Why not wake up today and decide today is the day you change your life?
Why not wake up today and decide today is the day you cut the excuses?
Why not wake up today and decide you are going put to rest doubt and fear?
Why not wake up today and forget the scale, forget the harsh screams of others and just be wonderfully you?
Why not wake up today and smile and wave at all them haters and naysayers?
Today is yours. The work is hard, and the road may be long, but the journey, every paved and unpaved mile will teach you something valuable. Set out to find gratitude in each mile.
Have acceptance in each setback, and have hope for every victory yet to come. Someone is watching you.
Show them kindness, teach them love, and let them in on your successes.
Bitterness need not apply. Now let’s go smash some pavement… after all, it is Wednesday!!
Back in my hometown this morning on my beautiful paved roads of familiarity. This past week of mountain climbing put my body to the test, revealing areas of needed improvement.
My mindset was challenged… yet this experience gave me a sense of improved peace, and a complete appreciation for what it truly means to work for the reward.
I’m starting today with a refurbished attitude. I journaled my new goals this morning, releasing all the crap that was ready to slither in and set up roadblocks. Each day begins with a choice to settle… or a choosing of doing better… being better… living better.
It’s not easy going rogue. Standing tall for better choices, seeking better people, living for God and loving yourself enough to be transparent so others can see it is possible.
I’ve lived in my own hell. I wrote the book on feeling sorry, feeling guilty, and falling short.
Today is glorious. The air is perfect, the sun is shining. I hear the wind softly singing its own song, and the birds are happy. Today can be the day you decide change is gonna come.
I see you… I heard you… I believe in you. Let’s get going. Time waits for no one.
Heading out to be in nature. Nature is the one place where we can be ourselves. There are no time constraints, no phones ringing, no emails. It is a place where we can set aside just for moment in time all the things that weigh us down.
It is here where I appreciate what my creator has given me. Nature offers me hope for my future, and steadies my faith in this crazy world.
Above all… I set out on this 10-mile hike with gratitude. I am here for a purpose. Whether it be big or small, I am making a difference in the lives of beautiful people. I choose who I am in this moment.
Never underestimate the depths of your words, the intense power of a smile, and how a little kindness can become someone’s first stepping stone of healing.
Sundays for me represent my meaning of life. The quiet of the morning, the first sip of coffee, the alone time on the couch to really sit and think.
We see people’s lives on social media and we scroll. We ask, “Why can’t we have what they have?” “Why is she lucky?” “Why is he so successful?”
The truth is no one is without injury or suffering. Everyone has their deepest hurts, regrets, and shortcomings buried deep in their own pillows and closets of life.
It’s easy to get down in this current world situation. Society is a mess… full of racism, bigotry, hate, rebellion, censorship, riots, unpatriotic behaviors and the list goes on… we must align our actions to be as good as our intentions.
Today, I get to flip blueberry pancakes in a little farmhouse that I love. I get to run on roads whose school bus drove my kids to school. I woke up on a lumpy mattress that I wouldn’t change for the world, and share my coffee with someone who is a steady hand of kindness and goodness.
I don’t have a yacht, I don’t have a big bank account, and I don’t care… because what I do have is worth more than any zero on a check.
My life is messy, my brain is a chaotic mess half the time, but I am happy… I don’t need more or better. I don’t need fake or unrealistic.
God gives me just what I need… Every. Single. Day. Reflect on what your blessings are today… that is all.
#sunday #blessings #smilemore
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There is a neverending journey to my soul. Each section of my path teaches me something valuable to my foster my continued growth and repair.
Here’s what my journey has spoken so softly yet loud as a bell this past week… listen and your spirit will guide you ~
Seeking rest and solidity is a must for me. I struggle with this…. but to rest in His word… in my truths, and in my beliefs, isn’t just for show… it’s my life support.
Release any and all toxic bullshit from your life. This includes people, places, and things. People will try and attach all their baggage onto you. Cut the cord and seek out only those who amplify your well-being.
Never ever underestimate the power of your inner badass. Stop worrying about tomorrow and unwrap your hidden gifts. Share them.
