Try Something New

Natalie inspired me to set a short-term goal last year.  I’m happy to say I was able to achieve the goal!  It’s something that I haven’t done in quite a while.  Memorization!  At first, I was not sure I would be able to do it.  But, isn’t that what goal-setting is all about?  It’s about challenging yourself to do something that you want to do and figuring out how to get it done!

So, how did Natalie inspire me?  I have never even met Natalie.  She is my friend’s 11-year-old granddaughter.  Natalie memorizes Bible verses as part of her homework at her Christian school.  My friend frequently tells me the verses Natalie has memorized.  I’m always so impressed.  Then, last Fall, my friend told me that Natalie memorized Isaiah 53:1-7.  Wow!  Seven verses!  Memorizing a single verse is one thing, but she memorized seven verses!  I wondered if I could do it, too.  I told my friend I wanted to try it.  If Natalie could do it, maybe I could do it, too!

My friend said she would touch base with me before Thanksgiving to hear me recite the verses.  OK, I thought.  I have six weeks to memorize the verses.  After memorizing the first two verses, I made a plan to memorize a verse a week until I had memorized all seven verses.  Here they are, from memory:

Isaiah 53:1-7:

1- Who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2- He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.  He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3- He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.  Like one from whom people hide their faces, he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4- Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.

5- But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities.  The punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

6- We all, like sheep, have gone astray; each of us has turned to our own way, and the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7- He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth.  He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

(The prophet Isaiah wrote those words almost seven hundred years before Christ the Messiah was born.)

Thanks to Natalie and her dedication to memorization, I discovered, or re-discovered, that I love to memorize.  When I was a kid, probably Natalie’s age, I memorized the names of the books of the Old Testament.  It was a song that my sisters and I learned in Sunday School.  I still know it today, and I think of it often when I read the Old Testament.  I have no trouble finding the books and the verses.

Try something new!  Challenge yourself.  Another friend of mine discovered an amazing art talent that she did not know she had.  She began coloring the intricate designs in coloring books for adults, and she found a hidden creativity in herself.  She creates unique paintings using parts of the coloring books and adding her own designs inspired by other things, such as photographs of family and pets.  She has done beautiful paintings that take my breath away!  She even won an art contest last year!

Use your imagination.  Go through the goal-setting exercise I mapped out in my blogpost, “A New Year Goal Strategy,” and add one more goal… “I will try something new this year.  I don’t know what it is yet, but I will keep my eyes and ears open, and I will look for inspiration from those around me.”

My number one goal still is to finish a book, and I am continuing to work on all three book projects that I have in process.  I am strategizing to make sure I complete at least one of the books by the end of 2017!

Let’s keep moving forward in our goal journeys together.  Stay inspired, stay focused, and seek God’s guidance on a daily basis throughout 2017.

Devotion

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.  Psalm 32:8

Prayer:

      

Lord, thank you for inspiring us with verses from the Bible and through our daily walk with you.  We know that you care about us and love us, and that you want a close relationship with us.  We seek your guidance in our goal-setting journeys.  I pray that you would lead us to try new things that you have in store for us to do.  Help us to discover the talents and gifts you have given us!  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

© 2017 Linda Lijewski

A New Year Goal Strategy

Happy New Year!  Yesterday was the last day of 2016.  I started the day by getting on my knees to thank God for 2016.  I thanked Him for the ups and the downs.  Then I decided to write them down.  I made a list of the good things, the accomplishments, the joys.  Then I listed the disappointments.  As I wrote them on the paper, I realized that I could turn some, if not all, of the disappointments into goals!  I ended my prayer by asking God for help with ALL the ups and downs of the coming New Year!

How do you turn disappointments into goals?  Well, it really is a very simple problem-solving technique.  I’ve talked about it in several blogposts (“Goals 101,” “Goals 201,” and “Mindset”), and I challenge you to DO IT NOW.  Today is the perfect day to identify some goals for 2017!

Take out an 8½ x 11 sheet of paper.

 

First, write down the heading, “Accomplishments.”  Enumerate your accomplishments in 2016.  Try to list three or more, but if you have none, don’t be afraid to write “None.”  (If you write “None,” you should turn it into a goal for 2017… it’s time to accomplish something!)

Next, write down the heading, “Disappointments.”  Enumerate your disappointments in 2016.  The list could include anything that you believe was challenging or disappointing in your life during the past year, including health problems, relationship issues, failure to meet specific goals, areas in your life that you wish to improve, etc.  Try to list at least three.  Do not write “None.”  We all should have areas we seek to improve (see my blogpost, “Mindset”).

