The fact that you’re reading this, tells me you’re the type of person who wants to get better.  However, those who are constantly trying to move forward, eventually lose momentum.  It doesn’t have to be that way.

Last year I lost about twenty five pounds over a six month period.  It doesn’t sound like much, but it was life changing.  My wife claims it was closer to thirty.  Whatever it was, it didn’t last.  I ended up going through a tough season where I didn’t feel like doing much of anything.  Needless to say, I ended up gaining back about half of what I’d lost.  Maybe you’re there right now.

It may not be weight, but some kind of personal gain.  Maybe it was a great routine or saving money.  Perhaps you had a regular date night with your spouse.  You’re not alone, all of us get side tracked at one point or another.

Rather than thinking about what you’re going to do next to get your mojo back, why don’t you just pick up where you left off?  That’s what I did.  I went back to cutting portions, making healthier decisions between meals, eating a good breakfast, cut soda, started drinking my coffee black.  As of this writing, I’m no Adonis, but I have lost some of the weight and experienced some victory here and there.  With a little persistence, I will get back to where I was and start working toward my initial goal.

In the words of John Maxwell, “We all have uphill hopes and downhill habits”.  You’re not alone.  We’re all in the same boat.  But it’s also not too late!  The minute you start believing that, you’re all done.

It’s not too late.  It’s not too late.  It’s not too late.  That’s not a typo.  I’m here to tell you there’s still hope.  Doesn’t it seem so simple once you boil it all down?

You don’t have to give up on your dreams.  Here are some tips to help you as you transition into your next season.

Get a Partner– Rather than placing all of the weight on yourself, there are other options.  For example, you can get an accountability partner.  Did you know that 90% of people who have a partner, stick with the program?  On the flip side, only 10% of people who exercise, have a partner.  Ecclesiastes reads, “It’s better to have a partner than go it alone.  Share the work, share the wealth.  And if one falls down, the other helps.  But if there’s no one to help, tough!” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (The Message).  A partner will be there to pick you back up when you fall and encourage you to keep going.  Get one!  What are you waiting for?

Measure your Results– I used to be the type of person who only weighed in about once every ten years, beside Dr. appointments.  Now I weigh in daily.  There’s one thing I’ve learned- numbers don’t lie!  Monitor your progress.  When the numbers or results aren’t what you’re aiming for, make adjustments in your strategy and capitalize.  It will pay HUGE dividends.

Call a Friend– That’s right!  The importance of connection can’t be emphasized enough.  So when you call them, make an appointment to meet and catch up.  The reason we sometimes struggle is because we don’t take the time to cultivate our relationships with the people we love and care about.  Just this past week, I reconnected with a handful of relatives at the fair and it totally recharged my batteries.  Who is it that you need to get together with?  The wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, wrote, “You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another” Proverbs 27:17 (The Message).  If you don’t have at least one friend who brings out the best in you, find one!

Whatever you do, I want you to know it’s not too late!  Your best days are still ahead of you, not behind you.  You may not feel that way right about now, but it’s the truth.  So learn from your mistakes.  Instead of trying to continually come up with a new plan, re-work the old one.

Just this morning, while taking my daughter to a track meet, we pulled onto a major highway and the traffic was crawling.  At first, we reasoned the State was probably doing roadwork.  Inwardly, I confess my focus was on myself and how I was being inconvenienced.  Granted, it was a fleeting thought, but I admit to having it.  However, as we proceeded further, we saw the facts proved otherwise.  First we saw the red flashing lights and firemen, then a mangled can the size of a car wedged under a guard rail.  A helicopter was idling in the other oncoming lane.  The feelings of being inconvenienced were soon replaced with prayer and thoughts of thankfulness.  I thought to myself, if that person or people are still alive, they’re probably going to have a long road to recovery.

The fact is, recovery takes time.  So if you get back in the saddle, don’t just think things are going to change over night.  They will in some ways, for instance you’ll be relieved that you made the right choice.  But most likely it will take some time to recover if you’ve crashed and burned.  So the question isn’t what are you going to do tomorrow.  The question is what are you going to do right now?  What’s your next step that’s going to set you up for the success you’re looking for?

For instance, if you’ve decided you’re going to start working out again before work in the morning, prepare.  Put your clothes and running shoes out before you go to bed.  In the morning, you won’t have to waste time trying to find everything while you’re still half asleep.  It will all be there waiting for you.

Maybe you’ve decided you’re going to get out of debt.  Cutting up your credit cards may seem absurd, but it’s a partial solution and you don’t have to wait until tomorrow to do it.  While you’re at it, go to the Library and borrow a set of C.D’s on Financial Management or get a book or two.  Better yet, do both.

But whatever you do, don’t just keep waiting for a moment of inspiration to get back to the fundamentals that once helped you achieve success.  Feelings can be nice things, but successful people don’t wait for them to show up, they just get down to business and enjoy the feelings when and if they come.  I’d love to hear about some of the strategies you are using to reach your goals, so please feel free to comment below.  Remember, it’s not too late!  It’s not too late!  It’s not too late!

