Why You Should Develop a Power Phrase

Have you ever found yourself in a difficult situation and wondered how you would be able to survive it? How many times have you been overwhelmed? Stressed out? On the brink of a breakdown? What do you do to overcome these peril times? 

When these trying times occur it is so easy for me to become depressed, withdrawn, and feel ultimately defeated. In the midst of the hardship, it is so hard for us to look beyond the current moment of grief. It’s hard for us to believe that things will get better. Especially when we have trained our minds to search out the bad, negative, limiting beliefs. 

But what if I told you that you can be joyous through the trials. 

A few years ago, it was so hard for me to understand that I would never be completely well. I remember thinking, how can I live every day in this kind of pain? How will I ever be able to smile and laugh and have fun again? 

For days, weeks, and even months I only existed. I focused on the pain and it consumed me. It became part of my every conversation, my every thought, and my every action. My negative thoughts and actions multiplied. All I did was cry and wallow in my self-pity. 

Until I learned the power behind my words, thoughts and actions. 

Every morning when I scooted to the edge of my bed and stood, I didn’t know if my legs would support me or not. So many times, I fell into the floor. It would have been easy for me to declare myself unable to get out of the bed. The first few steps were always so painful, as was the rest of the day. 

For a while, it was hard for me to get out of bed. I didn’t want to feel the pain or deal with the hardships of the day. But the moment that I changed my mind-set, everything else changed. I eventually learned to praise God for another day, instead of complaining about the challenges. 

Whatever we believe about a situation is how it will be manifested to us.If we believe that we are a victim, then we will act like a victim. However, if we believe that we are a warrior, then we will act like a warrior. While my attitude did not change the fact that I still fell, it did change how quickly I got back up. 

Regardless of our situation, we need to adapt the mentality of an overcomer. And so I developed mantras to help me. Bible verses and encouraging words became my saving grace. What we tell ourselves will either help us or harm us. We need to make sure that we are arming ourselves everyday with encouraging, positive beliefs. 

Here are a few of my favorite Bible verses:

Philippians 4:13  (KJV)

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Romans 8:28 (KJV)

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Luke 22:32 (KJV)

32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

James 4:7 (KJV)

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Luke 18:27 (KJV)

27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

Positive mantras:

You can do this! You don’t quit when you’re tired, you stop when you’re finished. Giving up is not an option. You are strong! You are a child of the King. God is good, and He loves you! You’re never alone. There is nothing that can’t be done by you and God. You are stronger than your excuses. 

And when the devil tries to interrupt your positive thoughts with his lies, call him out on it. Stop the lies. Tell the negative voice in your head: YOU’RE LYING. 

Then go about your day being awesome. 

Have a wonderful Monday! 

Candida

4 Steps to Living Your Dream Life

What would you do if you won the Powerball? 

This has been the a big topic of conversation lately. People from all over the United States made it a priority to buy tickets. They dreamed about obtaining millions of dollars, and even posted on social media how they would spend their winnings. The mere thought of it evoked a sense of happiness and a plethora of dreams. But as many tossed away the losing tickets, their dreams were also tossed away. 

Our dreams, however, don’t have to die. We can give them life. 

In order to be great, we have to visualize greatness. In order to achieve our dreams, we have to have a clear vision of what we want. And then work hard, every single day until we get it. For the majority of people in the world, there is no easy button. If you want something, you have to intentionally work toward obtaining it. 

If you can dream it, then you can achieve it. You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want. ~Zig Ziglar

The only way to get what we want is to know what we want. 

We all need dreams, but even more than that we need a plan. Something to evoke the passion inside of us. Have you ever been around someone who lit up when they talk about their dreams? It’s beautiful to witness, and even more amazing to feel. 

Today, let’s dream!

Sit quietly for a few moments and allow yourself to dream. And ask yourself these questions. If you could design the perfect life for yourself, what would it look like? What is that one thing that you’ve always wanted to do? What would feed your soul every day? What would make you live inspired? What is your description of the perfect day? Can you see it?

