house does not sit down and figure the cost so you know if you will complete it. I believe this is true for anything that we plan on achieving we must put it on paper and count the costs.

I have also this week been reminded in Luke 6-11 to love my enemies and treat them well. This verse helped me to overcome anger and resentment many years ago. I was able to care for my step father, in he last years and in doing so forgave him. He was no longer the enemy. This set me free from that burden. We also read we must forgive to be forgiven, this also has helped me overcome the sin of unforgiveness. I also read if we listen and obey Jesus we will be on a strong foundation. Today in Luke 12-16 I read Worry does nothing to add to our life. I was able to use this just this morning in a conversation. This one is very hard to do, for me. I am getting better at it. I think we are guilty of giving our worries to God and then picking them back up.

I believe as I stay on target with my plans to accomplish my goals, and I continue to obey the Word of God I will reach my goals. He will open doors for me no man can close. He will also close doors that do not need to be open.

I wish I could say that I accomplish everything in my planner every day, but I do not. I can tell you I have accomplished a great deal of them with out anger, resentment or totally stressed out.

How about you all, are you working on hitting your target?

Reflect: think deeply or carefully about.

Well now who would have thought a little Facebook post would help add to my newest blog. I was already reflecting on the last year. Then a family member sent me this and it brought back some lovely memories and feelings. This picture reminds me of a happy time in my life. This was actually taken even before my little brother was born. I am not sure of the exact day, but it was before August 1975 I think. Long time ago. It arrived on the day I was reflecting on the year 2022. It triggered happy thoughts of a beloved and Aunt and Uncle who made me feel love. I can remember things like in a picture of them and my cousins who were quite older than myself. I remember feeling safe and having fun with all of them. My precious Aunt Honey is gone on to be with the Lord but the feelings of love and joy she brought me as a child and later as an adult will remain. I just wanted to include her today as I am focusing this week on the things that make me happy. Thank you to Amber who shared this with me.

As I took the time to reflect on the last year, I used my journals, calendar etc. to help me to reflect accurately. Listen to me hear reflect, see what worked and what did not work to get you closer to becoming the person you want to be. Do not stay there forever in the past just see what you can learn from it. For far too many years I stayed rooted in the past. You see after the above picture was taken, probably about five years after, my parents divorced and my life would change drastically. I will not give details but lets just say many of those changes turned me into a very bitter, hard cold person. The reason is because I continued looking back and blaming other. I refused to forgive I lacked compassion.

Now this woman, is confident, strong in my faith and though I am not perfect I am getting better every day in every way. It is a constant struggle. I will continue to carry on with the grace and forgiveness of my Heavenly Father.

These are things I have learned this year. I still have to work on being compassionate in some ways, I pray to have a heart more like Christ. I am doing my best to honor my Mother, I still take care of her well, but to be honest I am not always doing it sweetly. I still have a problem with my patience. I do trust the Lord and I know he will honor me for obeying his word and honoring her. He will also give me ways to be more patient, not so agitated. This is where I will need to practice the pause more and more.

My liver has been an issue for me this year. I am able to look back over my eating and drinking habits the last year and evaluate. I know what works for me and what does not. I want to be in excellent health so I now will be eating more lean protein and vegetables. I will not eat processed or high carb foods. I will limit the alcohol to an occasional glass of wine ( not several to cope with the stress of being a care giver. I will take the supplements that help the liver to reboot.

The journal reading also shows me I am too busy with extra things. They are not bad things they are helpful to others and I enjoy them. On reflecting on the year and the season I am in I know I must make adjustments and give up a few of those things. I am not giving them up completely just scaling back. I will not feel guilty or apologize for I know my mental health is as important as my physical health they go hand in hand.

My exercise regimen has stayed strong right up until November which is exactly where I got off track in 2021. I am starting the New Year by exercising at home with just body weight and bands. I will start back at the gym on Monday to add weights to my routine. When the holidays roll around in 2023 I will plan ahead to scale back so I do not feel like I am letting myself down. This past year I just stopped almost altogether. I will also stay the course with my clean eating and just say no.

