How many seconds, minutes, hours, days, years, and decades have we wasted our lives on trivial like grumbling and whining about one thing after another. Then there’s the criticizing, judging and pointing fingers. And don’t leave out the infamous triplets … should’ve, could’ve, would’ve. Say yuk three times! Time does fly whether you’re enjoying life or not. So much of life is lost exacerbating our precious mind with the negativity, cynicism and gloom.

Imagine what life would be like if negative energy would suddenly convert into the positive. That alone would jump-start your engine to an enjoying life simply because you now see the glass half full instead of half empty. Begin viewing life from the productive view instead of the critical.

My birthday is less than a month away. Reflecting on my life experiences I’ve released myself from appraising past mistakes and hurts. Instead I’m heeding to life’s lessons with gratitude of having explored ways that doing life didn’t work out! Therefore, I know now not to take that route again and move on. It’s time for a re-birthing of the greatness within. And it feels so good! We are in total control of our lives. The sagging economy doesn’t determine our successes or failures. Only we can do that.

It’s time to open your heart, take a deep breath and be thankful for the preciousness of living. Always there’s something to be thankful for. Do you have running water? Do you have indoor plumbing? Can you read these words in this post? Can you smell dinner from the kitchen? Get the picture…you have a great deal to be thankful for. Seeing life through thankful eyes encourages unspeakable joy which speaks to the greatness in your heart.

Life is too short to dwell on sorrow and distress. Don’t allow the economy and others negativity to stress you. When thinking on enjoying life, the three “F’s” comes to mind:

1. Forgive… Forgive yourself first.
2. Forget…Snap out of it. It’s over!
3. Focus… Look ahead of you.

Forgive How many times have you said, “if only I’d…. The reality is, you didn’t. Forgive yourself for your mistakes. Then forgive others for having hurt or mistreat you. What do you gain with unforgiveness other than depression, heart disease, and hypertension? Make a quality decision today.

Write down all of the mistakes that you’ve made. Look in the mirror and say aloud, “I forgive myself for having done this. I now released myself from all guilt and pain.” Now write down all the names of people you may have hurt. Call out each name and say aloud, “Forgive me.” Finally write down all names of people who have hurt you. Call each name aloud and say, “I forgive you. I release you from all liability.” Now say aloud, “I am thankful for this opportunity to be free.”

Forget Forget about the past. You cannot change what has happened. Do all things without complaining and disputing.

Focus Reach forward onto the things that are ahead of you. Keep your aim high and your eye on your greatness.

By doing these three things, you will jump-start a life full of abundant joy from a thankful heart.

Thank you for stopping by to read my post. I appreciate you and your comments.

Sharing my Passion,

©2010 Deana Murphy. All rights Reserved. You may reprint this article
 in its entirety with author's contact and bio information.
Deana Murphy is The Expert on Lifestyle Design, media personality,
a dynamic speaker, an award winning best selling author who has been helping
people for years design a home they love, transform their lifestyle,
and showing them how to feel good from the inside out and unleash their
greatness. She has been interviewed for O at Home Magazine, Empowering Everyday Women,
Spectacular Homes, SORMAG, and Meredith publications to name a few.

As I was sitting here quiet in meditation this morning there were so many things running through my mind. It is virtually impossible to focus that way. Today I am determined to de-clog my mind that I may hear and know clearly the directions I must take for my life, family, home, profession, ministry, writing and all of my endeavors. You’ve noticed that I haven’t blogged for a few weeks. Wow, not good. I want you to expect to hear from me often so I must be diligent to share. But in the name of “busyness” we so often push aside things that actually are necessary to help us move forward. Have you ever had a clogged pipe where water just sat in the sink and not moving anywhere? It seems everyone has a formula for getting the water to move and you’re following every direction presented to you. Nothing really happens. No matter how many formulas you may pour into the sink, the water remains there because something is stuck forbidding it to run freely. Much the same is with our mind. We have a litany of things to do and for the sake of “busyness” things aren’t moving fast enough because our attention is divided among so much to do. Every social media expert has a mailing list because they have “the formula” to move you to where you want to go. There are so many teleconferences highlighting the best of the gurus with their story and how it will work for you. And then there are the social networks themselves that require your undivided attention because you want to be sociable. And what about helping someone else out with their life’s projects for the sake of being sociable and then you find yourself with little time to work on your own. At the same time, all of these are trapped into the mind tunnel and can’t be released because the mind is cluttered..should I do this? If I don’t I’ll miss out? Which way should I go?

All Choices are not Created Equal

So today I endeavor to throw off everything that hinders and everything that so easily entangles so I can run with perseverance the race marked out for me. How is this done? There’s an awesome passage which tells us that apart from God we can do nothing. Latch onto this if you believe. It is your freedom package! Unfortunately and too often we become our own “hero” or “shero” believing we can handle anything in the name of “busyness”. And though we are busy doing what’s good, it is not necessarily profitable. What happens. Our mind becomes clogged and we can’t stay focused on what’s relevant and important since now we’ve become a “Jack, or Jill of all trades.” I sat here this morning talking with my Lord about what should I be doing. That’s how to begin clearing out the clutter. Ask for direction. Seek His wisdom and clarity. Everything we need is already within us. It is the wisdom from above that’s needed to proceed and cause us to triumph. Here’s my laundry list of things to clean-up in order that I stay on track and remain steadfast and focused on what I’m called to do. 1. Ask for forgiveness. Lord I want to be focused on what you’ve called me to do and be discerning of what direction(s) or program(s) are required to carry it out. 2. Find out what to purge Father, you made me and know my frame. Release me from what is holding me back from moving forward. 3. Just say no You can’t be everything to everyone. Today I canceled some commitments with an apology that I just couldn’t do it. Never burn bridges, and if you can refer an alternative then do that. 4. Exhale and stay on-point Exhaling to me is an outward expression of starting fresh, anew. Finish the task before you and refrain from jumping ahead to something new. It’s best to do one thing in excellence than several things poorly just for the sake of getting them done. 5. Journal every night the priories of the next day And stick to them. Though things may creep up and they will, follow-up with what wasn’t done today and add it to tomorrow’s list. Begin to depend on it as your guideline. 6. Take some time for yourself to think Do something that you enjoy. Do this on purpose. Also with a pen and pad take time to relax and think early mornings after prayer. It’s a great time because your mind is cued up. 7. Commit to reading a self-help book daily Even if it’s only one chapter a day, engage your focus with something to build you up, A teacher is ever learning. 8. Take a walk When feeling overwhelmed, remove yourself from what you’re doing and take a walk outside and then seek the master Designer for clarity and direction. 9. Remove worry When you trust in the Lord for all that you need, whether it’s meeting a time-frame or paying your bill, it will remove the worry. And besides, worrying is a sin. God is big enough to handle your concerns and mine. 10. Get help Seek the help of an assistant with the administrative issues so you can free the mind to be creative. I believe we can categorize and organize our thoughts as we do our homes, (I hope you organize your home. As you move about your home so does your mind). We were not designed or engineered to carry a clogged mind. If this is speaking to you today, leave me a comment and share how this post has helped you. I believe that I was inspired to write this this morning just for you. Sharing my passion, Deana