Happy 4th Quarter of 2015!
Whenever I think of the “4th Quarter”, I think of football. It is when everything is decided. Who will win, who will lose. Even if you start the game well, you can easily lose the game in the last quarter.
SO, let’s finish this year well.
As you know, I have been trying to STOP this year. STOP all the excess activity, and focus instead on God. More on the Spiritual, and less on the material.
I am glad to say, I have done well. It’s been a good year with God. And now, as we end this year, I want to finish well. I don’t want to get so busy with the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season that I miss the meaning and miss the reason for this season.
I want to finish well.
SO, join me in my 4th Quarter Challenge. Each day, between now and the end of the year 2015, journal at least 5 things that you are thankful for. It can be an experience you had that day, or something that came to mind during the day, that you are thankful for!
They can be big things, or little things. When you journal them at the end of the day, be sure to write what you are thankful for in a full sentence. As you write down the specifics in full sentences, you will help your brain to process the memory of the gratitude, and hard wire that memory into your brain.
The First Thanksgiving by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863–1930) Public Domain
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
35 Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.” 1 Chronicles 16:34 &35 NIV
Celebrate Thanksgiving by the two words found in the one… Thanks. Giving. I have been pondering thanks, (gratitude) and giving, and how they impacts our lives.
Thanks. Without gratitude, our attitude becomes toxic – literally. I discuss how what we think has direct repercussions our health in my book, Master Your Mind. We must stay thankful to stay healthy! I believe our attitude will affect how successful we are in all areas of our lives. I want to be thankful at all times.
Giving. I think a similar principle effects our finances. Without giving, our finances become ‘all about us’… and that can be toxic to your finances! I believe we must give with a cheerful heart for our finances to stay healthy! I want to be generous at all times.
So, join me in my 4th Quarter Challenge. Write down at least 5 things that you are thankful for.
Now, take time to have a “Selah Moment.”
“Selah Moment”
The exact meaning of “Selah” is not known, but It is thought to mean “stop and listen,” or “pause and reflect.” Another possible meaning is “to praise, or lift up to God.” All of these meanings fit what I call a “Selah Moment.”
After you have your list of at least 5 things you are thankful for, select one of those things on your list, and think about it for a minute, or two. This pausing to reflect, is what I call it a “Selah Moment”. Close your eyes and remember what you are grateful for, and relive the moment in your mind. Remember the experience. Praise, and lift up to God, your thanks and gratitude for that moment in your life today. Smile, sigh, and /or laugh, about what you are thankful for today.
If you do this every day, by the time you celebrate the new year, you will have developed the habit of gratitude. You will have a new habit of looking for, and remembering, things you are thankful for each day. Your new habit will make you happier and healthier!
If you need a new journal to write all of these in, we have some great ones on our website. Our “I AM THANKFUL!” Journal is perfect for the “4th Quarter Challenge!” You can also learn more about how your brain works to build new habits in my “Master Your Mind” series of books.
If you feel lead, post one of the things you are grateful for each day during the Challenge on your Twitter account, and on Facebook.Take the “4th Quarter Challenge!” and you will be guaranteed a Happy 4th Quarter!
#4thQuarterChallenge “SelahMoment #MasterYourMind
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