Be kind, be good and ever so light… but be not fooled. Do not be fragile or persuaded… be strong and clothed in his strength.
Seek your power today… Amen.
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This week has been a week of deep thought, release and reproach. Forgiveness of myself is something I’m often reluctant to strive for.
As disciplined as I am, it’s easy for to me to be to set in my ways, too hard on myself, and too one-sided in many areas of thinking.
This week I set some new goals for myself.
I promised myself more journaling time. I challenged myself to see a difficult situation in a forgiving light instead of an angered one.
I enjoyed some foods I usually scold myself for having… I allowed myself to loosen the lid of the pressure cooker of life.
There are familiar places, smells, sounds, and landscapes that enter my mind often and take me back to a time of comfort, peace, and solace. This week I reminded myself that to get to this place, I need to paddle with the current… not against it.
Be the love… be unstoppable… be understanding… be available for all the things that make you happy.
Don’t get caught in the riptide. Do not go against the flow, but work with the current to get you upstream to the destination of your dreams…
Today I am going to put some powerful work in and press the Ctl Alt Delete reset button of my mind.
When stresses accumulate, when toxic people show back up, when the ways and behaviors of this world are heavy on me… I need a reset.
It’s so easy for any of us to be persuaded back into old patterns of unhealthy eating. Invitations to our destructive habits and addictions can arrive wrapped in deceptive packaging.
Do not be fooled, and do not be led. Be the leader.
Take time today to meet yourself on the roads and trails of your life. Be grateful of where you are, be accepting of where you have been, and be hopeful of where you are going. When the anvils and pressures sit heay… hit Ctl Alt Delete. Clear your head space… and start over.
Every day we are given a new chance to re-arrange, re think, and re-adjust the choices and progress of who we are. Take your power back. Claim it, own it, and use it for good.
Our wealth, our health, and our prosperity are gained but only by the fruits of our labor. Grace is new every morning… and may this road, and these sneakers continue to be the steady ground that has changed my life.
Back from a well rested time at the beach. With so much going on in this crazy world, how wonderful it felt to “almost feel normal” again.
Nostalgia flooded my mind all throughout the week as the smell of Coppertone, French fries, seagulls, and kids laughing brought me to a happy place of memories as a child growing up with beach vacations.
I realize as I get older earthly material things mean less and less to me… and the time spent with my family and good friends is priceless. Life is truly flying by quickly, and now more than ever the present moment is where I must try like hell to allow myself to stay in.
I also became more aware that I am typically very hard on myself, but also that I am uniquely me… that what I do matters, and that where I have been and where I am going tell my tale of just what I am made of.
Today I woke up in my little hometown, back on my country roads, with my familiar surroundings, and a renewed sense of why I do what I do.
I know where I have been, I know where I am going…
Once a year, the countdown on my calendar begins. I mark my beach vacation in a special color. I wait with anticipation to get to this place. A place of sweet summer smells, crashing waves, and miles of sand to toss my cares to.
The sea for me is cathartic. It amazes me. It’s gentle and sweet one minute, strong and powerful the next. It’s a place where I release all my worries. Reflect on where I have been, and pray for better days ahead.
This morning as I was running on the boardwalk, I watched the people. I see each of their faces. Some are young, some are battered, some are aged with wrinkles, some are sun-soaked, some smiling with excitement, some are deeply troubled with sadness.
I think about where they may have been in life, what their story is. Why has their journey led them to this place on this day?
I will be using this time to spend with my family, to stay off social media… as I do find that once in a while, I need to rest my mind from all of the world.
Disconnect back into myself, journal, work on my writing… and truly return to the days when being at the beach was a time worth waiting for.
Take time for yourself today. Hit the reset button, disconnect from everyone else’s crap, and focus on what is right in front of you.
Life is short… the beach is timeless, and a period of restructuring ourselves and quieting all outside noise is a must for continued spiritual growth.
Get up and get after life today. 💙. Amen.
#hopedealer #shuttingdownmymind
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