Time to get my ASH in gear!!

Well it’s been a week since Ash Wednesday and I made it. This I decided to give up something that would truly draw me closer to God during this time of self-reflection. I'm giving up: NEGATIVITY in my thoughts, words, and actions. I know it sounds easy enough, but those who know me well understand that it’s my daily struggle. I complain about work, can't stand the metro and the inconsiderate people that ride it, I refuse to accept a simple compliment such as your hair looks nice today, I yell at the people on the road who act like they are driving bumper cars...I live my life grumbling about the little things and sometimes give off a funky attitude even though I'm in good spirits. It makes me unapproachable at times and hard to deal with. Whoa! Did I really just admit to that??
 
So here are some examples of behaviors that I will be working on for the next 40 days (well 32 days):

1. I will not go to the ybf.com to engage in celebrity gossip...that has not been too hard, so I guess it never really mattered so much to me.
2. I will refrain from cussing the people on the metro out in my head, smile and greet my fellow commuters and not roll my eyes when someone talks loud on their cell phone or blasts their music for the whole train to hear....this is a doozy for me, but listening to my iPod with my praise and worship playlist helps A LOT. It’s hard to have that frame of mind when you are thinking about how good GOD has been to you.
3. I will say thank you when someone pays me a compliment and not questions their intentions....I have not done well with this at all. Still in progress...
4. I will take each new day at work as a blessing and not become so wound up that it’s hard to come down once I have left the building....I am so proud to say that even in planning a 500+ attendee conference and working 12 hour days, I am in great spirits. I vow to have a good day on purpose. It's amazing how much control we really do have in how we feel.
5. I will not take on the problems of the world and try to fix them. I will not allow people to dump their issues in my lap to solve for them and I will not listen to someone do the same thing I used to do (moan and groan about nothingness). I will not have these gripe sessions with anyone at work, home, etc....this has been going well. I am working on changing the topics and pulling people out of the cloud. By the end of some conversations this week, we were laughing. One person forgot what she was complaining about in the first place.

So far so good. It’s only been a week, but I'm leaps and bounds away from where I used to be. I'm sleeping better, my skin looks radiant (yes, I can now see what you see), and at the end of the day I sing and skip to the metro (literally). Life is good and I plan to continue these practices after Lent.

Continue to be blessed…

*Sweet P*