I am still working on paying off debt. I was able to pay two bills off this past year. My goal for the coming year is to keep my pledges I made to the NTD Women. I realized I had forgotten to give my 2022 pledge, I was not able to make it at the end of the year. I have asked the Lord to forgive me and will make both last year and this year pledges this year. So many opportunities come to you when you tell yourself you will not spend any extra money but put it all to debt. I am also going to pay off 2 more credit cards. I almost caved first day out of the box. The Nicole Wilkins Challenge is about to start and I did not want to miss out. I can not completely do her challenges because of how I need to eat. I prayed about it and God helped me to not sign up. I have privately trained with one of her trainers in the past, but that will not help me reach my debt free goal at this time. Terri Savelle Foy also opened up her class, I so want to participate but the morning I was going to sign up, the website would not work for me. Boom another four hundred dollars towards debt. If it is God’s will I will take the class later.

The most important thing I realized during my reflections, I have let my time with the Lord be pushed aside. I decided to let my reading for this first quarter of 2023 be the Bible. I finished Matthew this morning. My prayer time and time in his word have helped me in all areas already in my daily life. I know this, I just let the worries and busyness of life get in the way. I was once again becoming the unkind, impatient mean girl I once was. I refused to do that.

I am going into this year not making resolutions, but looking at the end of 2023. Who do I want to be? What do I want to have accomplished? Why do I want these things?

I encourage you to do the same. It is all about reflecting on where you are and where you want to be. My word for 2023 is OBSESSED. Obsessed with being debt free, healthy, kind, patient and obedient.

MY MANTRA FOR THE YEAR: EVERY DAY IN EVERY WAY I AM GETTING BETTER AND BETTER!!!

I write this every day in my planner and in my journal. I pray you all do some reflecting of your own.

As I was driving in to work this morning, I was praying and just trying to figure out how I would find time to write and what I would write. I was thinking maybe I should join the this or that club that seems to be hitting Facebook a lot lately. Then it hit me that is a great title. I have plenty of material on this one.

Do I want a latte this morning (this) or do I want a Frappe(that)?

Wait maybe I want a black coffee(this) or an iced coffee(that)? Maybe hmm. I went with a cup of my super coffee with a splash of half and half.

I am thinking every day we are given the choice of this or that. Do I want to lay in bed(this) or get up and get things done(that)? Do I want to be nice to my co-workers (this) or throw things at them( that)? That is just a joke, I do not throw things at others

I can read my Bible(this)or I can watch tv (that). I can be kind to a stranger (this) or I can ignore those around me(that). I can complain that I have to do laundry(this) or I can be grateful I have clothes to wash (that). You might be entertained to know this thought just crossed my mind as I ran out of time doing the laundry last night. My first thought was great more laundry. I am proud to say I didn’t voice that, something in my spirit said thank you Lord that I have clothes to wash.

I can choose to be angry, stressed, etc. (this) or I can choose positivity, happiness and peace (that).

All day long I can choose this or that, the thing I must remind myself is to slow down long enough to remember I have a choice. We all have a choice. We can not always choose what our this or that is, but we can choose how we will respond to the this or that. So, I am writing today mostly for myself. A reminder that on the days I am so overwhelmed with life, the work, taking care of my Mom, cleaning the house, etc. etc. etc. I can either complain and be a Debby downer or I can be grateful that I have a job I have been blessed with for 23 years. I still have my Mom here, so many others do not. I can be grateful I do have a house to clean.

I can choose to believe that Christ died for my sins, and live a life that represents him or I can deny him and live any way I so choose. I choose to believe he came to this life to save me. I choose to believe he has plans to prosper and not harm me. I wish I never stumbled, but I know I do. I am forever grateful I am a daughter of the one true King and he forgives me and gives me mercy and grace.

So today I choose to walk in his presence and believe that if he called me to do it then he will equip me to do it.

