First and Foremost

To be able to truly love others, you must first love yourself. Be who you want to be. You must trust in yourself and your abilities before you can instill trust in others. No one said love was easy. It is often simple to put yourself at blame for happenings or to get down on yourself and your abilities. If you have the will to achieve your dreams, it will happen. Your shortcomings may seem larger than they actually are. Actions speak louder than any sentence you can put together. Do not merely speak about bettering yourself. Make those changes that are necessary to becoming who you want to be. Remember: Perfection is nonexistent. Positivity, realism, strength, will, and spirituality are all it takes to reach your goals. In addition, you must acknowledge that near-perfection is perfect enough. Mistakes and failures will occur. You must learn from them. Use them as building blocks. As you climb to the top, bring God with you. He is your rope. The higher you climb, the more you will need Him. As you gain confidence, however, it is easy to forget Him. As a rock climber fastens his rope along the way, you must check in with God at each milestone in your life. You must pray and reflect on the things that God has made possible. As you continue up the mountain, if you have checked in with God frequently, the chances of you falling all the way to the bottom are very slim. If you have fastened your rope at every blessing you received, you can only fall so far when failure happens and mistakes are made. Now comes the tricky part.If you have fallen to the place you last checked in with God, you are safely dangling on the side of the mountain only a few feet from where you were. At this point, you have three choices. (1) you can begin to safely climb back down the mountain and accept defeat. (2) You can remain in that position, confused, unsure about where to turn. -or- (3) You can find sturdy rocks to grasp onto, friends and family, and continue this journey to success with God. This is not easy. You must have the strength and the will. The choice is yours. Remember: With God, all things are possible.

Strength of Will

Love who you are and be true to who you love. As time goes by, take every opportunity you can to change yourself for the better. You never know what the future holds. Remember, love not only yourself but also those around you. As I have been coming to know, strangers are merely friends we have not yet met. As we all share in this one world, we too share in one God. We must be willing to share our faith with others just as we must be willing to serve them. When we have hopes, dreams, and goals set for ourselves we must not lose sight of them. They must be rooted in faith and shared with others. Success is not far away if an effort to succeed is shown. The human will is a powerful thing. Willingness, want, and drive are more than half the battle. As you develop your necessary skill set and take opportunities, the rest will fall into place. Remember: God helps those who help themselves. If you have the will and the want for strength, pray. In addition, no matter how often you pray in times of need, you must never forget your prayers of thanksgiving. Today, I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to spread His Word, I thank Him for the songbirds outside my window, and I thank Him for bringing so many new people into my life. The more often you profess prayers of thanksgiving, the more you realize how many things have been given to you. These are the things that will help you achieve your hopes and dreams: as long as you are willing.