Words of Wisdom

Happy Wednesday!! We’ve made it half way through the workweek!

One of the many weekly features on Flourishing Hope blog will be Words of Wisdom Wednesday. Yes, it may be a bit corny but we all could use a little bit of corny in our lives, especially Wednesday morning when we’re just wishing and praying for Friday to hurry up and come.

Today’s word of wisdom is an old phrase of mine that gets me through some very, very tough days, “Have an attitude of gratitude.”

Many of us walk through our day doing our daily mundane tasks and somewhere along the line we get frustrated and feel like we’re in a rut doing the same thing over and over and over again, much like Groundhog Day. Well I’m here to tell you when those pesky thoughts of, “I’m not doing what I want to really be doing with my life,” or “I hate where I live, if only I could move somewhere else and enjoy different scenery” are the beginning thoughts that will lead to a terrible day.

I’ll share one of my personal struggles…For the longest time I HATED, I mean HATED the heat that came with living in Miami, I hated the gossipy and negative people I worked with and the terrible drivers on the road, the fact that my family was not close by in anyway, and the fact that I thought I made the WORST decision ever in life by moving to Miami (Yes, I really thought that). Then one day as I was sitting complaining and wallowing in my own self-pity I realized everything I prayed for, wished for, and hoped for at a young age was given to me. No, it didn’t come with my family close by, or the house I dreamed of living in while being a beach bum, but everything, EVERYTHING, was there, right there, just as I had prayed about and saw happening in my life. The hiccups and growing pains in between were just that, and it was all a part of taking the good with the bad.

So, instead of ALLOWING yourself to think negative thoughts, capture those thoughts, and DECIDE to think positive. Remember, happiness is a choice, so choose to be happy today and have an attitude of gratitude. You never know who you may be inspiring by choosing to smile in the face of adversity. There is always someone watching, be it for inspiration or from simply being nosey, your behavior could alter the behavior of others around you in a positive way.

Today for me, instead of dreading the heat that Miami has been having in February, I am choosing to think positively and enjoy the sun. Maybe I’ll even hit the beach after work with my pooch and be grateful for my portion. Sometimes, because we’re so caught up in hating how some of the gifts and blessings that we receive are wrapped, we don’t actually see them as the blessings they truly are.

 

I'll enjoy it while it lasts because there is no telling where tomorrow may take me…my quiet place. 

So if my personal struggle with accepting what was for me can help you in any way I hope it inspires you to have an attitude of gratitude. There is someone somewhere praying for even just an ounce of what you’re dreading about having to deal with today. 

xoxo ~Nell

Tell me what are some of your favorite words of wisdom? What do you usually do as a routine to stop negative thoughts that creep into your mind from growing into outward negative behavior (do you read, work out, pray, etc.)?