5 ways to kick start 2015

Hey all,

Ok so it's week three of 2015- which means by now there's going to be quite a few people who are sitting online thinking about how they have once again broken their resolutions for the year and about what to do now?  Might not be you, but statistical information says that if it's not you, then it's someone nearby.

Well let me start off by saying the answer is NOT to go and decide you are a hopeless case and spend the rest of the year sitting here reading articles about great things people do online and wishing you'd achieved goals. There's still another 300 plus days in which you can make something happen and I don't want to see anyone missing out on that.

It's why this post is going to give you five ways to kick start 2015. These might not be your new years resolutions, but I can assure you that if attempt to do them, your life will be better and who knows, you may even get to those other resolutions you set for yourself as well.

Number 1: See the positive in all situations

Ok so you may not have lost that weight yet, or stopped that habit but chances are you've done something else pretty cool over the last few weeks (even if it was just getting some much needed
rest).

Something I'm learning in life as I get older is that a large amount of everyday situations that happen in life have a positive behind them, you just have to look for it.

Take for example my current struggle of not getting annoyed in traffic. Now I'm impatient at the best of times, but recently, I've started to get really frustrated when stuck in traffic- even for two minutes! It's one of those things that I first thought was a major flaw, but then I saw the positive in this - not that I missed being in an accident or that it was good to be stuck in traffic, but rather that this was God's way of testing my patience, something I'd prayed about before. While I'm still struggling with this big time, everytime I get stuck now, I get annoyed, then I remember that this is about testing and I stop getting so annoyed and I instead focus on learning to be more patient.

The same principles can apply to the tough times in your life. If you look for the lessons to be found instead of just rueing the situation, you could gain so much more out of it all.

Number 2: Get the most out of what you've got

Did you ever hear of the story of the person who wanted a pizza but who didn't have the money to get one. They complained about how much they wanted pizza for dinner, but how they needed pay day to come around so they could have spare cash to go to the pizza store to get one. This same person however was sitting in a house where they had yeast, water, tomatoes, tomato sauce, vegetables and meat aka. the ingredients for a pizza.

If you didn't get the message from that little tale, it's this- instead of complaining about not having a pizza, if the person had realised they had all the ingredients for a pizza, they could have made one themselves and solved their problem.

The same goes for us with our gifts and talents. We might think someone is better than us at something or we haven't been as blessed as they have. The thing is though, there's probably tens of other traits that we excel at that they don't. We are all unique and of value - it's just up to us to see what it is that makes us this and then use it to our advantage.

Next time you feel you aren't strong enough, capable enough or smart enough to get to a goal, instead of complaining about it, see if you can use your gifts and talents to reach that goal another way. You may just get there, or if you don't, you'll find what you should be aiming for instead, because God never wastes a valid effort.

Number 3: Give love

This third one sounds so simple but it's one of the hardest things we can do in life.

Giving love doesn't just mean looking for a girlfriend or boyfriend, pining for marriage or if in a marriage showering gifts on your spouse. It means so much more than this and can be as simple as choosing to see the good in another person, sharing what you have with those who don't have
anything or just making someones day by being kind to them when the rest of the world isn't.

The act of giving love is also hard because if it is done genuinely and is aiming to make a difference, it should be done with a full heart and expecting nothing in return. We don't love because we know we'll get something back for it, nor should we love with the dregs from the bottom of the tank of life. We need to love with all we've got- no matter how much it may hurt us to do so and expect nothing in return, except the satisfaction that we've helped make the world a better place.

While it may be hard, giving love, as any couple who sacrifices in their relationship will know, leads to so many great rewards and will truly make you happier in your life. God blesses those who give love abundantly. I could share so many stories of people in my own life who I know this is true about but I'll leave it to say that this is something you should just try, because it will truly change you.

Number 4: Walk

This one is for all those whose new years resolution was to either be happier or lose weight.

Did you know that a recent study of over 200,000 people found that the best way to increase your lifespan and improve your health was to walk?

Yep you heard correctly- while cardio, gym and other fitness might help you get trim, gain muscle and look fab, if you are trying to stay healthy, then a simple walk of 30 mins a day will do the job just fine.

Walking also has the added bonus of enabling more oxygen to get into your system which helps clear your mind and this leads to less panic, great for those who are stressed out or who want to be happier.

So, it's time to get those walking shoes on and go for a walk around the block (after reading this post of course!)

Number 5 : Smile

Yep, the last one if my favourite one, because it's so simple but it's so effective, when it comes to getting you motivated and making your year great.

Smiling has so many benefits. We know from emojis that a smile can brighten a persons day but there's so much more it can do when you DIY (do it yourself)!

When you smile, it relaxes facial muscles and removes tension, It also makes you more appealing to others, releases endorphins which make you happier and can reduce stress and can increase white blood cells which fight off disease. Then of course there's my favourite thing about smiling, and that's it's contagious, so if you're having a bad day, smiling at someone can turn it all around because suddenly, everyone around you will be smiling and the world will seem a more cheerful place to be in.

There are so many more ideas that I could write about to help you kick start 2015 but I hope that these five will give you the boost you need to make the rest of the year as amazing as God would want it to be.

And one final note: just remember that you're not alone in this boat. We are all working to make ourselves better everyday - whether we setting new years resolutions or not, so make sure to share your stories of success and hardship with your friends and family and seek support where needed. We can't do this alone, but together, we can kick some amazing goals this year- I believe in you all with this one!

Till next time...

Love has the power to overcome all

Hi everyone,

The last few months have been one of worldwide tragedy. We've had the Charlie Hebdo shootings, the continual death of civilians and children at the hands of the Boko Haram and the death a few months ago of hundreds of young ones in a brutal set of circumstances in Pakistan. Even when it wasn't terrorism related, there were communities hurting with the death of eight children in Cairns. It's truly been heartbreaking to read a newspaper or turn on a TV, computer, tablet or phone.