Be Blessed!

This is a picture of what my current mood could be if I allowed it. This week things just seem to be a little on the dark side. I have had to come to terms with some people just have black ugly hearts. I am grateful that my Jesus has a white pure heart and that he gives me hope for my tomorrow.

I can not seem to escape the ugly this week. I have a very close family friend who is under attack from someone, someone I know. I can not believe this person has gone to the extreme that they have to cause chaos. Oh wait a minute, yes, yes I can. The world is full of those kinds of people. I have experienced it first hand. I did not really have words of advice for this situation. I just said I will pray for you and this situation. I did say now you see why I do not allow these type of people in my life. I do not want the drama. So I choose to keep my distance from certain people. I pray and ask God for discernment. I choose to live a quiet life.

I will still try to help others when I can but not at the expense of my sanity or my own family. We are told to love one another and to help our fellow man. We are also told to ask God for wisdom and he will give it to us.

I am learning to speak less and listen and observe more. Some people may consider me a bit standoffish and I suppose I am at times. I do know that if a person is quick to talk bad about a so called friend, then they will also do the same to me behind my back. I do not want to ever be that kind of friend. I would hope that none of us would want to be that friend. It is a sad person who has to make other people look or feel bad to make themselves feel better. I am learning to talk to the Lord before deciding if I trust this person or that person. It is very hard to know a friend from an enemy if you are not careful.

I believe we should always have a kind heart and treat others as we would want to be treated. I hope dear reader that if you are the person that tears others down to build yourself up, you will turn to God and he will help you become more like him.

There is never a shortage of things in this world to anger us, everyday another child is hurt or killed by those they love, tragedy seems to surround us at times. It is up to us to focus on the good and beautiful in this world.

The laughter of our little ones. The beauty of the sun, the trees and flowers. The kindness of a stranger. The lunch with a friend. A perfect cup of coffee. The beauty of silence. The grandchild that runs up so happy to see you after a long day. An intriguing story that holds your attention and expands your imagination.

So you see I am choosing to look to and at the beauty around me. I will pray for those who suffer the darkness. I will put boundaries in place while not putting back up the walls that used to surround my black heart. I will continue to put my faith in the unseen, and strive toward a white heart like Christ. I know for me it is not easy, the cares of this life can sometimes be overwhelming. It only overwhelms me if I allow it to. I refuse to, so my intent today is to focus only on the good and bring a bright light to my little dark cloud until it exists no more.

I encourage you, to focus on the good in this life. Be kind to everyone around you. There will be times you must stand your ground, but please do so with a good heart, strong but kind.

Tiny muscle great power!!

James 3 1-12, these verses are on how we should try to control out tongue. How true is it that this is a very hard thing for us to do? Well at least it is me. Blessings and curses both come so easily at times, which leads right back to a divided heart, does it not? It can either cause division or bring unity. Oh how to have the power to control the tongue. I am a work in progress, striving daily to do better. It is not easy case in point Tuesday I was reading and praying and studying the word, I left the house and was in a great mood. Suddenly, a big truck carrying of all things, new cars pulled right out in front of many of us that were going 70 mph. My first reaction was not a nice one, but thank the Lord I swallowed it down and did not let it pass my lips. Now guess what every big truck on the road pulled out in front of us that particular morning. All I can say good thing I had Jesus with me or those old familiar ugly words would have taken control.

James 3 13-18 We learn that we are wise and understand God’s way of life, we will live a life of good deeds. We do not need to brag on our own actions. We must let go of selfish ambition and jealousy. It does not say we should not be ambitious, we just should not only be trying to one up someone. Our ambition should be to live a life that brings honor and glory to God. Wisdom that God gives is peace, loving, gentle and willing to yield. It is sincere and shows no partiality. My own opinion here is that we should be all these things, however I do not think this at all means we are to let others run us over and use us as door mats. Even Jesus had times he would take a stand for what was right.