Now, identify some goals and list them under a “Goal” heading.  Evaluate your accomplishments and decide how to keep them going.  Look at each disappointment and think about how to turn it into a goal.  For example, if your goal is weight loss, don’t list “lose weight” as your goal.  Identify a specific action you can take, such as “increase my exercise,” and make that your goal, one small step at a time (see my blogpost, “10 Minutes A Day”).  If you’re disappointed that another year went by and you didn’t clean out your basement, don’t list “clean my basement” as your goal.  Instead, identify something specific, such as “make a trip to Goodwill once a month” (or, even better, once a week!), and make that your goal.  If your disappointment is a relationship issue, try setting a goal such as, “I will thank my husband (or wife) each day for something nice he (or she) does for me.”  (Now that is an attitude-changer!)  If another year went by and you didn’t take the trip of your dreams, set a goal to make it happen (e.g., open a travel account and initiate a direct deposit from your paycheck, and then look at your calendar)!

So, you can see that, with some prayerful reflection, you can turn disappointments into goals… and take some positive action.  Set a goal not to have any of the same disappointments appear on next year’s list.  Instead, they will be listed under "Accomplishments"!

Once you have identified the resources you may need and you have listed them under each goal, write down one last heading, entitled, “THIS WEEK.”  Write down one small step you can take this week to move toward each goal.  See?  Now you’ve already started, and I bet you’re feeling pretty good about overcoming those disappointments and accomplishing your goals!

Let’s summarize: (1) list your accomplishments/disappointments (thank God), (2) set your goals (write them down), and (3) take positive action (start this week).  This is a great problem-solving technique!

Don’t forget to start the process with prayer and ask for God’s wisdom each day as you move forward to achieve your goals for 2017!

Devotion

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.  1 Corinthians 1:25

Prayer:

       

Lord, thank you for 2016.  Thank you for the ups and the downs.  Teach us what you want us to know and give us wisdom to learn from our accomplishments and our disappointments.  We acknowledge that all we have is from you, and we seek to do the right thing with the blessings and gifts you have given us.  Help us to make plans and take action, in dependence on you every day, as we move in the direction of our goals.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

© 2017 Linda Lijewski

Gratitude...A Great Goal

I was on my way to a party and I took a wrong turn.  I pulled into the parking lot of a golf course to look at the directions and turn around to head to the right road.  While I was in the parking lot, a guy in a big truck backed up rather quickly and slammed into the side of my car!  The driver had been drinking in the clubhouse, and now he was in a hurry to get on the road.  He was very apologetic, and it was clear he should not have gotten behind the wheel of his truck.  He took complete responsibility for the accident and called his insurance company.  He told me he was going to go back to the clubhouse and sober up before driving anywhere.

My initial reaction was disappointment that my new Chevy Malibu was severely damaged, and that I would be late to the party.  However, my mind shifted to think about what could have happened.  If this semi-drunk guy had not hit my car, he would have headed out of the parking lot and down the road and might have hit someone!  Thank you, Lord, for putting me in this parking lot at just the right moment to stop this guy from driving on the road!

I got my car repaired and it was good as new again. 

Two months later, I left my car parked on the street overnight in front of our house.  In the morning, I took my dog outside as my husband was leaving for work.  I said, “Honey… look!  Someone’s car is totaled!”  My husband walked over to me and we both looked at a Chevy Malibu down the street in front of the neighbor’s house.  Dave said, “Oh no!  That’s YOUR car!”

The driver had hit my car so hard it moved all the way in front of the neighbor’s house.  My beautiful Chevy Malibu was totaled.  I called the police, and wondered why and how this had happened!  As I waited for the police to arrive, I said a silent prayer to God.  Lord, please bring something good out of this, the way you brought something good out of it when my car was hit in the parking lot.  Please God!  Thank you for allowing this to happen.

Immediately, I felt in my heart that my car saved the driver’s life.  When the police arrived, I showed them where my car had been parked in front of my house.  There was a big tree next to the place where my car had been parked.  We could see that the impact to my car was from an angle at the back left corner of my car.  If my car had not been parked there, the driver would have slammed into the tree, and I believe he surely would have been killed.  I felt a deep conviction in my heart that God used my car to save the driver’s life.

The police searched the area and found a license plate laying in the street.  It belonged to the driver, and the police went over to his house a few blocks away.  The police told me later that the man was still drunk when they arrived at his house.  A week later, I saw that man on his front lawn playing ball with a little boy.  I wonder if he knows that my car saved his life!

My insurance company took care of everything and recovered the cost from the driver's insurance company.  I ended up with a brand new Chevy Malibu, and I love it (I still have it).  I am happier with the newer model; I love the color, the interior, the upgraded features.  When I think about the other Malibu, I am thankful and I remember how God gave me His perspective on the incidents with that car.  Because I had opened up my heart with gratitude, God showed me His purpose.  God’s perspective gave me joy!  That joy took the place of the normal human reaction of self-pity that I could have experienced (“why was I in the parking lot at that moment…how unlucky!” Or, “why did I leave my car parked outside that night?  Look what happened!!”).

