Janice Almond's Blog: Be Grateful. Be Determined. Be Happy.

 What do you think about this? I had a book reviewer tell me in a critique of my book that we can't, couldn't always be positive. This reviewer said that telling people to "always be positive" is wrong and bad advice. In my book, Step #8 is my chapter Always Be Positive. Why did I say that? Why do I say this? I say this because it is a choice we make. Just like we choose to brush our teeth, go to work, pay our bills, and hug our friends. We can choose. We may not feel like always being positive, but it is a quality we can strive for. We CAN choose to be positive even in bad or terrible circumstances.

This past summer I was given the opportunity to lead a class called “Experiencing God” for a bunch of male inmates in an Arizona prison. This indeed wasn’t the best of circumstances for these men, and I’m sure many men and women, if not most, who are in prison, have negative attitudes and find it hard to be positive all the time. In my book, I relay a story of a prisoner from another prison who was describing what he saw out of his cell window. He described a detailed setting with trees, flowers, birds, sunshine, etc.

After this inmate vacated the cell, it was discovered that that particular window had no view at all but faced onto a brick wall. By conjuring up an image of a beautiful outdoor setting, this inmate was choosing to have his “eyesight” see differently than what he actually saw. This is what always being positive can do.

Reason #1
To be happier.
Wouldn’t you like to be happier, feel happier, act happier? Well, let’s think about this for a minute. A negative person is not a happy person. Only a positive person has the chance to be happy.
Reason #2
To feel more grateful.
How about being more grateful and acting more grateful? A positive mindset leads to a grateful mindset. You will be more thankful if you are positive.
Reason #3
To be more productive.
Wouldn’t you like to be more productive? Wouldn’t you like to be able to get more accomplished during your day? Your week? You can focus and get more done if you have a positive attitude about what you’re doing. Whereas, negative thinking causes you to lose focus.
Reason #4
To be able to persevere.
What about being able to persevere? Wouldn’t you just love to be able to keep on going without giving up or quitting? Where does this ability to persevere come from? It comes from positivity. It comes from a belief that something can and will get done. On the other hand, you will have more of a tendency to be a quitter if you’re negative.
Reason #5
To have more joy.
Who wouldn’t want more joy? Who doesn’t want more? Joy is a virtue and a fruit of God’s Spirit. Joy helps to create confidence and gives you strength. Negativity will remove all strength. Think about the days when you sense more joy, everything just seems to go better.
Reason #6
To have more trust.
How much do you trust? Do negative people trust others? Do they trust themselves? Having a negative slant in life discolors everything! Negativity takes trust away.
Reason #7
To feel successful.
You would like to be more successful, wouldn’t you? How will success even be a possibility if you stay in a negative frame of mind? You will have to learn how to cultivate a positive attitude if you want any kind of success.

It doesn’t take much, does it? Just a choice. Just a decision. You can make it now, today. If you can be positive at all, then you can make it a habit to ALWAYS be positive, right?


 
 

Where is your focus? Perhaps you are not aware or don't realize that what you focus on matters in your life. What you focus on is where you go. Focus on joy, and you get that. Focus on sadness, and you get that. You choose every second of every day.

Yes, it all begins when you wake up in the morning. How do you wake up? How do you approach the day? Do you say in your mind, "Today is going to be a horrific day!"?  Or, Do you say, "Today is going to be a blessed day!"? You are deciding right then and there how your day will unfold.

I challenge you to make a better decision today and tomorrow and every day. Make a decision that will benefit you and not harm you. Your focus is your guide. Let it take you where you want to go. Look at this picture. What do you see? Which grabs your focus, your attention?

This is how it is in real life. We focus on one thing rather than the other. We choose one avenue rather than the other. What did the poet, Robert Frost, write in his poem entitled, "The Road Less Traveled"?
"I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." Choose what you do and focus on more wisely.

Remember, your circumstances and your feelings have nothing at all to do with it. You are in charge not your circumstances or feelings.So, tell your spirit by way of your brain how you will behave. That's all it takes, really, just a made-up mind. 
10/18/15

Your thoughts?

In everything we do or want to attempt to do in and with our lives, we MUST find a way. When we wake up in the morning, our thoughts should be, "How am I going to have this day unfold?" Get yourself a mentality where you "see" the best, "make" the best, and "expect" the best of each and every day. Have a NEVER QUIT attitude! A DO or DIE mindset.