James 4

Sometimes we do not get what we ask God for because we ask with the wrong motives. It also say we can not be friends with the world and friends with God. I know that the world has all the pretty shiny things but I believe if we honor God and not give in to the things of this world, he will still give us numerous treasures and joy here as well. Do not succumb to sinful desires, we must resist and the Devil and as we do we will grow stronger. We must tell Jesus we can not do it alone. Remember, he has already sent the Spirit to help us stand strong. Abide, Draw close to and be in pursuit of Jesus.

11-12

Do not be criticizing others, only God should do this. This one is very hard for me. I can be quite critical. Who knew? I have decided that most people do the best they can at the the time. Not everyone is like me, maybe they never heard the name of Jesus or truly and a heart to heart talk with him. He has also reminded me lately, my life was not always built on him and though I am forgiven I was once someone who did not handle life very well. It handled me. I did not live a life that honored God.

13-17 Do not be so sure of your own planning. Be sure you bring it before God first. None of us are promised tomorrow. I know this all to well. You never know when your last time to see someone or speak with them will be, so be careful of your words. Oh this last verse Ouch:

Remember, it is a sin to know what you ought to do and not do it.

Lord I pray that you help us all to learn to control our tongues, to turn to you when it is wisdom we seek. Help us to live a life that brings you honor.

Be blessed my friends!!

Good Morning! I attended a wonderful retreat over the weekend and did a lot of reflecting on life at the current moment. I wanted to get back to what I call my basics. The word of God. That is right, a lot of my sharing has to do with improving ourselves and we should do that. I have a read a number of books by different life coaches and they all have great material and help in them. Guess what, almost all of the success principals are found in the word of God, they just put their own spin on them.

I realized I was spending more time reading those books than spending time with the Lord. Hmm wonder why I was having such a hard time getting on track with life. You know that irritability was rising and I just could not seem to get it all done. I have put a lot of what I have learned from all the coaches, books and the Bible into action and they have helped but something was missing. My time alone with the Lord. Really alone with just he and I and the Word. In the quiet no worship music, kids, tv or people needing me to do one more thing. So this week I have been determined to start my days with just myself, Coffee, the word and Jesus. So far so good. I count Sunday as my first day of the week.

In my Spirit, I have been led and not had time to study the Book of James. Then my friend Mike had some words for us from the book of James. I will also add that James us my Pastor Doostyn’s favorite book in the bible.

This week, before my beloved gym time I am taking the time to dive into the book of James. I would like to share with you, what is on my heart after spending time in Chapter 1 & Chapter 2. Do not worry I am not going to put all the verses in here, I pray you read them yourself and reflect perhaps you can share with me you insight as well.

Now to start with he seems a bit crazy does he not? I mean it is so easy to count it all joy when we go through trials in this life. I mean who can do that? It is not easy for any of us, however if we do make it through in hindsight we can see that the Lord was preparing us to live a life of faith.

We find that if we ask God for wisdom he will give it to us. We cannot be a divided mind or heart. Make a decision and go with it. Now you can do that without consulting God, but I have learned it is much better to go to him first, not quite so painful as doing it my own way.

God does not change he is good. His plan for us is also good, how many times in life have I endured a rough time, not because of God but because I chose to follow what was shiny and fun right now without even considering him. I am thankful he is a forgiving God!

Here is some more lovely words I am still working on,. Being quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to become angry. I wish I could say this has happened for me in an instant. I can not say that I would be a liar, which I am not. We are also as followers of Christ to get rid of all evil and filth. We must listen to the word and also do what it says. Easier said than done if you are like me in any way. I am learning to keep my tongue in check slowly, I can not say I am that great at it but I am trying. Do not misunderstand me here, I don’t gossip or lie but sometimes I am too honest or I let my irritability over load my sweet mouth. Very funny, I know sweet and me are not too often mentioned together, I believe the word is salty. So my prayer is to be lovingly salty and accept sweet may never be in my description. I can love the Lord and be a little salty.

