Got Your Resolutions For the New Year?

Do you make a resolution or two every year that you just can't keep? You resolve to get healthy and you might even join a gym and go work out for about a month and then real life creeps back in and you wind up still making the monthly payment to the gym but not working out.

Ditto with eating right. You might make a huge to-do about throwing the junk food out of your home and within a month you give in to the Twinky urge and there you are again, back where you started.

Instead of making a resolution that sets you up for disappointment and failure, why not make some small resolutions that will result in some changes. First of all, if your resolution is to get healthier. Don't put your money into a gym membership until you prove to yourself that you can stick with it. Instead, concentrate on eating right and up your water intake. The beautiful thing about your body is that if you give it the nutrition it really needs, you won't have cravings. Take your lunch to work and stop eating out, that will not only save you money, it will go a long way to helping you control what you eat. Keep a journal and if you write absolutely honestly, you'll see some surprising eating habits appear about yourself.

If less stress is a goal. Don't spend a huge amount of money on a new hobby you may or may not have time for. Instead, do something with your partner and/or your children. Spending time with your family away from the daily stresses will bring your family closer together and it's a proven fact that people with strong families deal with stress a lot better.

Make it a priority to be a happier person in 2007. Eliminate the things that you can that are causing you to be unhealthy or stressed and ask for guidance and strength to handle the rest - it will come to you.
 posted by Friends of Leah   

Look Around -What Do You See?

Do you ever take the time to look around yourself and appreciate the things that you have? It's easy to see that you don't have as nice of a kitchen as your neighbors, or you boss has a pool and you have a lonely patch of grass in your backyard. It's easy to lament that your children aren't the top football players, track stars or making the top test scores; but you need to take stock of what you have.

You are blessed to have your health, you are blessed to have a job, you are blessed to have neighbors and friends. If your children aren't achieving like you want, perhaps you aren't motivating them and supporting them enough. Children, like all living, growing beings need nurturing and attention to grow to their full potential. It takes more than simply providing for their needs if you really want them to shine.

Also, be thankful for the things you have. And if you want more in your life, don't be envious of other's good fortune, instead find ways to get what you want. Take a second job or budget for the things you want - nothing is outright given to anyone. If you ask that an obstacle be removed, it will be removed but you will still need to work for anything you truly attain.

Now, when you look around yourself again, do you see how truly blessed you are?
 posted by Friends of Leah   

It's Time to Forgive and Let It Go

If you've been holding something in, there are ways to let it go. You might be carrying around regret and anger from a bad childhood or you might be angry at the way you feel life has treated you in general, use this holiday season as a time to let it go and move on.

When you hate someone for wronging you - do you think they feel it or even know it? You spend your time obsessing on what was done or how you were treated and the other person moves on with their lives completely oblivious to how you feel about them. It's time for you to let it go and there are a number of different ways to do this.

First of all, ask that your bad feelings be removed. You'd be amazed at the help you get just for asking the Divine. If you truly want to heal yourself, you can do it. Many people get comfortable in their spots of bad luck. It's very easy to say you can't move forward with your life because your parents mistreated you or so-and-so did you wrong - but living well is indeed the best revenge. When you give in to feeling depressed or defeated because of circumstances you may or may not have had a hand in, you let the other person in.

You can defeat negativity through belief and positivity. Believe in yourself, ask for help from not only the Divine but your family and friends as well and you can overcome any circumstances in your life.
 posted by Friends of Leah   

Spreading Love and Joy - The True Meaning

People say, "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Holidays" at this time of year, but do they really mean it? It has become more of a greeting than a sentiment but you don't have to let the meaning of the holiday be lost within a sea of commercialism. Many people have commercialized the holiday season so much they e-mail each other lists of what to get family members for presents.

The holidays aren't about lists of presents, the tree, or even planning the holiday meal that many people have. It's about remembering love of your Creator and love for your family. You can reclaim the meaning of the holiday season by starting with just yourself and your family.

