YOU CAN BE CONFIDENT

Today I encourage you to be confident.  I want you to be confident in everything you say and do today. Confidence succeeds like nothing else. Confidence radiates from you like sunlight, and attracts success to you like a magnet.  So as you strive to be successful, strive to be confident.  

You do know that confidence is more than an attitude, right? It comes from knowing.   Knowing exactly where you’re going, and exactly how you’re going to get there. It comes from acting with integrity. It comes from a strong sense of purpose. It comes from a commitment to take responsibility, rather than just let life happen.

Confidence is you being compassionate and understanding. It is not you being arrogant.  Arrogance is not cute.  Who wants to be around an arrogant person all the time? Arrogance is born out of fear and insecurity.  Both of which are not Kingdom minded traits.  So tap into your strengths.  Tap into your integrity.  You will be amazed at just how confident you become.

Confidence is not just believing you can do it. Confidence is KNOWING you can do it. I know that you are capable of accomplishing anything you want, and living your life with confidence.  So now, it is your time to know it, live it, be it.  Today I encourage you to be confident.

SHED THOSE SUBSTITUTES

Arrogance is a poor substitute for confidence. 

Taking is a poor substitute for creating. 

Possessing is a poor substitute for appreciating.

Staying busy is a poor substitute for accomplishing something. 

Anger is a poor substitute for discipline. 

Rudeness is a poor substitute for eloquence. 

Aloofness is a poor substitute for joy. 

Envy is a poor substitute for effort.

Rationalization is a poor substitute for truth. 

Artful deceit is a poor substitute for integrity. 

Promises are a poor substitute for commitment. 

Gluttony is a poor substitute for nourishment. 

Stylishness is a poor substitute for courtesy.

I encourage you not to settle for a substitute when you can have the real thing.   Explore beyond the outward appearances so that you can truly enjoy the genuine substance of life.  I dare you to choose today to get real. Make the effort to be true to your best values. You are here to live, so why live the real thing. I guarantee you it’s worth it.  So shed those substitutes today and stand tall in you.  That's what you were created to be anyway....YOU!!!

WHO'S IN YOUR CIRCLE...

What kind of people do I keep in my circle?  Those that don’t ask for any attention, or praise, or special recognition. Those that simply get busy and do what needs to be done. When something goes wrong, they don’t complain or become mired in frustration. Instead, they do whatever is necessary to make it right.  That is true not just or themselves, but for me as well.

When they say they will do something, they follow through and take whatever actions are necessary to get it done. They don’t feel that the world owes them anything. They are truly thankful for the opportunity to make a positive difference and to create real value.

Thinking about it now, I realize that I sometimes forget how many good they really are. But by taking that brief mental inventory I am instantly reminded just how great they are to me.

Some of life’s greatest blessings come through the people with whom I am privileged to be surrounded by.  I love my circle of family and friends.  

PEACE

As you go through your day today make it a priority to step back from the noise and confusion that you may find surrounds you. If you are not a part of it, you definitely don't want to be consumed by it.  

There is strength in Peace. Staying calm, when confusion and chaos surround you, keeps you firmly in control.  In times of chaos, control is not an element.  

Many things can trigger an impulse to react, an urgent desire to do something immediately. Hurried reactions, though, are usually not the most effective and they definitely are the least controlled.  

By staying calm, you are able to respond with much more power and positive focus. By staying calm, you control the way that events attempt to scatter your attention in a thousand different directions.  There is Peace in being in control of yourself.  

Staying calm does not mean that you’re doing nothing. It means that you’re responding with purpose, rather than with panic.

So when chaos, noise and turmoil come knocking at your day, meet them with serenity, peace and calm.  You’ll find that you put yourself in a position of real power.  After all, there is strength in Peace.

Positive Frustrations...

Did you know that frustrations can be good for you?  Think about it.  Some of your greatest achievements come from your biggest frustrations. Frustration is full of energy. Energy that is directed and focused in negative ways, but it certainly does not have to be. It is up to you to choose to turn all that energy into something positive.

Often we use frustration as an excuse to be destructive. That is understandable, but it doesn’t do anything to improve your situation. In all actuality, the gratification of any “revenge” is quickly replaced by an even bigger and more desperate frustration.  It can become a never ending cycle.  

When you get frustrated, often you have every right to be, but so what? The challenge is can you take all the negative energy and make a positive difference. The energy of frustration is a powerful resource which can propel you to new heights if you channel it properly. Don’t waste it by trying to bring someone else down to your level.  Instead, use it to raise you to the next level.

That abundant energy in your frustration, it is yours to use for whatever purpose you desire. You have the power to choose which direct it will take you.  So decide today to choose to funnel your frustrations in a positive direction and make the very most of it.  After all, your greatest achievements come from your biggest frustrations.

IT ALL STARTS WITH A REGRET...

How many things have you done in the past that you now wish you had not done? How many things have you failed to do that you now wish you had done?  We are all guilty of regret at one time or another no matter how hard we try to avoid it.  

Regret is quite painful yet powerful at the same time.  Regret is like experience, a great teacher.  With each regret we are given the opportunity to learn, to adjust and to improve.  It is with these regrets that we can make changes in every aspect of our lives to make tomorrow even better.

When you are faced with regret, let yourself feel it for a moment, but only for a moment. In that moment you create negative energy, but don't think you are going to harbor it.  Instantly begin to think of how you can turn it into something positive.

Refuse to wallow in painful regret.  Challenge yourself to learn from your mistakes and do something about them. Your past is your past.  There is nothing you can do to change it, yet you can indeed change the value you get from what you’ve done in the past.  The value is in the lessons learned.  The value is in the changes made to ensure you never experience that again.  The value is in the goals and plans than stem from something you regret.  

Remember don't regret your past for long.  Instead focus on the regrets of your past as roadmaps to your future. Whatever your regrets may be, move beyond them.  You are now ready to step confidently ahead, more wiser and more experienced and with more solid, tireless determination than ever before.  One day you will look back and think......it all started with a regret.

YOUR ATTITUDE...

There are as many things in our life that we cannot change as there are that we can.  The most important is your attitude.   Aren't you glad that your attitude is not something you’re stuck with forever?  In fact,  you can change it whenever you wish.

Here is some good news...you can choose your attitude.  

Your attitude does not define you. It does, however, represent who you are to the world.

Your attitude does not determine who you are. It does, however, determine what you can accomplish.

Your attitude is not the result of events that happen to you or circumstances that surround you. It is, instead, based on the way you choose to respond to the events and circumstances in your life.

That's right, you can choose your attitude.  Your attitude should be one that will open your eyes to the valuable possibilities. Your attitude should attract success and accomplishment to you like a magnet.  It is all possible.  All you have to do is choose the attitude.

Don't choose to be bitter, evil, resentful, or even sad, full of pity or non-chalant.  

No matter what has happened in the past or where you are now, you are free to choose whatever attitude you wish. So choose, in this very moment, a positive, empowering attitude.  Choose to stay that way every day.  Choose an attitude that not only represents you right now, but also who you desire to be.

Remember, the most important thing you choose every morning is your attitude.