Following Your Dream

READY…  “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”  ~ Henry David Thoreau

AIM…  Hello, loyal AOI readers!  “Where in the world have you been?”  I heard that a lot during the absence of my weekly messages. Honestly, my radical sabbatical came from a divine order to follow a dream.  One day I’m writing inspiration for you, the next day I get connected with another writer and SHAZAM!  We’re off and writing a book together!  So, all this time I’ve been working on a book with another author and several contributing authors and trudging through the details of getting our book published, etc.  The happy announcement is that our book is published and is available in paperback or online as an e-book!  WOO HOO!  Talk about a labor of love!

Personally, I have been told many times that I would one day write a book…or at least, I should write a book. That dream laid dormant in my heart for many years.  There would be times when I’d walk by the book store and wonder what it would be like to see a book on the shelf with MY name on it. When the opportunity presented itself for me to pursue my dream, it exploded like a firework on the 4^th of July!  So many elements fell right into place.  My co-author and I had never met before and after one connection by a mutual friend, our creative sparks ignited.  Our words and stories flowed into multiple pages of inspiration.  The publisher was able to jump several hurdles she had never encountered before through the process of getting our book in print.  It was all divinely appointed and directed and the evidence is my dream, our dream, come true as the final product to share with you.

So, what are you dreaming about today?  Are there desires deep down in your heart that you would love to see come to pass?  Perhaps, it’s not quite time for them to be fulfilled…yet.  However, what you cannot see are all the preparations that are going on behind the scenes of your life plan.  Maybe you recognize an opportunity to take a leap of faith and jump one step closer to making your dream come true.  Wherever you are on that path and whatever you are thinking about today, may you look to the future with great anticipation.  Exciting things are happening and I simply cannot wait to hear all about them and cheer you on!

FIRE!  Take just a few moments to jot down a couple things you’d like to accomplish in your lifetime.  (Some people call it their personal bucket list; others call it their dreaming list.)  Whatever you call it, commit your desires to paper and put it where you’ll be reminded of your goals on a regular basis.  As your dreams come true, write “VICTORY” on your list and then look forward to your next moment of fabulous success.

Be Excellent!

Lori

 

 

 

The Pain of Change

READY…  "There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self.” ~Aldous Huxley

AIM…  Until the pain of change is greater than the pain of staying the same, people will choose to do what they know.  Sigh.  I know.  I have realized that I am no longer a spring chicken.  I’m starting to feel my season in life: emotionally, physically and financially.  I guess that means I need to make some changes in order to feel differently. 

Change is hard, though.  I don’t know about you, but I like it when I feel comfortable with my life, my routine, and my environment.  I don’t like it when my schedule gets shaken and stirred.  However, I do know, that when my life starts turning upside down, it’s time to embrace the new change that’s about to happen.  Yes, this mid-life mama has got to take time to care for herself and tackle some of these necessary changes head on.  What are you facing in your life that is pushing you to embrace a new change?

 

As we step out of our comfort zones to grab ahold of our new changes, remember it’s often helpful to enlist a friend who wants to change too.  Sure, it’s easy to tell yourself you are going to make the necessary changes to move ahead, but the accountability of another partner might be just the key to push you into making the next step forward and maintaining your commitment. So how ‘bout it?  Let’s stop procrastinating and start today making a baby step in the right direction for the positive changes we need in our lives.

FIRE!  Ask a trusted friend to help you start, and maintain, momentum toward achieving a new goal in your life.  Give her permission to ask you regularly about your progress.  Whether it’s making a career change, adjusting your budget, starting an exercise program or simply taking time each day just for yourself, you are worth every step that places you that much closer to victory.

 

Be Excellent!

Lori

Kick In The Pants

READY... “Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I give myself reasons why I can.” ~ Unknown
 

AIM…  Happy New Year!!  Oh wait, that was two weeks ago, wasn’t it?  Yeah, I’m having a hard time getting motivated in this new year.  Enough excuses from me. Did you write or commit to any new year’s resolutions?  Truthfully, I wrote my resolutions but didn’t really get around to doing anything about them until this week.  I guess I needed to ease into the new year routines (at least that’s what I was telling myself.)

