Today I am here to share with you parts 6-10 from the book "100 Ways to Simplify Your Life" by Joyce Meyer.
If you want to read about 1-5 click HERE.
6) Let Go of What Lies Behind
I have mostly good days with this one....but every once in a while...I will get lost in my thoughts about things that happened in the past and start feeling down. I need to remember that those days are gone and forgotten. I need to remember to live for today.
Why do we like to hang onto reminders of our past mistakes....it only makes us feel bad.
More than anything else....I want the messes in my life to be used as miracles.
In the book:
"I believe Paul tried fixing earlier mistakes and discovered how complicated and impossible it was to try and do that. There is only one thing we can do with the past - give it to God!"
"When we let Him take our messes and turn them into miracles, God has the ability to use our mistakes for our great good if we trust Him to do so."
"Isaiah 61:3 says He will give us "beauty instead of ashes," but I find a lot of people want to keep their ashes, the cinders of the past, as reminders of their shortcomings and failures. Decide to give up your ashes, or that is all you will ever have."
"It is imperative to get our minds out of the past in order to see God's good plan for today."
7) Learn How to Say No
Oh this one...this one is a little treasure. When you can learn how to say no and not feel bad about it...you will have
found a pot of gold!!
Back in the day I would want to make EVERYONE happy and I would feel terrible if I told someone no. These days I have come to the realization that I just cannot do everything and that is ok.
So now I can graciously, sincerely tell people no
without feeling guilty.
Be honest with people about your no too....don't lie to them and make up some story about why you can't do something. Just be truthful with them...everyone else is busy and most likely they will understand. If they don't ....that is not on you.
In the book:
"It's natural to want to be loved and accepted -- we all want that -- but that tendency makes it very easy to fall into the trap of being a people pleaser. This greatly complicates life, however...."
"God created each of us in a unique way; we are individuals who have a right to live our own lives. This does not mean we never adapt and adjust ourselves and our desires in order to help or make others happy, but it does mean we cannot continue to please people at the expense of pleasing God."
"If you truly feel in your heart God wants you to say yes, then say it and stick to it; but if you feel He's directing you to say no, then say no and stick to that as well."
"If our hearts say no while our mouths say yes out of fear of rejection, we cannot expect God to help us. He is not obligated to finish anything He did not author."
8) Be Yourself
"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
This one I am currently working on. Instead of fighting it....I've came to the conclusion that I am not the same person I was 3 years ago or 10 years ago....and that's ok. I am me. There is no other me. ....and there is no other you. We need to embrace ourselves and love the person we are today.
In the book:
"After many years of misery and struggle, I finally realized that God would never help me be anyone but me."
"You don't have to compare or compete with anyone or anything else, and that, my friends, is true freedom."
"Learn how you can relax with others and just be yourself. If they reject you, they reject what God created, not what you have created. Of course, we all have areas we can improve, but only God can do the changing and He does it His way
and in His timing."
"If you will decide to accept and like yourself for who you are and who God has made you, you will find more acceptance
and less rejection."
9) Choose Quality over Quantity
Oh this is a good one....
Less is more!
In the book:
"Having more is not always better -- it is very often worse. We tend to buy cheaper clothes so we can have more clothes, then we become frustrated because they shrink or fade or don't last like we thought they would. Having too many clothes can even make getting dressed complicated."
"If we choose to buy quality products such as appliances and furniture, even when it means having fewer things for a period, we actually save time in the maintenance needed. Poor-quality items break down more often and wear out sooner. The more we have to deal with in life, the more complicated it becomes."
"Our lives cannot be simplified until we have a smaller amount of things to deal with."
10) Refuse to Start What You Cannot Finish
I have started a lot of different things and have yet to finish them. I'm trying to force myself to finish them before I start
any new projects.
Doesn't it feel good to finish something you've been working on for a while?
In the book:
"Multiple unfinished projects clutter our minds and lives. They continually scream at us to finish them and they condemn and mock us. The longer it takes to finish the worse we feel about ourselves. No person can attempt to do everything and do any of it well."
"Most people in our society today are addicted to taking on more than they can handle.......I always have more on my to-do list than I can finish in one day, but I go after it again the next day."
"Simplify your life by beginning only what you know you can finish and finishing what you begin......When you complete something, you no longer need it on your mind .... You are free to dream and free to create because your mind is clutter-free."
I hope all of you have a fabulous weekend.
xoxoxo....
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