This year, make some ornaments that reflect your year. If you got a new job perhaps a gold star, if your child scored straight A's use a large "A" on your tree. Make decorating the tree a family affair, let everyone help. The little ones may not do much more than run around and clap their hands excitedly but make it a family affair nonetheless.

You can also sit everyone down and ask that spending limits be observed and even suggest that family members make gifts for one another this year. Also, consider donating blankets and coats to a local shelter for the needy, consider dishing out food and by all means take your children along - let them see exactly how blessed they are to have parents that love them and a roof over their heads. Explain to them for some children, even going to school is a luxury.

Make a difference in the lives of others this holiday season and let your children experience the true meaning of the holiday season by brightening the lives of others through giving.
 posted by Friends of Leah   

Healing Yourself

If you feel you've been wronged in your life, it can be painful. Whether it was lack of love of your parents or other ill treatment, you can carry that disappointment and those ill feelings within you.

Ill feelings fester into different things. It can become a hole within you that alcohol and drugs won't fill. It can turn into rage or you might close yourself off from others. You may have the inability to finish what you start or you might not even try at all.

You need to understand that bad things sometimes happen to good people and through no fault of your own you can experience tough times and bad situations - the healing begins to happen when you realize that you don't have to let bad experiences color your life and you don't have to let bad people and situations color the rest of your life. Never give anyone that much control over yourself.

The key to getting past it and reclaiming your life is to believe that there is something better for you out there and to allow the Divine to help you heal. Reach within yourself and ask that your ill feelings and any feelings of negativity and regret be removed.

The New Year is fast approaching, for this year try foregoing the festivities and spend the night affirming to yourself that you are a worthy person and you deserve happiness, good health and the opportunity to have a happy life. You can do this alone with a supportive person, just make sure to take stock in your life and see that the bad things weren't your fault and that you are a worthy person that deserves love and all the good things that life offers.

Make a difference in your life this New Year's; make your resolution to heal yourself come true.
 posted by Friends of Leah   

Where is That Holiday Spirit?

'Tis the season....to be stressed. Don't let the stress factor of the holiday season overshadow the sheer joy and love you should be feeling. It's easy to get caught up in shopping lists, holiday obligations and now that you're just paying off last christmas on your credit cards, you're running them up again for another year.

Instead of making this a consumer holiday, remember what Christmas is all about for you personally. It's not really about the presents, the shopping, the parties or the other holiday obligations. It just gets down to the fact it's all about honoring the beginning of the life of Jesus and all that he gave us. Instead of giving expensive gifts that may or may not be fully appreciated, try giving less expensive gifts and give more of yourself. Tell your loved ones that you love them, it's not said often enough.

When you're feeling completely overwhelmed by the holidays, take a deep breath and relax. There is no need to feel stressed. Stress is bad for your mind, body and spirit and it accomplishes absolutely nothing. There's no need to make yourself ill over the holidays.

Vow not to overburden yourself with holiday obligations or debt. Make this year different. Have your tree, have your gatherings of family and friends, but keep this holiday season about the love and not the money spent.
 posted by Friends of Leah   

Do You Have Common Courtesy?

One thing that you might notice is that people seem to have lost their ability to be courteous to each other. Unfortunately it really seems to shine out during the holiday season when people are more rushed and stressed than at almost any other time during the year.

Just as being rude can set off a chain reaction of bad events, being nice can also set something positive in motion. If you're children are habitual back talkers or lacking in courtesy, it's time to change that. There's no need to punish them, simply start using your own good manners and explain to them when they need something it needs to be done in a polite manner. They will probably complain, joke, or ignore your request but if you keep it up by example, they will soon fall into place.

Likewise in the workplace. Be polite to everyone. No matter how much someone annoys you - give them an extra dose of your politeness, you will find the result is that it will be very hard to pull you into office politics or other matters that usually result in drama in the workplace.

When you're out and about smile at people as they walk by, say "please" and "thank you"; hold doors open and if someone is rude - ignore it and don't be baited and drawn downward into someone else's negativity. Be above it and above all - set a great example and be courteous.
 posted by Friends of Leah