 So…how are you doing with your commitments?  Have you given up already?  Don’t fret if you’re struggling. We get a new day, every single day, so, Happy New Year – again!!  Yep, just start over again today and recommit as if it were January 1^st.  You never have to give up and feel like you’ve totally thrown in the towel. Who cares if you mess up or make a mistake or fall short of your goal?  Just start fresh again with your new day.

I hope you find encouragement in this revelation.  I know I’m going to start fresh tomorrow with some of my resolutions myself.  Let’s face it, we are all adults.  Sometimes we need an extra person to hold our hand or keep us accountable.  Identify that person you trust to keep you on track so when you feel like giving up, your accountability partner will be pushing you out of your funk.  I’m ready to attack 2013, are you?

FIRE!   Joyce Meyer says to “Stop putting a period where God places a comma.”  Choose one thing you are willing to commit to doing consistently. Work toward your goal, every day this week.  I’ll keep you accountable if you need someone to check up on you.  Let’s do this! 

Be Excellent!

Lori

What Are You Waiting For?

 
READY… “I've always found that anything worth achieving will always have obstacles in the way and you've got to have that drive and determination to overcome those obstacles on route to whatever it is that you want to accomplish.” ~ Chuck Norris
AIM… The bell rings: “And they’re off!” But wait; you’re left standing at the starting gate. Why? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? C’mon, get moving! But there’s a huge cloud of dust ahead of you, and you cannot see through it, and you cannot see around it, and, so, you’re left standing, motionless, waiting for the dust to settle so you can take a step ahead.

Have you been thinking about where you are in life? Are there personal goals and dreams you want to accomplish? Do you want a promotion at work? Have you been trying to achieve financial success? Are you looking for good grades, a spot on the team or even a scholarship? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Seriously, what is holding you back? Is there a dust cloud in front of you where you cannot see through it to determine what your next step should be? Forget the dust! Take that first step toward making things happen for yourself. No one else can or will take that step for you. Just do it! Once you step out of the gate, the dust that surrounds you will start to settle. Your eyes will acclimate and you’ll be able to gaze beyond the cloud. With every step toward your goal, your vision will become clearer and your movements much easier. Soon you’ll be leaving the starting gate behind you and someone else will be eating your dust. And eventually, you will be able to look back and see that your starting gate is a mere speck in the dust scattered on the ground because YOU will be so far ahead on the path toward achieving greatness. Can you see it? Can you taste it? Can you smell it? Yep, it’s your victory and I can’t wait to celebrate with you at the finish line.

FIRE! Take a moment to visualize yourself in the successful position you desire. You need to see all the details, smell all the scents and hear all the sounds of success. You can do it. If everyone else has told you no, today I am telling you that YOU CAN DO IT! Now, go out there and make it happen. What are you waiting for?

Be Excellent!
Lori

Distraction Detours

READY… "By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination.” ~ Christopher Columbus

AIM… Have you been distracted from the focus of your life plans or projects? If you don’t think you’ve been distracted, you’re not being honest with yourself. Every day we are faced with multiple opportunities to choose to stay focused on our tasks or to stray from our target. Cell phones, email, Facebook, the internet, video games, food, television, other people – they are ALL distractions we encounter daily. So how can we refocus and detour ourselves from all the distractions?

We need to get honest. Try to determine how much time you are spending checking your email, surfing the web, or creeping on Facebook each day. Look at the minutes you spend vegging in front of the tv or playing apps and games. Once you get an idea of how much time you are truly spending doing things that don’t contribute to the success of your plans, then you are ready for the next step. Plain and simple: Set limits for yourself. We set limits and boundaries for our children, thus we adults need to establish healthy limits for ourselves as well. Choose two times a day when you check your email account. Decide to surf the web or catch up on Facebook statuses once a day. Pick your most favorite television shows and only veg out when you have time to watch just those shows. Will setting limits for yourself be easy? Probably not. Will it help you reclaim your lost time and allow you to have free time to spend making strides toward reaching your goals? You bet. No pain, no gain, right? Let’s do it!

FIRE!   Take a baby step this week in eliminating one distraction from your daily routine. If you cannot eliminate it completely, set a limit for yourself and stick to your limit. You’ll discover a new found freedom and wonder why you didn’t make that change sooner.

