It's In Other Words Tuesday.  Nina of Mama's Little Treasures is our host.  The following is the quote Nina chose for us to write about:

"If you don't change the direction you are going,
then you are likely to end up where you are headed."
                   ~ John Maxwell~

I used to be a goal setter. 

I would listen to motivational tapes by Zig Ziglar almost every day.  He taught me to write down my goals, including  the steps I would need to take to achieve each one.  Each day I wrote in my performance planner so I would be accountable.  I developed the habit of always working towards my goals.

But lately I've become a wandering generality.

Zig Ziglar used to describe this kind of person as one who skates through life, not being attentive to where they're going.  I got out of the habit of setting my goals and working towards them.

One area that has been impacted is my weight.  For most of my adult life, I've maintained the same weight.  However, in the last two years of many challenges and uncertainty, I've added extra pounds and gotten out of my exercise routine.  Nothing like indulging in sweets and ...forget about portion control!

If I continue in this direction, I will end up continuing to gain weight.  In another two years, I will become what I never wanted to become ...a couch potato!


So, I made the decision to go back to my goal setting.  I read about a website called Lose It.  I checked it out, signed up and best of all ...it's free.

I listed my current weight and then the weight I want to be.  If I lost only one pound per week, I could reach my goal by the first week of July!  That sounds good to me.  So, I write down everything I eat.  If I exercise, I add that on my private profile.  I've found that this simple tool helps to keep me accountable.

I like the new direction I'm now heading.

I've already lost three pounds.  I'm certainly not perfect and there are times when it's hard to resist when we have potluck lunches at work.  But I know I will be writing it all down so I tend to eat less.

So are you heading in the right direction?  If you keep doing what you're doing, you just might end up there. 

Blessings and love,

I began reading Ann Voskamp's book entitled "One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are" this weekend.  It was a gift from another good blogging friend. 

The words in that title captured me.  A dare to live fully right where you are?

Where I am right now is not where I want to continue to be.

But if God is in control, He knows all the details about where I am right now.  Everything that happens to me as a child of God has been filtered through His fingers of love.  I've written countless times about how I long to praise Him in the midst of the storm.  And I do want to learn the lessons that are intended for me to learn.

John 10:10 (English Standard Version):

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

I want to live the abundant life in Christ each and every day. That begins with giving thanks.  I want to notice the simple things. 

So, I decided to take the dare; to live fully right where I am.  I'm joining Ann at A Holy Experience and starting my list of 1000 gifts of thanks.   

1. Learning to live a more simple life. 

2. Signs of spring in the air as I appreciate the beautiful flowers in my neighbor's front yard.

3. The beauty of our flag.  On this cloudy and windy day, it stood proudly.  So many in our area are retired military.  I'm grateful for their service and sacrifices made to fight for our freedom.

4.  Working with children.  I smile as I watch them run across the field during PE.  Such energy they have!

5.  One step at a time.  A thankful reminder that I need to take one day at a time and one moment at a time.

6.  Retro t-shirts.  If you hang on to things long enough, they seem to come back in style.  I had to chuckle at the style of clothing worn by children these days.  It's very reminiscent of my youth in the late '60's.  I'm thankful for the smile they bring to my face.

7. A friend to carpool with to work.  So thankful for this opportunity to get to know Tara.  The trip goes so fast as we share and laugh with one another.

8. New opportunities to view my life through the lens of thankfulness.  And I don't have to wait for Thankful Thursday.  I can now fill my journal daily with simple everyday things.





Blessings and love,