Change Your Life with One Word in 2014

Happy New Year!

As we make a fresh start in 2014 I want to share with you a life-changing concept that I came across on New Year’s Eve.

It’s something that had been stirring inside me for a while, but this Leadership Freak blog post put it across so clearly.

Rather than make resolutions this year, choose one word. Make that word the theme of your life for the year.

Keep that word at the centre of everything that you do, say and think – every day.

Let me show you what I mean.

My word is stewardship.

A steward is someone entrusted with managing someone else’s property. A steward is someone who has been given the responsibility of taking care of something on behalf of someone else.

In my life, I realize that everything that I have comes from God. Everything that I have – fitness, family, friendships, finances – is a blessing from God.

I am a steward of all that God has blessed me with. He owns everything and has simply loaned it to me. He expects me to take good care of it all. He is trusting me to take good care of it all (Matthew 25:14-30).

Question?

So stewardship is the theme running through every decision that I make and every action that I take in 2014. The question that I keep asking myself is: “Am I being a good steward?”

When I make choices about:

     What I eat...

                    How I spend my time... 

                                         How I relate to people...

                                                               How I take care of my body...

                                                                                        How I spend my money...

...Am I being a good steward?

Should I...

Watch TV... or read a book to further my personal growth...?

Snack on fresh fruit... or eat a piece of chocolate...?

Write that blog post... or scroll through Facebook for an hour...?

Stay up late watching a movie... or go to bed early and wake up refreshed to start that new project?

Exercise for 30 minutes... or continue slouching at my computer...?

Buy an extra pair of shoes... or give to the child who doesn't own even one pair of shoes...?

I've only been doing this for a couple of days but I can tell you that it’s already making a huge difference. My perspective is changing. I no longer look at people, possessions or pleasure in the same way.

Time...

But what has had the strongest impact on me the past few days is the growing awareness that the only thing I really have is time. The only thing that I am truly a steward of... is time.

...And I don’t know how much time I have.

Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not guaranteed. All I have is this present moment.

I use my time moment by moment, and it is up to me to use every moment to the max.

Wherever I am, whoever I am with, I have the responsibility to be fully present in that moment.

If I am at my computer writing, then I need to write and not keep on flipping back and forth to see what’s happening with my email or Facebook or all the other tabs that I have open. In fact, I've decided to close all the tabs and switch off all the chimes to avoid any more distractions. I have set aside time after all my work is done to browse through my email and see what else is going on in the world without that hovering sense of guilt convicting me that I'm not doing what I'm supposed to be doing!

If I'm having a conversation with someone, I need to be fully there listening to them – not thinking about what I'm going to say next that will make me look good or sound really clever, or thinking about all the errands that I still need to get done that day, or checking my phone, or looking over their shoulder to see if someone more interesting is approaching, or chasing after a chain of writing ideas sparked off by something they said (maybe I can just quickly jot those down in my notebook?!).

Your turn..

So what about you? What is your word for this year?

Post your comment below!

For a free One Word Action Plan go here. 

The Truth Sets Free

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32)

We all have certain assumptions about life.

These assumptions may not necessarily be true, but if we believe them to be true, we live as though they are true.

What you believe affects the way that you live.

As I said in my last post, there was a time when people thought that the earth was flat. When people thought that the earth was flat, there was a limit to what they could achieve. Once it was proved that the earth was actually round, it literally opened up a world of possibilities.

When people had the wrong idea about what causes disease, it led to a lot of needless pain and suffering and loss of life. But once microorganisms were discovered, treatments could be found that dealt with the actual root cause of the disease.

Many times in life, we go around and around in endless cycles of needless pain, suffering and frustration; always struggling with the symptoms and never getting to the root cause of the issues.

We often lead limited lives, unable to reach the fullness of all the possibilities that are open to us, unaware that we are being held back by our own limited thinking.

Are you tired of going nowhere? Have you had enough of trying to overcome the same old issues year after year?

