Advice for the New Year

My pastor likes acronyms, which is good because as a veteran, I like them too. I haven't made any resolutions, other than to continue modifying my attitude by blessing those who tick me the heck off. Today's sermon built on that, which makes me wonder if Pastor is reading my blog? Hmm.

Acronym for the day/year: START

Stop dwelling on the past. There's a reason the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror.
Take responsibility for your life and actions. Repent if necessary and move on.
Accept God's forgiveness for your past mistakes.
Re-vision your life. Figure out what you are being led by God to do and then do it.
Trust God with the future; He's got a better handle on it than you do.

I'm bad about beating myself up for my short-comings. Looking back regretfully is often easier than pressing ahead, especially for someone as easily overwhelmed as I am. It's something I've been working on for four or five years, and it's such an incredibly slow process. It's almost like an addiction; you never really get over it, you just learn to manage it.

I know I need more structure in my life. I need to free myself from a lot of clutter. I need to put in a lot more time in my office, working and studying. Transitioning into Historical fiction takes a lot more research than Fantasy, plus I still haven't finished my herbalist certification. Looks like I just talked myself into another resolution. For my own edification (so I can print them, and find them later when I lose the printed copy), they are to bless those who curse me*, and develop more structure and discipline in my life.



*"Cursing me", in this case, has a different context than usual. For my purposes, cursing includes unintentionally irritating me, because negative feelings toward another person are a curse. Feeling angry or bitter toward someone does not affect them; it affects me. Life is too short to feel negatively toward anyone else. In a nutshell, curse is the opposite of Zen.