James 2 tells us to not show favoritism. Oh is that one hard for some of us. Now I know that we will have some people we may not like, however we are instructed to love them with the love of God. We must have mercy for others if we desire God to have mercy for us. I know this world is very hard to live in at the moment for all of us. Seems like everyone wants to force their way of life on each other, Jesus gives us a choice to follow after him or not, he does not force us to believe in him or to follow him. Wish we could all be like that.

The final thoughts in James 2 are on faith and deeds, I suppose that is one thought. If we have faith and yet do nothing to prove we have faith what good is our faith. A faith without action is a dead faith.

I have learned to have faith and know it was not an easy lesson. I look at Abraham who trusted God enough to obey him by sacrificing his only son. I believe in his heart he knew that God would not have given him his son just have him sacrifice him. Look at Rahab she was not what one would have considered an honorable woman, but she put her faith in a God she did not know and her family was save.

I pray today that whatever troubles we are going through, we keep faith in our Christ. I pray we do not let the troubles of this life fill us with fear. The unknown is scary, but I pray that we can faith to trust a God we can not see and believe he only has our best interest at heart.

I will still plan my days and weeks. I will still continue to read all my books, I mean knowledge is power after all. I will make my Bible my first read of the day and make sure all the others line up with what it says above all else. I invite you to do the same. We can ask God for anything we wish, but we must be a willing participant in this thing called life. He can give us wisdom, answers and guidance but we must be the one to do what he instructs us to do.

Hello friends, I have been reflecting on this word for the last few weeks. Consistent to me means to continue with my actions in the same way over time to reach a desired result.

For instance if I want to achieve the body I am working so hard for, I must be consistent with my nutrition and exercise. Now, for me that means eating a very low carb diet. Recently, I have had to dial down my strength training due to an injury. Notice I said dial down not quit. I just am focusing on lower body and cardio. The last two years I have focused more on strength training and had dialed cardio down. I dropped four pounds in two weeks, just making a few changes in time and order. I am however, still being consistent by continuing on my journey and not letting my injury stop me completely or make excuses.

Reading is also something I do on a continual basis. I usually am reading books, on self development and the Bible. I find that if I am not consistent in doing this bad habits, and a negative attitude find their way back into my life. I have to stay connected to the Word of God and spend time in prayer or I can become quite the negative Nelly.

If we consistently complain about everything or lean towards the negative then that is what we will find in life. I currently am trying to go 30 days without complaining. Guess what, I have to start over every day. I did not realize that I do truly complain a lot. I thought I did pretty well about not complaining…WRONG. So I am trying to consistently focus on the good and not complain. This morning I was faced with yet another chance to complain. Today was See you at the Pole, where we gather before school to pray around the pole. I did this with one of my grandson’s last year and want to do so as long as I am able. I got the time wrong, I was so proud we were on time only to find out we were not. Now I had a choice to make I could get angry because I was given the wrong time originally, wait maybe I heard it wrong or I could… say you know what we have time. we will pray together at the pole before you go to class. This put a big smile on grandson’s face and he asked one of his classmates if he would like to join us. He did. The three of us prayed together holding hands around the pole and thanking Jesus for our school and teachers and also asking him to protect us and make us better students. Now, the challenge was not to beat my own self up, over my mistake and to thank God I was able to pray with the children anyway.

I totally am glad I handled it that way, Then on to the interstate, drive on and not complain. I made it. It is not yet noon. Wish me well.

I have also been thinking about discipline with children. If we are not consistent in our discipline we are sending mixed messages to our little angels. What we will have on our hands are kids crying out for attention. I do believe that if we say you will not get on the tablet if you do not stay on green, then we must stick with that. I know it is hard especially for single mom’s who have to try to go it alone. I have to do it myself with my grands and it is not always easy. Other examples are if you continue this behavior we will not go to Six Flags or Urban Air or whatever. It is not always easy to do but we must teach this generation that they are responsible for their own actions.