Before my books were published, I imagined holding them in my hands, and hugging them. So many times, I envisioned  being surrounded by children, reading them about Zippy. And I even imagined meeting others like me. 

Even before I understood the power of visualization, I was doing it daily. When the journey was so hard, I often imagined the feeling of success—of accomplishing my dream. And I showed up every day. Some days I was very productive and other days I cried and prayed most of the day, but regardless I was always thinking about my dreams and working toward my goals. And you can, too!

Here is a few examples of my goals and the actions I took to achieve them. 

Goal: Share my story and help others. 

Action: Sit down every day and write or at least try. Start a blog. Post one blog a week. 

Goal: Get my books published.

Action: Write my story and share it with world. Send out my thoughts and dreams into the world via the blog and social media. 

At some point, you will question your dream. Your dedication. And even your purpose. This is when you need to know why your dream matters. 

For me, it is about helping other people overcome the same types of struggles I have endured. When I was a little girl, I often wished for someone to help me. Now I want to be that person for other people. Hope, when we feel hopeless, is a beautiful gift—that’s what I want to give to the world. The hope that they can overcome their struggles as well. 

Recap of 4 steps to achieving your goals:

• Dream
• Visualize your dream in great detail
• Create a plan
• Take action

What is your dream? 

May God bless you, 

Candida 

Why Do We Want to Fit In?

At some point, we’ve all stood in the shadows and watched others interact around us. We’ve all wanted to join the conversation or be invited to the events, but most of all we’ve wanted to be accepted by the “cool kids”. To fit in. To be a part of something bigger than ourselves. 

Illustration from Zippy and the Stripes of Courage

We need to feel accepted. We need to feel loved. We need to feel valuable. 

But those feelings can’t just come from others. Acceptance, love, and value must first come from inside. No one else can make us feel these emotions. 

If we don’t accept ourselves, no one else’s acceptance of us will have any significance in our lives. If we don’t love ourselves, then we won’t fully accept anyone else’s love. If we don’t feel valuable, then no one else will make us feel this way. 

Our self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-worth all come from within us. We can’t make other people like us. We can, however, work on being the best person that we can be.  When I start worrying about other people’s opinion of me it’s because I am feeling insecure in that area of my life. So instead of blaming others or beating myself into the ground, I need to show myself some love. 

What we feel on the inside manifests to the outside. 

Our energy reflects to other people. If I’m constantly frowning then my body language is negative and makes me unapproachable. If everything that comes out of my mouth is a complaint, then others avoid me because no one wants to hear my tirades. If I’m judging other people and their behavior, then I’m ignoring my own shortcomings. In truth, if I worry about myself and how to be the best version of me then I will not find fault with others. Why? Because I know how hard it is to try to live for God and be a good reflection of Him. 

When we serve God and do the best we can to live by His examples, people will not like us. They will see our closeness with God as a magnification of their shortcomings. So they cast us out of their circle. If we are being honest, it would be impossible for everyone to like us at all times. Therefore, the desire to fit in is impossible. We can’t fit in. We will either be too much in one person’s eyes or not enough in another’s eyes. 

Instead of trying to fit in with the world, we should be so thankful that we don’t fit in. Jesus didn’t fit in either. 

Our weight, bank account, physical appearance, success, and social status doesn’t reflect what is in our hearts. And that is what matters. How you treat other people and how you make them feel is what is truly important. 

So how can we all do better? This is my list of things I work on every day. 

• Smile. Every single day. Even when no one is around. Smiling is a small gift that we can give ourselves. If you do it long enough, then you will start to feel the effects. 
• Give someone a compliment. Not only will it brighten their day, but it will brighten your day as well. Plus it teaches us to look for the good in others. 
• Don’t judge other people. We don’t know what they’ve been through. And to base a judgement on what we see of a person is not accurate. We don’t know how they are feeling or what lead to their actions.
• Be kind. Even to the unkind people. The ones who treat us the worst  need our kindness the most. (I know, this one is so hard.) 
• Work on me. Listen to uplifting podcast and read inspirational, self-help books. Read my Bible, pray, meditate, and write in my gratitude journal. If I’m busying working on improving myself, then I don’t notice other people’s flaws as much. 

