“A #2 pencil and a dream can take you anywhere.”
Joyce Meyer
The beauty of writing with a pencil is that you can erase anything incorrect when you learn something new and start all over.
When you dream big, you will always be learning, adapting, and evolving based on new information. Better to have your plans written in pencil to adapt and overcome!
“Patience is not simply the ability to wait – it’s how we behave while we’re waiting.”
Joyce Meyer
What is the difference between waiting patiently and how one might behave when waiting impatiently?
Maybe this is a better question. What is it that others exhibit when you believe they are waiting patiently? What do you like? What do you not like? Why is it that some seem to have more patience than others?
Patience seems to me to be a result of something bigger. Faith perhaps?
“You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.”
Joyce Meyer
The life that we have and lead is based on how we choose to see and interpret the world. I know people who are exceptionally blessed, yet they are always waiting for the other shoe to fall. They are always finding the bad things and focusing on those instead of the positive. I am sure that you know people who are like this as well. They can’t seem to find the good in anything or anyone. That is a choice that they make and that is the life that they choose to live.
Let’s be real. Life isn’t always fair. Life isn’t always easy. Sometimes really bad things do happen. But how we choose to act, and react, to anything that happens is what defines the type of life that we have.
I love this quote from Eeyore.
It truly does never hurt to keep looking for the sunshine. Because it will come, if we choose to seek it out. As I reflect on today’s quote these other thoughts come to mind that reinforce the power of Joyce’s words. Chew on these and see what comes to mind for you.
“You cannot have a negative life and a positive mind.”
“You cannot have a positive life and negative friends.”
“You cannot live the life you were created to live with a negative mind.“
Every day when we wake up we have a choice about what kind of day it is going to be. Every interaction we have with others is one where we can either see them through the lens of what we are getting from them, or we can choose to see it through the lens of what we are doing for them.
If we want to have a positive life, we have to have a positive mind. It simply won’t work any other way. It’s a choice. Make it wisely.
“It is so easy to forget how blessed we are! That’s why maintaining an attitude of gratitude is something we need to do on purpose.”
Joyce Meyer
Sometimes we can be so busy that it is hard to stop and really reflect on how many gifts and blessings we have been given in life. Having gratitude just for the simplest things that we so often take for granted.
I love to read about history and I am always amazed at just how hard life was not all that many years ago. Yet today we get frustrated if our Starbucks coffee isn’t perfect or if someone gets the closer parking spot and we have to walk 30 more feet.
Every day we are the recipient of some blessing or gift. Take the time to find and express gratitude daily. It will change your life.
”Patience is not the ability to wait but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.”
Joyce Meyer
Ah, patience…definitely not one of my strongest virtues. Though I can’t think of one time in my life where patience hasn’t been rewarded in some way or another. Though in many cases not in the way that I expected.
I believe there are two ways one can handle being patient. First, one can have the “why isn’t this happening already?!” approach. This is where not having a good attitude can be very dangerous. It makes it hard to remain positive and learn anything beneficial.
The second, and much more powerful approach, is is to refocus and ask yourself this question, “What am I supposed to be learning during this season of waiting?” Doing this requires that one have a positive attitude and it enables your ability to grow and learn while waiting.
If you can reframe waiting to view the world through the lens of learning it can change how you feel about being patient. Don’t misunderstand, being patient is still extremely challenging, but maybe waiting is more about learning than it is achieving…