Those two experiences with my Malibu help me to remember to thank God before I have a chance to put myself into a self-pity mode in disappointing situations.  This approach helps me to open my heart to see things from God’s perspective.  It also helps me to avoid unnecessary worry and anxiety, which can take a toll on my attitude and health and erase my joy!

For 2017, why not make Gratitude a goal?  Plan ahead!  Make a decision to thank God for a confusing or disappointing situation.  Ask God for wisdom.  Ask Him to give you His perspective on the situation.  If you want some practice, think of one specific thing in your life right now that is causing you to have self-pity, and get on your knees and thank God for that specific situation.  Ask God for wisdom; ask for His perspective.  Ask Him to replace your self-pity with joy!

What a great goal!

Devotion

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Prayer:

     

Thank you, Lord, for using my Chevy Malibu to teach me so much about gratitude.  Thank you for answering my prayers and showing me your perspective on situations that may be disappointing.  I pray that you would use these illustrations to inspire people to make a “gratitude goal” for 2017, so they will experience the joy of discovering your perspective!  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

© 2016 Linda Lijewski

Choose Gratitude

Complaining is easy.  In fact, complaining can be downright fun and satisfying, especially if we find someone who will commiserate with us!  I believe that complaining can easily become a habit and destroy our positive attitude and goal-achieving efforts.  When we decide to look at everything around us through a lens of criticism and complaint, we miss the blessings in our lives and the progress we have made toward accomplishing our goals.

During November, I experienced a complaining and blaming mindset.  I began to feel really disappointed that 2016 is coming to an end and I will not accomplish all of my goals.  I will not finish writing a book (my number one goal)!  I blamed a lot of things:  I don’t have enough control over my own time, I underestimated the time and effort it takes to write a book, and my biggest complaint of all… time goes by way too fast!

Thankfully, I pulled myself out of that depressing mindset.  I decided (yes… DECIDED) to be grateful and thank God for the blessings in my life and the progress I have made toward my goals!

The complaining and blaming mindset would have led me down the path of disappointment and ultimately giving up on my goals.  I probably would have stopped writing this blog.  I would end up just going through life with no goals… and I would still be complaining that time goes by too fast!

The grateful mindset leads me to continue to pursue my goals.  I can’t control time and how fast it goes by.  But when I look back at 2016, I see that I made great progress on three books, and I have enjoyed writing and editing!  I’m thrilled and eager to continue working on my book projects, as well as sharing my experience and goal-setting ideas through this blog.  Guess what my main goal is for 2017?  I plan to finish writing a book!

Oh, what a difference one decision can make in your life!  You can complain and become very disappointed in your life, or you can choose gratitude!

Here are some ideas to help you choose gratitude:

       ● Write down 25 things in your life for which you are grateful.  Yes, you can come up with 25 things!  Keep the list handy and refer to it when you are feeling down or when you feel tempted to complain.

● Pray to God and thank Him for your blessings, and with thankfulness, ask Him for what you need.  (See Philippians 4:6-7.)

● Read aloud a Psalm.  Most of the Psalms are filled with praise and thankfulness.  You may be familiar with the twenty-third Psalm (“The Lord is my shepherd…”).  Read Psalm 136 and underline each place that says, “His love endures forever.”  Read Psalm 139 aloud!

Devotion

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.  His love endures forever.  Give thanks to the God of heaven.  His love endures forever.  Psalm 136:1, 26

Prayer:

       

Lord, help me not to worry or be disappointed about my goal progress.  Instead, I thank you for helping me to take the steps I took this year toward my goals.  When I feel tempted to complain and add up disappointments, help me to remember that I should add up my blessings.  It is a choice, and I choose gratitude!  Thank you, Lord, for teaching us through your Word that you are worthy of praise and thankfulness.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

© 2016 Linda Lijewski

What Are You Waiting For?

Do you know what your purpose is in life?  If not, I’d like to suggest that you take steps to find out what it is.  I heard someone say today that living without purpose is harder than living with pain.  I think that a lack of purpose can lead to a life of regret.  Time is going by so fast!  We are here on earth for such a short time… what can we do to accomplish something, to live purposefully, to make our lives meaningful?

How can we discover our purpose in life?

I am not an expert, but I believe that goal-setting helps us to find our purpose in life.  Are you struggling to find out what your goals should be?  Don’t wait any longer.  Take action and be intentional about setting goals and discovering your purpose in life.

Step 1:  Seek God’s guidance.  Accept His gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Repentance is the key that unlocks the door.  We all need a Savior.  Come to God in humility, and accept His gift of salvation.

Step 2:  Identify what is in your heart to accomplish.  Explore your dreams!  Use your talents.  Make a list of your dreams, talents, and desires, and start from there.  Use the tips and suggestions in “Goal Setter’s Journey” to get on a path of setting goals and taking steps to achieve them.  Your life’s purpose will come into focus through this process!