Be Excellent!
Lori

Staying On Track

READY… "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

AIM… Alright, we are a few weeks into the new year and I’d love to know what you think. Is 2012 turning out to be a better year for you? Are you on track with your goals, dreams and resolutions? Often times, this is about the point where folks drop off the wagon and simply give up because they haven’t achieved the success they were expecting. I want to encourage you to jump back on the wagon; to keep pressing toward the finish line. Even if you feel like you’ve failed, all you have to do is start again. Tomorrow is a brand new day for a fresh new start. Embrace the opportunity to try again! If you are still on track – yay you!! Keep that momentum rolling and moving forward in a positive direction.

We all have hopes, dreams and aspirations for our futures. Even if you aren’t ready to speak those goals out loud or write them down, you know in your heart the things you want to accomplish in life. Thankfully, God also knows the desires of your heart. Proverbs 16:3 reads “Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.” Even if you simply let God know that you are trusting Him to provide the blocks of the foundation to achieve your goals, He will present the path on which you should follow.

No matter where you are at this stage of the new year, I encourage you to lean on the never-failing power of God to give you strength, guidance and opportunities to make your dreams come true.

FIRE!   Make today count! Do something that takes you one step closer to achieving your dreams. Even if all you can do today is pray to allow God to be in control of your destiny, that’s making one HUGE step in the right direction.

Be Excellent!
Lori

It's A New Day

READY… "As you step into this new year, be bold enough and daring enough to believe in the abundant good that has been prepared for you." ~ Norman Vincent Peale

AIM… Each one of us is looking at 2012 with different eyes, a different attitude and different hopes. Instead of preaching to the choir, I’m simply going to give you a healthy dose of motivation and inspiration. Embrace it!!

"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind...let it be something good." - Author Unknown

"Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day. Rich people can't buy more hours. Scientists can't invent new minutes. And you can't save time to spend it on another day. Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. No matter how much time you've wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow." - Denis Waitely

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

"Today remind yourself that nothing is too good to be true. Your great hopes can be realized. Your most wonderful dreams can come true. All that you really need, you can have. An incredible goodness is operating on your behalf. If you are living a paltry life, resolve to stop it today. Expect great things to happen. Confidently receive God's abundant blessings. Do not think of lack. Instead think prosperity, abundance, the best of everything. God wants to give you, his child, every good thing. Don't hinder his generosity." - Norman Vincent Peale

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." - Carl Bard

FIRE!   Make 2012 your year! Start today to make whatever small changes are necessary to start the momentum rolling in the right direction for your future success. You are in control, and YOU can do it!

Be Excellent!
Lori

Hitting The Bullseye: 100th Arrow!

READY…  “You can’t hit a target you don’t see and you can’t see a target you don’t have.”  ~ Zig Ziglar

AIM…  WOW!  It’s our 100^th Arrows of Integrity message.  I can hardly believe it!  Little did I expect that two years later, I would still be writing messages of inspiration and encouragement via this email and blog…and loving every minute of it!  I have enjoyed hearing your feedback about how these messages have helped you through a tough time or inspired you to seize the day.  I have appreciated your comments and suggestions for future topics and ideas.  Most of all, I am grateful for your love, continued support and your constant encouragement to press on and keep Arrows of Integrity coming to your inbox each week. 

I felt when I started these messages that God had something big in mind.  I still believe there is something big on the horizon for Arrows of Integrity and I can’t wait to share it with all of you.  Perhaps a book?  I love knowing that I have a larger-than-life goal ahead of me; a target for my future success.  I couldn’t imagine just going through the motions every day without a dream to reach for.  Granted, some days, it’s all we can do to get through the day so we just get by and go through the motions.  However, I challenge you to think about your dreams so you too have a target to aim for every day.  I encourage you, if you’re willing, to share your targets with me so I can cheer you on to victory.  We’re all playing this game called life together so we might as well strategize with each other, right?  Here’s to celebrating another 100 wonderful Arrows of Integrities with YOU!

FIRE!  What is YOUR target?  Surely there is one thing in life you really want to accomplish.  Try this: Write your goal down and place it on something you see every day. Under it, paste these words of encouragement: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."  Matthew 7:7 NIV.

Set your sights on that goal, aim your actions and watch yourself hit the bullseye of success!

Be Excellent!

Lori