If you’ve ever been to a funeral, you know that we have a tendency to remember the positive things about people and forget their faults once they die.  The reverse is true, sometimes, while they’re still alive.  What if you started doing this?

It’s sooooo easy to focus on what’s wrong with your life.  Sometimes it seems the older you get, the more your dissatisfaction grows.  What started out as Measles becomes a full-blown case of appendicitis of the soul.  If you’re not careful, the pain is so bad, you can’t think of anything else.  It can begin with your unruly kids, or your jerk boss, or your horrible house and your insensitive spouse.  Before you know it, you meet the enemy and he is you!  That’s right.  The problem isn’t your kids, your boss, your house or your spouse.  You’re your problem.  And the problem is you’ve gotten to the point where you focus on everything that’s wrong with your world.

So, when is the last time you focused on everything that’s right in your world?  I’m not saying that there aren’t issues in some of those other areas we’ve looked at, I’m just saying that when we face difficulties, we can forget about how good of a life we really have.  For example, aren’t you glad it wasn’t your funeral I just attended today?

Call it positive thinking, call it glass half-full, call it whatever you want.  If you’re always completely focused on what’s wrong with your life and not what’s right, you’re going to be miserable.  Now, if you’re not actively seeking to provide for your family and you’re just waiting for someone else to do it, that’s another story.  But if you’re genuinely seeking what’s best for you and your family, you’ve got a lot going for you.

People say the Christian life is hard and it can be.  I get that.  Though the Christian life is all up hill, God has given us the resources to thrive.  We have Jesus himself, the Holy Spirit, God’s Word- the scriptures, prayer and friends to encourage and strengthen us.  The problem is we can get to the point where we neglect some or all of these things.  Then life gets hard indeed.  If the Christian life wasn’t hard, you’d never grow.

Speaking of the scriptures, the apostle Paul wrote, “I have learned whatsoever state I’m in, therewith to be content.” Philippians 4:11.  Talk about the art of appreciation!  Paul was writing from a Roman jail and explaining what true joy is.  Maybe just after he wrote this sentence, a rat ran under his chair!  Yet, Paul was able to say “I’m content”.  That’s not to say Paul preferred prison over the penthouse suite.  But God can turn your prison into a palace if you’ll only focus on what’s right with your life and not what’s wrong.

Right about now you may be thinking, “he just doesn’t get it, that’s not going to make my problem go away.”  Your right.  I’m not saying to think positive and all of your problems will go away.  What I’m saying is your problems aren’t going to go away unless you change.  And part of that includes your mindset.  If you just keep focusing on all of your problems, you’re going to miss out on the power.  Don’t ignore your problems, attack them.  And that begins with a heart of thanks and appreciation for what you have that’s worth saving.

If you don’t think this is a prevailing mindset, think of the last conversation you had with someone.  As you talked with them, did that person strike you as someone who was truly appreciative and thankful for the opportunity to live.  Or, did they strike you as someone who feels like they need more?  Listen, it’s o.k to want more.  But you’re not going to be more joyful with more if you’re not content with what you have right now.  Once you get more, there will always be more to get.

Likewise, chances are you’re not going to get less.  By that I mean, your best years of health may very well be behind you.  In the future, there may be more Dr.’s appointments.  More funerals.  More bills.  More grandchildren.  Chances are your life is going to get more complicated, not less.  Chances are you’ll have more problems to solve, not less.

Right about now, you may be wondering if it’s all really worth it.  I’m here to tell you, yes!  If you’re 22 or 92, you have a lot to be grateful for.  The fact that you’re even able to read the words on this page, puts you in good standing.

I just started painting with oils again after twenty years and it’s been amazing.  There are a lot of lessons.  Here’s one thing I’ve learned.  It’s frustrating but insightful.  I’ve been painting landscapes, and without fail, there are parts of my painting that come out amazing and others not so amazing.  The next painting I do, I completely flub the part I did well and perfect the part I painted poorly in the last picture.  So, what do I do?  I turn off the inner editor and think to myself, there are many people who would be happy with this, flaws and all.

Friend, your life may not be perfect, but there are plenty of people who would love to have it, flaws and all.  It may sound funny, but I pray that as you work on fixing some of the mistakes in your own life, God teaches you more about the art of appreciation.  No matter what you’re going through, and how many times you feel like giving up, you have a lot to be thankful and appreciative for.  So next time you feel like throwing in the towel, why not change your mind and focus on what you’ve got, not what you want? 

While we’re at it, would you join me?  Lets start focusing on what other people around us are doing right and encourage them.  What if we just constantly looked for opportunities to encourage people who are doing the right think and stopped policing for people who are messing up?  I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to do a lot better when I’m loved than when I’m criticized.  Love you folks.  Have a great week!