Learn more about developing empowering belief systems in the next post.

LESSON 2: Watch What You Say

‘Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit – you choose.’

The Message Bible, Proverbs 18:21

It was a familiar scene.

A group of us ladies had met up, and as usual, before long the conversation turned to weight issues and body woes. We all tried to outdo each other as we recounted the details of the endless diets and fitness plans we had tried – what had worked, and what hadn't.

We vied for attention as we compared our various defective body parts…

“I don’t know what to do about my thighs. I have so much cellulite.”

“That’s nothing! You should take a look at my bum – it’s huge! I can’t find any jeans to fit me!”

“You call that huge? You haven’t seen my tummy! Look at that bulge!”

…And so on and so on...

You get the picture. Sound like anything you’ve ever done?

Well, stop it!

In LESSON 1 You Are What You Think, we discovered that to change your life, you have to change your thoughts. If you want to change who you are, or what you do, you have to change the way you think.

Well, your words are connected to your thoughts.

Your words are the vocal expression of your thoughts.

Your words convey your inner thoughts, beliefs, opinions and intents.

A good indicator of what you are thinking is what is coming out of your mouth.

To change your life, you have to change the way that you speak.

You have to stop talking about the negative, and start talking about the positive.

Stop talking about everything that you think is wrong with you. Stop rehearsing your faults and weaknesses. Going over your faults again and again and again only serves to emphasize them and to reinforce the belief that that’s just the way you are, you’ll never change.

Change the way that you speak to yourself and about yourself.

Speak hope to yourself. Stop focusing on the way things are right now. Start focusing on where you want to go. Speak about the better future that you’re looking forward to in 2012. Focus on the better you that you want to be. Start rehearsing who and what you want to be and do.

Speak kindly to yourself and about yourself. Stop putting yourself down; not everything about you is a walking disaster area! Look for your strengths and emphasize your strengths.  Start focusing on what is right about you.

Science is finally catching up with what the ancients have known from ages past: sound affects matter.

Scientific research has shown that matter, our very DNA, is affected by sound. The study of Cymatics is spearheading knowledge in this field.

The Bible tells us in the Genesis account of Creation that God spoke everything into being (Genesis Chapters 1-2). 

The universe was created by words. The universe responds to words.

Your body, your world, was created to respond to words.

You effect change in your world by the words that you speak

Use your words wisely.

Use your words to build up and not to tear down.

LIFE LESSONS: Making that Change

‘…let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think…’

The Bible, New Living Translation, Romans 12:2

As 2011 comes to a close, many of us are full of hope about what the New Year holds. We’re busy making plans, excited about all we’re going to achieve in 2012. This is going to be the year that we make that change. For lots of people that change involves losing weight.

Luckily for those of you reading this blog, I’m an expert on losing weight.

I’ve lost weight several times in my life. The only problem is I usually put it all back on again!

Five years ago, I lost a staggering 35 kilos (about 77 pounds). I was the slimmest I’ve ever been in my whole life. Well, since I was 16 anyway. I looked great and I felt great. Unfortunately, I’d done a lot of wrong things to get there, and over the next 18 months or so, I watched helplessly as all those excess kilos slowly piled back on. 

Still, you know what they say about learning from your mistakes. Since that fiasco, I’ve begun the process of losing weight again – only this time in the right way. I’ve lost 10 kilos so far, and maintained that weight loss for some months now. Now I’m ready to continue the count down towards my goal weight, and the countdown begins, you guessed it, in 2012!

As I continue to remind myself and put into practice the lessons that I learnt from my sorry episode, I’d like to share them with you too.

These are life lessons. They’re not just for those of us who face challenges with our weight.  You can apply them to any issue that you’re dealing with.

LESSON 1: You are what you think

To change your life, you have to change your thoughts.

If you want to change who you are, or what you do, you have to change the way you think.

It’s that basic.

Watch what you allow into your head. Change what you ‘feed’ your mind.

Be particular about who or what you listen to.

