Welcome to the blog of Pastor Alton Stone, from Simpsonville, SC. Pastor Stone is a retired Ordained Bishop of The Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee with over 45 years of pastoral ministry.

Monday, December 24, 2018

Turning Things Around In 2019 (Part 1)

Turning Things Around In 2019 (Part 1)


Are you tired of dealing with the same types of headaches and heartache over and over again? Then it’s time to break the cycle, purge some bad habits, and embrace discomfort as you prepare for the year ahead.  It’s time to learn from your mistakes rather than be conquered by them, and let your errors be of commission rather than omission.

Remember, you ultimately become what you repeatedly do.  If your habits aren’t helping you, they’re hurting you.  Which means it’s time for a change. So, in 2019:

-Challenge your understandings and certainties. 

Warren Buffett once said, “What the human being is best at doing is interpreting all new information so that their prior conclusions remain intact.”  This is a tragedy, this kind of thinking.  Don’t do it to yourself.  Don’t just look for data that confirms what you already know.  Be willing to be wrong in 2019.  Be willing to learn in 2019.  Be mindful, humble and teachable every step of the way.  There’s always room for a new idea, a new perspective, and a new beginning.  Life changes every second, and so can you.  Find ways to provide a challenge to your current understandings of life, and you will discover and experience far more of life’s bounty in the year ahead.

-Track how you invest your energy and make productive shifts. 

To attract better outcomes in life, you have to become better on the inside.  Again, you can’t do the same things and expect change to take place.  You can’t blame someone else.  Take full responsibility for your next step.  Start transforming your mindset.  Start upgrading your habits.  Your life is 90% your choice!  Don’t exchange what you want most for what’s easiest at the moment.  Study your agendas and routines closely.  Figure out where your time goes, and remove needless distractions.  It’s time to focus on what really matters.

-Work diligently and consistently on meaningful goals. 

When you focus your heart and mind upon a purpose, and commit yourself to fulfill that purpose through small daily steps, blessing floods into your life.  Sadly, many of us miss the mark. One of the most common regrets in life is that people regret not being true to their goals.  Most people admit to not honoring even half of the goals that were meaningful to them, and so they end up dying with regrets.  Let this year be your wake-up call!  Spiritual and physical health bring a level of freedom and opportunity very few of us realize until we no longer have it.  As they say, there are seven days in the week and “someday” isn’t one of them.

-Do the hard things. 

Lose the expectation that everything in life should be easier.  There are rarely shortcuts to any place worth going.  Enjoy the challenge of your achievements.  See the value in your efforts and be patient with yourself and realize that patience is not just about waiting, it’s the ability to keep a good attitude while working hard on your important goals.  It’s knowing deep down that doing the hard things is worth it because those are the things that ultimately define you.  Those are the things that make the difference between existing and living, between knowing the path and walking the path, between a life of mediocrity and a life filled with progress and fulfillment.

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