And all of this before we talk about the Martin Place or Sydney siege.

That chilling 18 hours that sent a shudder down the spine of every Sydneysider and Australian, including myself. The actions of a truly mad man which have changed the way we view our freedom with the sudden realisation that we are not immune to the terror that has split blood all over the world.

One would be excused if they were to run away from the world right now and becomes a recluse in a cave or to think that the good in this world has disappeared.

In the midst of all the pain, suffering, heartache and sadness though, there has been a silver lining. It is something that has renewed my hope on the good in life and brought a smile to my face.

It is clear to see in the way that thousands of people got onto social media to support those of the Islamic/Muslim faith, in the thousands of flowers of condolence that are now streaming through Martin Place. It is clear, whether you agree with the work of Charlie Hedbo, in the support that was given across France to the fight against radicalism and the promotion of freedom. It is clear in the increased value we are placing on those around us in the world today...

What I'm talking about, is of course, the gift of love.

Like a sprout peering through the ground in the first rains after a drought, the love and care shown by Australians towards each other and in particular those of middle eastern faith has been so pleasing to see and a sign of the growth of our nation.

In the face of severe adversity and hatrid in so many ways, we as a community have risen up to show those who want to cause such hurt and angst that they will never win this battle, not while we have love on our side.

Sometimes we think of love as this emotion that comes with flowers, chocolates, happy moments and smiles in abundance. We think of it as the Valentines Day Hollywood romance of a couple who are so into each other that they can't think of spending a day without each other.

While this is a form of love, eros- there's another form of love that exists, and that's Agape.

Agape is that love that we build our charitable spirit through. It comes out in the darkest of times and is the building block of our lives. It is the gift God gives us to help one another and to create a better world even when it seems like there's no hope to do so.

Right now in this world, we need to make 2015 the year of Agape. In the midst of all the craziness, fear and destruction, we need to stand strong for our fellow man or woman and love them for the people God made them to be.

There will always be moments of hurt in our lives, it's a part of the broken world we live in. But if we choose to love one another with charity, respect and care, then we can overcome the hurt and find ways to live lives of joy and virtue in all that we do.

To live with an Agape love though isn't just a one off thing, It's a daily choice we need to make no matter how much we don't want to love on that particular day. I will in future blogs go into how we can do this but needless to say that if we want to have love in our lives, we must make that choice.

Sometimes the world might not seem like it deserves to be loved, but it always does. Not because there is something great happening in it (although there always is) but because we remember that love has the power to overcome all, as St Paul said... there are three things, faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love.

Tragedy and love are a part of life, it's up to us as to which one we allow to rule.

Till next time...

Resolution 2015: Expect the unexpected

Hi everyone!

HAPPY NEW YEAR and hope that you had a wonderful end to 2014 and are enjoying a well earned rest today.

It's that time of the year again - the start of another year and that means of course, time for a lot of people to write up their resolutions. Regardless of whether we say we have them or not, everyone has something they want to achieve over 2015 - whether it's to be healthier, love themselves, love others, do something or make something happen.


The thing that the last year has taught me however is that resolutions have one slight flaw to them - they are what we want to achieve!

Now I'm not saying there's anything wrong with having goals, but it's important to note that what we want to achieve, and God's plans for us, don't always follow the same path. Just because we want to do something, doesn't mean that it'll work into God's great plan for our life and a lot of the time, we'll end up somewhere very different to where we wanted to be at the start of the journey.

If you want an example of this, here's what I thought was going to happen in 2014 and what actually happened...

• I would be working to make a difference to the lives of young people - OK so this did sort of happen, but not in the way I was expecting. I was thinking I was going to be a youth worker and spend day after day with young people, but in actual fact, I instead now work for the administration team at an organisation that has young people at it's heart - which while it isn't dealing with young people day in day out, is still very important as if we didn't do what we do, then the programs that help young people wouldn't be able to be as effective as they are.
  
  
• I would be doing my communications and writing as a hobby, rather than a profession and due to lack of interest I would leave the communications industry - Big NOPE. Not only do I work in a Marketing and Communications team in employee communications, I'm actually happy to be doing it and I get a lot out of the challenges of the business and the fun dynamics in the team I work with.
  
  
• I would be growing the efforts of my local diocese and using my skills from my time in youth ministry to grow local initiatives- Big NOPE. God had something much bigger planned and now I write this knowing that in three days I am headed to a leadership camp for a movement that is not only going to hopefully bring many back to the Church, but that has inspired me to use my gifts and talents for a much bigger cause. I've stepped down from doing projects locally but I do so knowing God has called me to something that is so necessary and that I'm so blessed to be a part of.

These three are just some of the many cases of how in 2014, what I thought would happened was skewed or completely changed when it went through the dealings of life and when I trusted the will of God instead of my own.

Now there are no complaints from me about the plans changing. Sure there were challenges in 2014, but I wouldn't have that year any other way. God showed me a plan greater than I could have ever imagined and it's made me realise the need to trust him so much more with life and not want to take so much control over things.

And that's the thing we must remember. No matter how many resolutions we make, we will never know the amazing plan God has for us that could trump all of these and make our lives greater than we could ever dream.

So in 2015, I invite you to make resolutions, to strive to be the best you can be. I also however suggest that you be willing to change these resolutions along the way or even be open to new ideas - because in the end, there could be a result at the end of the year that will make you wonder why you even made those resolutions at all.

Wishing you all a wonderful year ahead!

P.S. New blog posts will happen fortnightly from this post onwards. This is due to more time being spent on external projects and also so that I can achieve my 2015 resolution - to catch up with those family and friends I haven't seen in a long time.