Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you. ~Thomas Jefferson
The laws of the universe are immovable and unchangeable. And while certain things can’t change, they also require our adherence, if not our obedience. Either way, we determine our future by our approach to these truths.
They are truths that apply to everyone, regardless of the intent, motive or purpose of the individual. It’s why some evil people are successful and why well-meaning, clean-living Christians can’t make ends meet. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ~Matthew 5:45.
So, here they are, five truths that will make a difference in your life today.
If you want something different in your life, you have to change something. Folks, it’s simple. If you want to go in a different direction, if you want to earn more money, work at a better job, experience a better marriage, live healthier and have a better lifestyle in general, you gotta change something you do every day.
If you’re driving down a highway and want to go a different direction, you have to change something, you have to slow down and turn the steering wheel. Same truth about life.
It comes down to habits and what you think, not necessarily in that order, that’s where it starts. If you have bad habits (e.g. always late for work, bad attitude, don’t pay your bills, always grumbling or complaining etc.), you’ll have a miserable life. On the other hand, if you have hope, look for ways to improve, read a little, smile a lot, encourage those around you, you’ll have a breakthrough soon enough.
So here’s the question…
What one thing can you change about your daily routine or habits that will result in the most significant change in your life this week?
Don’t keep on reading and miss this. What’s the one thing? Is it getting up half an hour or hour earlier? Eating differently? Being intentional about encouraging someone daily? Setting goals or writing down things you need to get done to start the day? Read more? Think more? Find a quiet time?
Here’s my promise to you: If you change one thing today that you do every day, you will see a difference by the end of the week. Then, change something else next week and watch the snowball begin.
Nobody can do it for you. In school, someone could write a paper for you or give you some of the answers. Doesn’t work in life. You get back what you put into it.
Sure, you absolutely need your Fab 5. People can help you, and you need a strong support group around you to encourage, inspire and counsel you. But when it comes to actually doing the work that will impact your attitude, your finances, your health and your future, it’s all on you. At least to start. Watch it snowball, though, and quickly.
You can have a helping hand and someone to show you the way, but they can’t do the work for you. That’s called enabling. The one person who can save you is…you! Take a step right now!
You get unlimited mulligans. For the non-golfers, a mulligan is simply a do-over, and you have a limitless supply! This is the beauty of making progress instead of sitting still. Failure litters the road to success. And Winston Churchill said: Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
You’ve got a bunch of mulligans in your bag. In fact, if you’re like most people, they’re probably flowing out the top of the bag! They aren’t doing you any good just sitting there though. But before you can use them, you have to get up, you can’t use your mulligan sitting in your easy chair. Trust me, you’ll fail. You’ll fall. Just get back up, use your mulligan and try again. And again. And, then again.
It’s not whether you got knocked down; it’s whether you get back up. ~Vince Lombardi.
Sowing and reaping. This one is absolute and categorical. You are where you are today because of the seeds you have sown.
Indeed, there are consequences and rewards. Ask David about his meeting with Bathsheba and ask Joseph about his patience and forgiveness. Hosea 8:7 reminds us that if we sow the wind, we will reap the whirlwind.
What are you sowing? Peace? Hope? Forgiveness? The wind? Strife? Bitterness? Confusion?
The good news is that you can start planting good seed today. Yes, some of the old seed will yield a harvest and you’ll have to deal with it like David, but a mixed harvest for a period of time is better than a completely bad harvest.
Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. ~Galatians 6:9.
The law of inspired action. This is one of the universal laws, but it is very accurate. You won’t get anything without effort. You must take the first step and keep moving to get to where you’re going.
Think of it this way. You can want to go to New York, plan the trip, pay for the flight and get excited about it. But if you never leave your house, you will never get there. You have to get out of your chair, get in the car, go to the airport to get there.
If you want something to happen — dreams, project finished, new job, better life — you must take action. It won’t magically appear on your front doorstep like an Amazon package. Don’t believe me? Put it to the test. Take the first step, or even two and watch what happens. That’s Newton’s third law of motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
You can’t take one step toward your dream without something happening. It’s impossible. When you move, you’ll set into motion those equal reactions. Then another step, another reaction. That’s when you’ll notice momentum enter the picture, excitement sets in, adrenaline flows and soon, you’ll look back and won’t be able to see where you started.
One way or the other, these truths will work on your behalf, they will work for your neighbor, your co-worker, your brother or sister. They are not a respecter of persons. Pick one today, act on it and watch it change your life.