MAKE it a great day!

I realized about 5 years ago that If you truly want to change your life, you must first change your mind. That's all, it's literally that easy. Every morning you CHOOSE to be in a good mood, you CHOOSE to be kind instead of hateful, you CHOOSE to do the right thing despite what your pride says, you choose to MAKE it a great day. It's completely in your hands. Yes, unfortunate things happen but it's not what happens to you but how you react to it that really matters. Guys, believe me when I say, there is ALWAYS a reason to smile and be thankful. Have a good talk and laugh with a friend, go for a walk and stop to enjoy the scenery, enjoy a delicious cup of coffee as you read a captivating book, do something out of the ordinary.. Whatever it is that makes you smile, do it! Your smile and your positive attitude will make for a great day!

Spend time with the people you love.

Let the details amaze you. 

This is me doing something out of the ordinary. Kai's eyes lit up when I said he could throw leaves at me! This is happiness. This is what life is about!

" People do not decide their futures. They decide their habits and their HABITS decide their future." F.M. Alexander

How in shape or out of shape you are? The answer is the result of your habits.

How happy or unhappy you are? The answer is the result of your habits.

How successful or unsuccessful you are?The answer is the result of your habits.

The definition of habit is: a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up. I love that last part, one that is hard to give up. We usually think of bad habits when we hear that part of the definition: smoking, biting nails, cussing.. imagine if you have good habits that are hard to give up: reading the bible daily, being encouraging, exercising,  smiling, eating healthy, having gratitude, waking up early, and the list goes on. Are there bad habits that seem to keep holding you back from achieving any resemblance of success and happiness? Bad habits can get in the way of our progress and quitting them is not easy by any means. However, it's all a matter of momentum. It all boils down to small incremental steps that you can take day in and day out to help you build up the right repertoire of habits to help you achieve whatever your heart desires.

You have to commit to see the transformation. 

How do you start a habit? Make it DAILY – Consistency is critical if you want to make a habit stick. If you want to start exercising, go to the gym EVERY day for your first thirty days. Going a couple times a week will make it harder to form the habit. What you repeatedly do (what you spend time thinking about and doing every day) ultimately forms the person you are, the things you believe, and the personality that you portray.

Sometimes we have to remind ourselves to make a good habit stick. Set an alarm on your phone, or you can have triggers like do it right when you wake up, or right before bed or right after you brush your teeth. Or, you can have a friend or spouse keep you accountable. Tell them what you are trying to make a habit and have them text or ask you if you've done that today. If you don't have that person in your life, let me know, I'll keep you accountable! We were not created to do things alone, we NEED community. 

"The only thing standing between you and your goal is the story YOU keep telling yourself as to why you can't achieve it" Jordan Belfort

Let's be honest, we live in a world of distractions. Cell phones, social media, activities, work, school, you name it, it's a distraction. We let our minds play tricks on us and we really do get in our own way. "I'll just go to the gym tomorrow" The only reason a new habit doesn't form is because you didn't want it bad enough. We get lazy, we come up with excuses, we stop when it gets too painful or too boring! But, don't let the pain dull the passion! Push through the pain, once the habit is formed, you will no longer feel the "pain". You will watch your life change, you will find yourself looking at life differently. Certain things no longer bother you, you don't get frustrated as quickly, you are able to uplift others, you catch yourself just stoping to smile!! You are just thankful and truly happy and there's no way you can hide it.

I personally struggle with something called "Zero Day". If I don't read my bible in the morning, I feel like I missed my opportunity to do it. If I don't go to the gym right after work, that's it, I'm not going! So basically a zero day is when you have a schedule and if you can't stick to it, you just skip it instead of making time for it. Guys this is REALLY bad!! We're not perfect, if you have a set back or skip a day, IT'S OKAY! Please don't let that stop you from doing it at a different time or even just doing it tomorrow. 

So the point of this blog was to convince and encourage you that it is possible to be happy every day! It is possible to have your dream job. It is possible to be healthy & fit into those pants. It's all very much possible, you just have to MAKE it happen! Make it happen one day at a time.  You CAN go on that vacation that you deserve so much.  You CAN have that life you've been dreaming about everyday for the past year.  You CAN do it! So start DOING it now, it's not too late!

I believe in you,

Kristina

A little side note: Jerico recently got me into watching/listening to podcasts, I'll be sharing a podcast a week with you.