Remember GIGO: garbage in = garbage out.

Let me give you a practical example.

Many times, I leave my house full of optimism, feeling good about myself and the 0.37 kilos that my digital scale shows that I’ve lost that morning – only to bump into a ‘friend’ who  says something like, “Gosh you’ve put on a lot of weight haven’t you? Are you eating too many cakes? Have you stopped exercising?” (Since when did commenting on someone’s body size become an acceptable form of greeting anyway?!).

In the past, a remark like that would really bruise my self-esteem. I’d start feeling bad about myself and end up finding solace in those aptly named comfort foods!

Not anymore!

 I made a decision.

I can’t control what other people choose to say; but I can control how I choose to respond.  

I choose to think positively about myself.

I may not be where I want to be, but I thank God I’m not where I used to be! I’m making progress and that’s what matters. The change may not be visible yet, but change has started where it matters most – in my mind.

What wrong ways of thinking could hinder you from reaching your goals in 2012? What limiting thought patterns have sabotaged your progress in the past?

Replace every negative thought with life-giving thoughts today.

New Year Resolutions: Top 3 Reasons Why Most Resolutions Fail

REASON Number 1: Wrong Motivation

Many people make New Year Resolutions with good intentions but the wrong motivation. For instance, common New Year Resolutions are: losing weight, getting fit, eating right or adopting a healthier lifestyle in some way. Very worthwhile goals. Unfortunately, this usually comes the morning after indulging in the various excesses associated with Christmas parties, New Year celebrations and family reunions – when you’re feeling bloated, hung over, and overcome with feelings of guilt. And family members who you haven’t seen for the past couple of years have told you over and over again how much weight you've put on!

What to do:

·         Make sure you want to make the change because you want to make the change.

When the going gets tough (around January 23!), you’re not going to force yourself out of bed at 5:00 in the morning, in the cold, dark and the rain, to go for your 30 minute jog around the neighbourhood, just because Aunt Mable who lives 200 miles away thinks that you’ve put on a few kilos!

·         Wait until the dust settles.

Trying to implement changes on 1^st January is usually a recipe for failure. For a start, you’re probably still in the middle of your New Year Celebrations! Take time to think things through and make proper plans to increase your chances of success.

REASON Number 2: Trying to Change Too Much at Once

It’s easy to kick off the New Year energized and full of hope, determined that this is the year when everything changes. Then, life happens.  Demands at work, expectations at home – before you know it you’re bogged down and doing anything new seems like too much of a hassle. It’s so much easier keeping things the way they’ve always been. Routine sets in. All good intentions fly out the window. Change will have to wait for another year.

What to do:  

·         Focus on making only one or two changes at a time.

Maybe you’ve decided that you want to: start exercising 3 times a week; eliminate all excess fat, sugar and processed food from your diet; increase fruits, vegetables and fibre; spend more time with your family; spend less time in front of the TV; learn a new hobby; make new friends; catch up with old friends; and get more rest. Don’t try to overhaul your entire lifestyle on the 1^st of January!

·         Take one step at a time.

For instance, you could concentrate on making regular exercise part of your everyday life. Then gradually introduce some of the other changes, like being more selective about what you eat.

REASON Number 3: Unrealistic Expectations

Human beings tend to be impatient. We want what we want and we want it now!

The bad news is – it took years and years of bad habits to get you where you are today. If you want to change, you’re going to have to replace old habits with new ones. And this takes time. The good news is – the power to change is in your hands! All you have to do is develop new habits to take you where you want to go.

What to do:

There are no short cuts.

It takes about 30 days, maybe even as long as 66 days[i], to change a habit and for the new habit to become truly ingrained as part of your every day life. 

  

·         Set realistic goals.

That excess weight came on slowly over the course of 5½ years. It’s not going to fall off in 3 months!

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[i] http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-happiness-project/200910/stop-expecting-change-your-habit-in-21-days; http://www.spring.org.uk/2009/09/how-long-to-form-a-habit.php