In all honesty a lot of us adults need to be held responsible for our behaviors. If we consistently choose our own selfish desires over others we will suffer. It may feel good at the moment but when we neglect the very people we love or that love us, not only will it hurt us in the long run but it can have very negative consequences on those we are pushing to the back ground.

This picture reminds me that I also need to be consistent in taking time to relax and reflect. The last few weeks have gone by in a whirl wind. I honestly have not had time to just be still and listen to my own thoughts, to reflect on where I am. Honestly I am feeling like I don’t know where I am have the time. This is not a good place to be, so I am on a journey to be more consistent with the habits and actions that will lead me to the life and person I wish to be.

If you consistently neglect your relationships, be it spouse, parents, family or friends then you will find yourself in a lonely place. We must be decide where our priorities lie and then be consistently working on making those relationships better.

I could go on and on if you want to be debt free then you must consistently make choices that will get you there.

My prayers for you my dear readers is that you would also be consistent in the habits and actions that will lead you to the life you wish to live. That we would be our best self everyday, that we would be aware of when we need to be consistent with a habit or when we need to let one go. I pray blessings over you all.

Growth: noun 1 the process of increasing in physical size.

These two pictures represent physical growth. One is my bamboo that I insisted I had to have. I am using it to fence in my coffee oasis. My place of rest and relaxation. It has been slow coming as the bamboo plant grows underground for quite some time before you actually see the growth above ground. The second picture is one of me. I have worked for sold since the beginning of 2020 to achieve growth in my muscles. I am not there yet but am very pleased with my progress.

My point here is that you have to have patience and put in the time for things to grow. You have to choose to stay focused and be aggressive when necessary, while accepting that you must all be patient and all things grow at different paces. Both of these two growths have been worth the wait. They have not reached the end goal, but I have decided to enjoy the journey. In the words of one of my beautiful accountability partner Donya trust the process . Hard as it may be at times to do.

Growth: the process of developing or maturing physically, mentally, or spiritually.

When I speak I tell people I never want to stop learning. This also means I never want to stop growing. If all I ever do is read and I never implement what I have learned, then I just have knowledge. I do not have growth. There is a huge difference. I can gain all the knowledge in the world, but if I stay still and do the same thing day in and day out then I have stopped growth all together. I hope I continue to grow in all things, mostly my walk with the Lord.

You know I was not going to share with you without mentioning him. I reminded myself today, or perhaps he did, he is the one who led me to even start this blog. He gave me the name and when I take the time to go to him first, he gives me the information to share with all of you.

I continue to grow daily, their are days I stumble and fall but praise God I am getting back up much faster that I once did.

Are you struggling to grow? Do you think you are to old? To set in your ways? Poppycock , rubbish and lies. Each of us have the ability to change, if we so choose. I will share a sin, a stumbling block that I overcame years ago. The gift of cussing, Ha what a gift it is so very easy to do and very hard to overcome. Now the difference in my life is I immediately ask God to forgive me. It had inched its way back in. So I had to tell my best friend hold me to the fire, I finally had to tell her maybe I better pay her every time I slipped. She did hold me accountable and I am getting better. Thank you, Mandy my BFF forever.

You are probably saying what does that have to do with growth? Well if I am trying to grow in my walk with the Lord everything.

So are you growing are are you dull and lifeless? Are you doing something you should stop or are you needing to start something new to help you grow?

I am growing but still need a lot of work with my walk with the Lord, my impatience with humans, I am getting better but I am still a bit sparky. I am having to give the weight training a rest due to an injury on my left arm. This also requires patience as my body was just started to respond to my new routine. I will not quit just adjust things a bit to give my body time to heal. I was recently asked to meet with my Pastor, he is going on a much earned sabbatical. I assumed he would be asking me to speak in his absence on certain days. Wrong!!! He has asked me to lead Praise & Worship on Sunday mornings. Now, I am not the best singer but I love to praise the Lord. He was very honest, and let me know it was not my talent it was my willingness to listen to the Holy Spirit. I did not hesitate this time, but agreed to do as he asked me. In the past I would have been to worried about what others thought of me. I am growing, I know that God will help me overcome my fears. I have been praying and taking video lessons on leading praise and worship. It helps that I have a wonderful team to work with. The fact that I have great leaders as well

I pray blessings over everyone reading. I pray you have a desire to grow today and everyday as long as you may live. Thank you for taking the time to read the thoughts on my heart today.