If one way is not working, find another way. Isn't that what ants do? They tunnel, burrow, navigate, and climb over obstacles in their path. This we also can do, in human terms.We can navigate through situations that could otherwise be bleak. Yesterday, at a women's conference, I spoke with a lady about my age, who in her earlier years, had lost eight children at one time. They were victims of a bus accident.

During this same time, she was also battling cancer and has had many surgeries over the years. Throughout all her many issues, by the way, raising twenty-nine children,  she has never once blamed God. She continually rejoices and trusts in His unfailing love for her and her family.

I will be writing her story soon. You will find it remarkable, sad, tragic, and deeply uplifting. If she, (Mickey) can overcome and look forward to tomorrow, so can you. Dig down deep within your soul and preach to yourself. Tell yourself, "I am finding a way." "I am making it through." SEE the best. MAKE the best. EXPECT the best of each and every situation.

How do you approach your day?

It's time to Catch the Wave!
What does that mean?

It means it's time to push off from the shore and follow the tide out to your destiny.
You say, you don't know what your destiny holds?
Who of us knows that.That's why it's called our destiny, our life.
Each ride of the tide will take us farther and farther out away from the safety of the sand.
We must be courageous and fearless. Not deterred by any obstacle which exists.

In fact, the obstacles will strengthen us! As we push forward with the wave, we will feel a sense of delight at the roll and rhythm of where our life is taking us. Just as the ocean waves refresh us, we will be refreshed in our spirits and in our souls as we careen along.

Push off, NOW! You won't be fulfilled staying on the shore. You know you want to surge forward!
Try it! Yes, it is YOUR time to catch the wave!

Good morning God!
Good morning world!

As I sit here in this oversized chair, I marvel at the goodness and greatness of my God!
For everything, life, health, and strength, I thank Him for. Yes, I am truly blessed, and so are YOU!

Remember this today, TODAY is a dawning of a NEW DAY!
It really doesn't matter what transpired yesterday. Today is what counts. We HAVE to make it count!
So, today, we are choosing the path of "enjoying the journey."

In Chapter Two of my book, just released on paperback, Enjoy Your Journey, I mention that enjoying our journey is a choice we all make. What excuses are you making for NOT enjoying yours? First of all, you have to know "what" you want out of life. If you want nothing, that's exactly what you'll get.

Yesterday, my husband David and I, drove on Route 66 through Oatman, Arizona. He knew of this great spot which consisted of some rock-stone steps, leading to nowhere. The steps basically led to the edge of a mountainside. We took many pictures, and I even made a video. I was entitling the video, "Are your steps leading to nowhere?" But, alas, since the wind was so prevalent, it was hard to hear what I was saying. 

I can still pose the question, however. If you don't know where your current steps are taking you, or if they're leading you nowhere, move to a new staircase. And, as it says in my book, DO IT NOW!

Janice
 

What are you waiting for?
While I am waiting to see my paperback version come to fruition, I am wondering when I will accomplish the additional goals I desire, such as, more visitors to this site.
We all seem to be waiting for something, right?
I guess it's just the facts of life.
We would not be human or desiring more if we were not looking over toward the horizon.
I am looking forward to completing my second book, BEING DETERMINED.........
I believe you will truly benefit from this book as well.
Let's start a conversation about these topics gratefulness, determination, and happiness. Shall we?
One of my goals in the near future is to prepare videos. This seems to be the "wave" of the future. Have you heard of  Periscope?

How far can you go? Life is unlimited! You can go as far as your imagination will take you. What is the catalyst for movement? First of all, you must be grateful for what you have and where you are right now in your journey and second, you must be determined to get to where you need to go and where you need to be.

In my book, you will find and see the thirteen steps it takes to be grateful. The first step is to believe in yourself. This should be obvious, right? How are you even going to reach for the sky if you don't even think or believe you can. Doing or accomplishing anything will be an utter impossibilty. Believing in yourself is the first catalyst.

Your perception is important because you receive what you believe. What are you thinking and believing about yourself and your life right now? What you believe you will act on, good or bad. All you have to do to change your life is to change what you are perceiving.

It's time to literally take and keep track of your thoughts. Without belief in yourself you will have a lack of fulfillment and abundance. Even in not good circumstances, you must have a belief for a better outcome. Decide to stop putting limitations on yourself by your lack of belief.

Here's a quote: "If your life looks cloudy, maybe the windows of your soul need washing!" Choose this week to be active in your decisions and break the cycle of non-belief by unclouding your mind. Then you will be able to reach for the sky!
Janice