Fresh Thoughts for Your Monday: It's a New Day!

You have just received a gift—a beautiful, big gift wrapped in the finest of paper and tied with an elegant bow. That gift is this new day!

We may think that our days will go on and on forever and ever, but we know (especially as we grow older and are forced to confront the realities of life) that those days have always been numbered. We will receive only so many of them.

Therefore, what will you do to honor the gift of this day?

Today, this week, show your gratitude for the day’s gifts and blessings.

Fresh Thoughts for Your Monday: Cultivate a Spirit of Contentment

It’s November. Thanksgiving will be upon us in just a few weeks. When you think about Thanksgiving—both the holiday and the state of being—what can you name right now that you’re thankful for?

When you’re grateful and you see abundance in your life, have you found that your perspective changes and it’s easier to see more and more abundance, that your abundance grows?

When you’re grateful, does it help you to see that you have “enough” in life, that it changes your needs and wants?

Today, this week: Ask yourself, “What does having ‘enough’ mean to me?” Then, cultivate a spirit of contentment.

Where Am I Going? And Why?

This post was first published on November 10, 2011, one month after I had started this Time to Be blog. 

As I celebrate seven years of blogging and the milestone of my 1,000th post this month, I delved into my blog archives and drew out this post. We're all on a journey. I hope this post helps light your way. Thank you for being part of my blogging community!

Who am I? Where have I come from? Where am I going? Why?

These questions are fundamental to my life's journey, but how often do I ask them in order to shed light on my path? 

The questions originated from my friend Don's encounter with security at an airport in the UK.* 

When taken in a different context, they can serve as a metaphor for life's bigger questions and our continuous quest for fulfillment and happiness. 

I dare say that the answers are not always easily found and they will likely change with the seasons of our lives. But, I appreciate the act of pausing, asking, listening and reflecting on them, all the while having faith that I'm where I'm supposed to be right now.

Who am I? Where have I come from? Where am I going? Why? Spend time contemplating these questions. Are you satisfied with the answers you hear?


* November 2018 addendum to my original, seven-year-old post: Read With All We Are: Mission, purpose and transformation by Donald Eggleston, M.ED, M.DIV, published in 2018 by Mission Works Publishing, LLC, for more about these vital questions -- and more. Don’s thoughtful approach makes the questioning journey for individuals and organizations both accessible and revealing.

Affirming Words: Make Time

Today marks my 1,000 post in this Time to Be blog! 

From the beginning, this blog has been about making time -- time to be, time to renew, time to refresh, time to recreate, time to do what is important to you, and time to be with those who matter to you most. Today's Affirming Words celebrate that concept:

Consider adopting these Affirming Words for this month. Say them often to yourself -- whenever you see yourself in a mirror, when you get out of bed to start the day, whenever you need a little pick-me-up:

I’m happiest when I make time for those I love and care about. My life is richer because of them. Therefore, I make time in my day and my week to dedicate time to those who are most important to me.

Fresh Thoughts for Your Monday: Let Your Worries and Fears Float Away

We hang onto them as if they were among our most prized possessions. We keep a firm grip on them so we can draw upon them throughout our waking—and especially our nighttime—hours. They are our worries and fears.

When we give them our attention and energy, our fears and worries become bigger, darker and more foreboding, especially in those middle-of-the-night hours when all seems darker, bigger and scarier.

Today, this week: Turn those worries and fears around and scoot them out the door. Let them float away with the wind. Fill those empty spaces instead with gratitude. Focus on the blessings of this moment, and your worries and fears won’t find room to come back.

Fresh Thoughts for Your Monday: Be Strong. Be True to Yourself.

It isn’t always easy. The pressure to conform, to remain silent, to go along with things that don’t feel right to you is strong.

But you have an option. You can be strong. You can be brave. You can be true to yourself and your values.  That wisdom that you carry deep inside of you is real and shouldn’t be ignored or squelched.

The truth that you feel deeply and viscerally is important to acknowledge. The words you have to say are important. Give voice to them.

Today, this week: Be strong. Be true to yourself. Listen to the wise voice deep inside of you. What is it telling you?

Fresh Thoughts for Your Monday: Wisdom Resides in the Silence

Our calendars and date books are packed with back-to-back commitments, obligations and have-to-dos. Everything becomes a blur as we run from one thing to the next.

We reach out so much in our lives. The only way to balance it is with time when we reach within.

Become still and silent for a while each day. Allow the silence to fill your spiritual well and give you the answers you seek.

It is there where Wisdom is waiting for you.

Today, this week: Give yourself time for silence and stillness.