Are you easily distracted? How do you deal with distractions? Do you have so many distractions, that you are not living your best life? Are you like the squirrel who chases the nut?

It seems like lately, everyone always responds I am so busy I just can not get it all done. I am guilty of saying the same thing, or at least I was. I have recently done a self-evaluation. Thanks to Ed Mylett, I really thought about it. He challenged me, by pointing out in this age of everything at our fingertips, how can we not get it all done.

I had to admit that if I stay focused on just the task at hand I can get so much more accomplished. Now, mind you I am working on it so I have not perfected my technique. A few years back I decided on my work day that I would only check emails and return phone calls every hour on the hour. I know that this is not possible for everyone but it works for me. There is no way I could get all my work done if I responded to every email or phone call as they come in. I also turned off all notifications and explained to my co-workers and business associates that I would be handling my day in this way. It has been a tremendous help.

I also began about a month ago, leaving my phone completely alone until I accomplish my morning routine. I get up, read and get to the gym all before I take a look at my phone. That darn thing can get me off track very quickly. I actually have gotten a ton more stuff done this last week by spending very little time on Social Media hence my absence on Facebook.

I am not saying the cell phone is my only distraction, life happens things can distract us in a heartbeat. I am trying to live a debt free life. On Saturday just to kill some time we went to the Harley shop. I was distracted very quickly.

This almost took over my wants, not needs wants. I need to be debt free it is a goal I have been diligently working on for a while. I am on schedule to pay two bills off in the next two months. Oh man, this bike was calling my name. I went home and prayed and asked God to give me wisdom and he did. I do not need this bike. Honestly, I enjoy riding behind my husband and letting him do all the work. It was a huge distraction, and if I had not chosen wisely it would have distracted me from my goals.

I know some people binge watch Netflix, I am sure there are a million different distractions. This morning as I read my Bible my thoughts would drift to something someone said or did. What could I have done to handle that situation better? Oh wait I am suppose to be reading my Bible what was that chapter I just read? Let me start over, I am getting hungry I better grab a… Darn, what did I just read. So I had to pray God quiet my mind and do away with my distractions. Please let me focus on the word. It worked.

I spoke last week at my Network group. I mentioned a few of the things I do to try to stay focused. One of the members mentioned she has anxiety, how should she handle the distraction of anxiety? I told her that I usually deep breathe in order to get myself focused on my present situation. I want to add that you can also touch three things to help you calm your mind. I of course pray as well. You can not say the name of Jesus over and over and be anxious at the same time.

The last thing I want to share is that Ed Mylett has 3 days in one. That is how he has become such a successful entrepreneur, podcaster etc. I have recently implemented this myself. It has helped me to accomplish all I must do everyday. My Day 1 starts at 4:30 a.m. -1l2:00 p.m. Day 2 12:00-6:00 and Day 3 is 6:00-9:00. I am just getting started with it, so I am ironing out the kinks. It does not leave room for distractions if I want to accomplish all God has for me.

I have lots of work to do to get this new system in order, but at least I am moving forward. I am learning new things daily. I am limiting my distractions.

I also want to say that you can be distracted not just from work but from the ones who love you the most and need you. So many times when we go out to eat I see couples and families ignoring each other glued to their phone. Parents at the park on their phones as their children crave their attention. I suppose this is the last thing I am sharing but perhaps the most important.

I leave you today with the question, are you distracted? Is there something God has for you? Is life distracting you from being your best you? Is there someone who really needs you but you spend so much time distracted you miss it?

Search yourself, find your answer to this questions and them please find the solution, so that you can be the best version of yourself.