Step 3:  Be intentional.  Be decisive.  Don’t be negative.  Don’t tell yourself you have no goals.  Don’t tell yourself you have no talents.  Tell yourself that God created you for a reason.  He has given you life, and this is your time.  Your goal-setting progress will reinforce your purposeful living, as you continually seek God’s will and direction in your life.  You will accomplish goals and you will be content knowing that you are living your purpose in life!

The Devotion below is my favorite verse in the Bible.  If we truly believe God’s Word and accept the truth in this verse, then it doesn’t matter what has happened in the past, or how much time has gone by, or what your life circumstance is at this moment.  God will work all things together for your good.  That is the principle that should encourage your heart as you set goals and seek your purpose in life!

Devotion

And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.  Romans 8:28

Prayer:

    

Lord, your Word is comforting and encouraging, and speaks right to our hearts.  I pray for those who feel as if they are leading lives without purpose.  Help them today to believe your Word.  Help them to see that you created them for a purpose!  You are able to work everything together for our good.  Help us to honor you by living purposeful lives.  Help us to set goals and intentionally take steps to achieve them.  Help us to keep our eyes on you, the Giver of Life and Purpose!  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

© 2016 Linda Lijewski

The Reunion

I have never understood how time goes by so slowly during an all-day seminar or a traffic jam or a root canal procedure, but 40 years go by so fast!  I went to my high school reunion this past summer.  I knew that it would be wonderful and fun and exciting to see people at the reunion and reminisce with everyone, but if I dug deep in my heart, what do I really feel about it?  If I could say anything I wanted to say to the "Class of 1976," what would it be?

Last summer, I wrote this message, primarily thinking of those individuals who have not yet accomplished their dreams or met their goals in life.  This is what I would like to say:

"It is surreal to think that 40 years have gone by since we graduated from high school.  Forty years is a lifetime!  It's a generation, or maybe two!  What has happened during these 40 years?  Many of you are married, have grown children, maybe even grandchildren.  You've experienced successes and you've grown and learned so much about life.  We've gained the wisdom that comes with age.  Some of you have experienced disappointments, unexpected things in your life, maybe health issues, maybe the death of a loved one.  Lots of things have happened in 40 years, and our paths have taken us in many different directions.

Have you accomplished what you always wanted to accomplish?  Have your dreams from your youth come true?  Is there a goal you want to reach or something you would like to do on your bucket list?  Do you have regrets?  Has your life taken you where you wanted to go?  Maybe you found God and Jesus, as I have, to help you through the hard times of life.

I suffered an unusual disappointment, something that was completely unexpected in my life, at least from my standpoint.  I was single for many years, when I wanted nothing more than to be married and have kids.  I didn't expect my life to go that way.  I thought I would get married at age 27, which seemed to be the age I was ready to be married.  I would have kids and a house and no problems in life!  But, instead of everything falling into place like a perfect puzzle, I was pushed to the sidelines, and I watched everyone around me get married, have kids, go through all the school activities and sports, baby showers, birthdays.  I dated someone while I was in Law School and I thought we would get married, but it didn't happen.  Through my thirties, I prayed for a husband, even qualifying it by asking for someone who is "nice," and I prayed for children, a boy and a girl.  That was my dream.

Well into my forties, it still hadn't happened.  I told a friend I was giving up hope to ever get married. I told her I was not going to pray about it any more.  She took action and talked with a friend of hers, and they both set me up on a blind date.  It was with my husband, Dave, and he is such a nice guy!  Guess what?  I am a stepmom to a boy and a girl.  God answered my prayers, and I have learned in life that timing is more important to God than time.

I'm glad that I found the Lord at age 25 and I did not have to go through singleness alone.  In fact, through that time, I learned how to depend on God and how to pray and trust.  When I met Dave, I realized that God's plan and purpose for my life was unfolding, as it had been for all those years.  Just because I couldn't see the future didn't mean there was no plan.  God was accomplishing His plan all along.

Plan, purpose, and prayer.  God has a plan to fulfill your purpose in life.  Don't give up.  Your dreams will come true and the purpose for your life will be accomplished if you trust the Lord.  Timing is everything, so always be ready!"

Devotion

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."  John 6:35

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for your purpose and plan for our lives.  I pray that we will not ignore our Creator.  Now is the time to turn to you, realizing that our lives are from you.  Forty years may go by, but your timing is more important than time.  I pray for those in the Class of 1976 who may be discouraged, disappointed, disillusioned, or depressed.  Please give them a glimpse of your power and your love, and prepare their hearts to learn to trust you.  I pray that they will experience the Bread of Life and truly be fulfilled.  In Jesus' name, Amen.


© 2016 Linda Lijewski