May you face 2018 with an unstoppable, focussed and determined attitude that brings you peace, success, and a ton of love.
As you celebrate, stay safe .... oh, and don't forget to keep climbing!
For a little motivation, listen to Rascal Flatt's 'Unstoppable' - And Remember it's Winter Olympic Season coming up, so whether you're watching the Olympics or participating, go for your dreams this year!
(Lyrics) "You find your faith has been lost and shaken You take back what's been taken Get on your knees and dig down deep You can do what you think is impossible Keep on believing, don't give in It'll come and make you whole again It always will, it always does Love is unstoppable" Read More: Unstoppable by Rascal Flatts - And don't let anyone ever stop you from reaching your potential!
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Have You Been Through Difficult Times, but Still Find Yourself Willing to 'Stand'?
Without realizing it, you've made it through another day of turmoil. Your exhaustion has unwittingly become the driving force necessary to get over what seems like an unclimbable mountain ... so without anything but sheer will, YOU STAND.
Review of Stand, by Rascal Flatts: 'Stand'is a country song that expresses your newly discovered tenacity with lyrics that inspire a 'take action' mentality; 'on your knees you look up, decide you've had enough, you get mad, you get strong' (lyrics).
As this inspiring song articulates, it's the getting up, not the falling down that matters. When we choose to stand against great odds, it's as though we're giving ourselves permission to learn from our struggle, and better yet, permission to move forward in pursuit of the happy life we deserve.
Listen to Stand, by Rascal Flatts: If there were a way to get to the rainbow without having to experience the rain, would we grow, would we learn? As 'Stand' by Rascal Flatts articulates, our struggles are only as big as we allow them to be. Once we decide that enough is enough, that's when we find out what we're truly made of....Sugar and Spice, sure why not...mixed with a little Hot Pepper Sauce for bravery.
Have You Learned to Be a Stronger Person?
Have you mastered inner strength over the years? It's difficult to understand why things have to be so incredibly challenging, but not so much when we understand that we are ultimately responsible for our own choices.
Wrapping our mind around the concept of taking responsibility for our choices (as adults), especially when those life choices haven't been the wisest ones, takes guts. Our pride can take a hit when we self-admit our own failings: From choosing the wrong life partner, the wrong job, the wrong friends, addiction, being nasty and more!
Our choices are giving us the results we currently see. Changing our choices will change our results. When we 'Stand' we're accepting the change that has to happen - whether someone else initiated that change, or whether we were the ones who elected to change - it doesn't matter, it's the acceptance that moves us forward into a new and exciting chapter.
Standing Up and Surviving Change Is the Biggest Gift You Can Give
It's cliche, but it's true, everything happens for a reason. Even if that reason isn't what we want to face or deal with, the fact that we're in a situation requiring change is a sole indicator in itself that we either made mistakes, ignored clues, had a hunch what was right and didn't listen to that inner voice, are victims or our own bad choices or simply remained inactive on a matter for years that ultimately ended up escalating.
Whatever scenario we face, one thing is for sure, we deserve a happy life. Happiness comes first and foremost with belief. It's supposed to be a place we live in most of the time, not an elusive emotion that only shows up for a split second, or never shows!
It's when we believe we are worthy of happiness, that happiness has a chance to find us. It takes a massive amount of bravery to initiate change in our lives. As the song says, 'you get mad you get strong, wipe your hands off and stand'.
Rascal Flatts reminds us that 'when push comes to shove you find out what you're made of'. The first step is brutally difficult. It's the reason we get stuck...we can't take that one first step.
Well, sometimes life chooses for us and we're forced into taking that first step. Either way, we 'Stand'.
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In a cynical and often condescending world, it's easier to descend into typical family battles that tend to swallow up the purpose of our assembly: to give thanks and acknowledge and remember those who have been there for us through it all. It's cliche, but 'when push came to shove,' who did we turn to, and who loved us unconditionally?
We live in divided times, and many families who reunite for dinner rest at polar opposites in their beliefs, likes, dislikes, tolerance levels, and education. These differences are fast becoming the virus that devours the most important reason we take the hand of the person next to us at that dinner table: love. Again, call it cliche, call it corny, call 'love' overly simplistic, but John Lennon got it right, 'all you need is love.'
So how do you survive a Thanksgiving Dinner with people who sit at the opposite of your beliefs? Like any assembly, setting ground rules is the best place to start. Here are 10 ways to create a positive environment for your Thanksgiving Dinner:
Let everyone know there will be no discussions about Politics, Religion, or Current News Affairs.
As the dinner host, have the evening planned in advance: Plan to play games before and after dinner. If it's a larger gathering, have teams set up to play against each other for a grand championship.
Do not turn on a TV set. If a sporting event is on that the entire family wants to watch, then go ahead and gather around the 'game' in front of the TV if need be. But don't allow any News shows or channel flipping to take away the fun of the game.
If someone in the family breaks the rule about conversation and starts into a diatribe of their opinions and beliefs about an issue, as the host, politely remind them about the rules and do not engage them in a discussion about their point. Remember that no minds or opinions will change in one night anyway, so keep the evening and dinner on a strict track of fun.
Have music playing in the background in as many rooms as possible. Best of all, if you know the favorite songs of the people attending, plan ahead and have a CD compilation of everyone's favorite song! When the song for that special someone in the house begins to play, turn it up, walk over to them, kiss them on the cheek, and let them know, 'We did this for you.'
If you're hosting a large gathering and certain people are best not sitting beside each other, use name/place tags on each plate to direct people where to sit.
Toast the Senior members of the family. Often, seniors feel excluded, unwanted, and unappreciated, and no matter how ornery they are or aren't, give them a few minutes of special thanks. You'll make their day.
Go out of your way to be friendly and especially to be kind. Set the tone. Set the pace, and you may be surprised how everyone follows.
Find reasons to smile and laugh. Laughter and smiles are much more infectious than anger and fear.
Lastly, remember a famous quote, 'When given a choice to be right or kind, always choose Kind.'
Have a joyous Thanksgiving <3
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