In a world filled with negativity, pain, suffering, and hatred I don't want to fit in. Every single day, I should try my hardest to stand out so far that I give others a glimpse of my Lord. 

Stand out my friends!

Love and blessings, 

Candida 

How to Make 2016 Your Best Year Ever

New Year’s Day was always a stressful day for me. My New Year’s Resolutions were always things I felt I needed to change in my life, but really didn’t want to change, or I harbored negative feelings about the change. So I suffered through the allotted time, a week or two, and then went back to my old ways. Until the next year, when I made the same vows. 

Every year, I drifted along without any goals, dreams, or accomplishments. I was stressed and depressed. And I wasted many years of my life wallowing in my misery. 

Until one day, when I learned one of the most valuable lessons of my life: My life is not just about me. 

One of our biggest problems is our carnal mind. It is self-absorbed, self-seeking, and greedy. When we only focus on ourselves, and how our circumstances or situations benefit us or make us feel, then we are not in God’s will. We are living according to our ways.

So often we allow instant satisfaction to derail our long term goals. We eat the food that is bad for us because it tastes good and satisfies our craving right them, but sabotages our health.  We snooze instead of exercising, and feel sluggish all day. We spend our money for the joy of the moment and forgo our dreams. We skip church, don't read our Bible, and neglect to pray because we are so busy living our life that we forget what life is really all about. 

If we know these things are bad for our overall health and wellbeing, then why do we do them? Because we have the wrong mind-set, and spend too much time embracing our negative voice. So often we do what is easy, not what is right. We need to always remember, the devil wants to defeat us. 

In order to become spiritually minded, we must welcome God into our lives. And not just on Sunday morning or when other people are watching our actions. We must embrace Him in all things, in all times, and allow Him to be the very center of our lives—every day. 

Once we begin this spiritual journey with the Lord, He will mold us into the vessel He wants us to be. 

The process is often painful. The Bible tells us when we increase our wisdom, we increase our suffering. Most people give up, back up on the Lord, and quit at the first sign of trouble. Some get mad at Him, and turn away from Him instead of seeking Him. And these are the people who develop a victim mind-set. Their situation is always worse than anyone else’s. The devil convinces them their situation is hopeless, and they take his lies to heart. (Sometimes, I do.)

But, if we turn to God, He will comfort us, strengthen us, and help us overcome every hardship. And teach us how to live an inspired life for Him. 

Regardless of what happens to us, we will never suffer as Jesus suffered for us. And He didn’t open His mouth. He never uttered a complaint. He died for us, so that we may life forever. And the little trials that we go through are not worthy to be compared to the joy of living with Him in Heaven—for eternity. 

When the devil tries to magnify our suffering, and make it worse than what it really is, we need to glorify our Lord. When the enemy tries to draw us away from God, we need to turn to Him. We need to remember always that we are more than conquerors through our Lord. And nothing can separate us from the Love of God. 

Every day we have to purposely choose the good and seek Him. We need to pray daily and ask Him to give us the right perspective, actions that reveal Him to others, good habits that bring us closer to Him, and a spiritual mind-set. 

We have the freedom to choose how we will handle our trials. God allows us decide if we want to embrace Him and His ways, or turn away from Him and try to find our own way. Our trials will either A.) strengthen us and increase our wisdom, or B.) weaken us and bring us unnecessary misery. 

If we want our new year to be our best year ever, we need to be intentional about our hopes, goals, and dreams and make sure God is the very center of our life. We need to be honest with ourselves and  seek after our heart’s desires. When we decide to live an inspired life and become intentional about accomplishing our goals, great things will happen. 

Spend today praying, meditating, and listening to your heart. Get out a notepad and write down things about your life you would like to change. Without excuses or limiting beliefs dream, plan, and take charge of your life. What do you want? If you designed your life, what would it look like? Push fear aside and decide right now that 2016 is going to be your best year ever. And don’t allow anyone or anything to stop you. 

Photo from Unsplash

Dream. Inspire. Live.

Happy New Year,  

Candida