A little wisdom for the wise…

self |sɛlf| noun ( pl. selves |sɛlvz| ) a person’s essential being that distinguishes them from others, especially considered as the object of introspection or reflexive action: She knew her self worth.

Do you ever wish you could go back in time and give yourself a little heads-up about something you should or shouldn’t do in your life? Maybe it’s a choice you wish you could have made differently or a chance you would have taken if you had just been brave enough.

Today, I’m writing a letter to my younger self, for all my younger sisters out there. As much as we would all like to go back in time to change a few things, the fact of life is that we only get one shot–and we’ve got to make the best of what we’ve been given.

Let the Small Things Go
Don’t make such a big deal out of the small things in life. Remember, small things are just that: small things. When we make a big deal out of insignificant issues and problems in our lives, we are just creating unnecessary drama for ourselves. As I grow older, I have learned to let things go more easily–forgiving more quickly, and not allowing myself to be bothered by small issues. Ask yourself, “Will this be something I’m bothered about next year, or 5 years from now?” If won’t be–then let it go!

Learn from Your Failures
Every failure you experience can be your greatest opportunity to grow in faith and resilience, if you allow it to be. The kinds of problems you face today will not have much affect on you in the future if you learn to continue growing in your faith. Feed your faith daily. Starve your doubts and your fears. Most things you worry about never even happen, so don’t waste precious time or energy on worry. Fear will sabotage success. Do not be afraid to fail!

Learn to Love Disappointments
Life will be nothing you like you imagine it will be. It will be a million times better, but it will come with a lot of failures and disappointments. Trust God in the process, and everything will work together for your good (Romans 8:28). His plan is better than yours. Unanswered prayers will become one of your greatest blessings. Trust His plan. Life isn’t about what happens to you, but how you react to it all. Appreciate the journey, as is, and keep learning and growing along the way.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” Romans 8:28

Stay Humble
You will have some amazing experiences in your lifetime, but remember to always stay humble–or life will humble you. The world is much bigger than you and it surely doesn’t revolve around you. Don’t complain about problems, because every problem and setback will build you up and mold you into the woman God has destined for you to become to accomplish His work on the earth. Apart from Him, you can do nothing. You need to be able to depend on God and others in your life. Teamwork is so powerful! Know that you can’t ever do it all by yourself. You can achieve far more with a team than you ever could alone.

“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.” – Andrew Carnegie

Don’t Worry
Try not to worry so much about your career, your weight, your finances, your future or your future husband. It all works out. Work with all your heart, passion and purpose. Remember: to whom much is given, much is required.  The more you bless others, the more God can and will bless you. PS: The baby weight will come off (with some hard work!). 

Money is Not the Goal
Money is a tool, not the ultimate goal. Create goals beyond making more money. When you look at making more money as the ultimate goal, you will never feel satisfied that you have enough. Once you have everything that you think you need, you begin to focus on what matters most to you. So, pretend you have everything you could ever want. Wrap your mind around the concept of “more money.” Clear your mind of your current financial situation and make a list of what you would do with $500,000 this week (just picture a specific, yet hard to fathom amount). Now, make another list of what you would do with an additional $500,000 the next week. How about the following week? Eventually, you will exhaust your list of what you want, which leaves you free to focus on the things that you are truly committed to.

“Success is not about luck or chance, it’s about the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone… If you fail, you will learn from it and do a better job the next time.” – Mark Cuban

Be Resourceful & Resilient
Be resourceful! Don’t let problems or obstacles get in their way or slow you down. Be resilient! Try a variety of different solutions until you find one that works, and never, ever give up. Don’t wait for someone else to tell you what to do, or when to do it– take action yourself. Look for opportunities all around you, and when you identify one, act quickly. Some opportunities only come around once. Be a self-starter!

For Single Sabrina
God knows exactly what you should do in your life, and His timing is always perfect. When you are single it can seem as if you will never find the person you are going to marry. Every person you date will seem worse than the last one, but when you finally give up and decide to trust God completely–you will finally find it. It will be better than anything you could have ever imagined. Waiting for the right spouse is the second most important decision you’ll make in your entire life, so don’t settle! Allow God to prepare you for the “one” by becoming the “one” your perfect person would be attracted to.

Keep God First
Prayer is based on your relationship with Him. Keep Him first in all things, always. Get to know God on a deeper level, and get to know who your are in relation to Him. You will be able to love and serve others better when you know and understand how much He loves you.

After all is said and done, you will look back on your life and realize you were far better off than you knew, many times. One word or touch from God can turn everything around, so lean on Him daily!

Though we can’t go back in time and fix the mistakes we’ve made–we serve a God that restores our hearts and makes us whole again after being broken. He offers us wisdom from His word that will help us to make wise choices in our lives, if we are obedient to Him. He offers us new life through faith and forgiveness–no matter what we’ve done or should have done.

Today, no matter what choices you’ve made in the past, know that there are new mercies for you each day, with great hope for your future!

“Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:23

XO-
Sabrina