Make it a WONDERFUL day!

Oh how I love Maya’s outlook here!
I sense expectation, hope, positivity, excitement, happiness, and spontaneity - for each day!
I want to adopt this attitude! You and I can choose to see our days like this. 

How?

I’ve heard it said that focusing on the past can cause depression and focusing on the future can cause anxiety. What would happen if we fix our eyes on the present? What if we choose to focus only on today and make it WONDERFUL? I bet our present focus would result in gratitude, contentment, joy and peace.

What I love about zeroing in on “now,” is the simplicity of it. It’s not complicated. It’s not overwhelming and too much to handle. That is where the peace comes in.

And you know what? It doesn’t take BIG things to make a day great….it’s all in the little things.

Here are a few of the little things that make my days WONDERFUL:

A good cup of coffee (extra foam PLEASE!)
Reading inspiring Scripture and prayer
A smile from a neighbor
A laugh from a silly meme or gif
A yummy meal
Journaling my gratitude
Popcorn!
My Kindle
Neighborhood walk & favorite podcast
An unexpected contact from someone special
Flowers
Encouraging a friend
A sunny day
A rainy day
Chirping birds
A really good TV series or movie
Trying out a new recipe
Restful sleep
Comfy sweats
An organized drawer
Corn Hole
A good glass of wine
Listening to my country music

What are the little things that you can do today to make your day WONDERFUL?
Make a list and DO them!

“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. …….then the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9

You may need a perspective shift!

“Perspective” is defined as: “A particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.” Secondary definition: “An art technique that changes the distance or depth of an object on a surface;
the appearance of objects or scenes as determined by their relative distance and positions.”
Synonym: Angle

Why take the time to understand the entire meaning of perspective? First, it is important to realize your perspective is an attitude/opinion you choose to have. Yes - it is true your perspective is influenced by past and present experiences and circumstances. But HOW will these impact your perspective?
Perhaps it is the angle at which you choose to view these experiences and circumstances that is significant. Just as in art technique, stepping back/pausing/zooming in/evaluating
can change your angle, which changes your view - which can change your perspective!
Acknowledging there is more than one way of viewing and perceiving the world around you is powerful.

You can control your perspective! Your angle…your view…your attitude…your mindset.

As we see in the above adorable picture - this little gal is currently looking at her surroundings
from a different viewpoint (I wish I was that flexible - haha!).
What about you? Is there a current situation in which a shifted perspective would be beneficial…necessary? So many times we tend to search for and get obsessed with the “WHY?” of our circumstances:
“Why is this happening to me???” Questions are always good, but how about instead we ask,
“What can this mean for me? How can this benefit me? How can I learn and grow from this?”

The Bible guides us in having an eternal perspective:
”For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
You don’t have to fix your eyes on your current troubles. Instead you can make the choice to focus on all that is coming - all that God has in store for you. THIS is the perspective you can choose!

I encourage you today to imitate this sweet child and choose to shift your perspective…look at your circumstances from a different vantage point and see your mindset expand!