Joy In The Journey Radio
  • Home
  • Radio 4 LDS Singles
    • Recent Shows >
      • 9 Nov 22
      • 2 Nov 22
    • Archive 2022
    • Archive 2021
    • Archive 2020
    • Archive 2019
    • Archive 2018
  • LDS Singles Blog
  • Members
    • Members-only
  • World of TED
  • Firesides
  • Books
  • FAQ
  • Volunteer
  • Home-centered Church
  • Donate
  • Contact

continue the conversation

Get zesty

12/30/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Ah, New Year’s Day!  Time for strings of parties.  Time for all those resolutions most of us won’t keep past a couple of weeks — if we’re lucky.  And time to reflect on what we’ve actually accomplished over the past year.

As I think back on 2015, I see I’ve been greatly blessed.  Yeah, there were some less-than-stellar moments.  I’m still the walking construction zone I’ve always been, and not everyone has used their agency as I would have liked.  But I’ve also had some really outstanding moments, ones that for many years I thought I would never have.

That’s what I love about New Year’s Day.  No matter what we have experienced, we all have a chance to start over.  And we all decide what we’ll do with that opportunity.  We can give up and surrender to pessimism and despair.  Or we can get up and embrace optimism and hope.

I say it’s time we get zesty.

You can always choose

Picture
No, I’m not talking about Mama Capri’s to-die-for lasagna.  I’m talking about attitude — one that won’t make excuses, won’t accept surrender, and won’t take any prisoners.  That attitude is a choice!

Agency is perhaps the most misunderstood and underappreciated gift outside of the Atonement.  Perhaps we make so many choices all the time it’s easy to take for granted our ability to choose.

Too often we think about how others have used their agency against us.  We focus on their choices which we cannot change but which have left us empty, forsaken, and in need.

But that’s where agency becomes a truly glorious gift.  We can make choices of our own.  No matter our past, we can always choose to reach for the positive option.  And there’s always a positive option.  We can always get zesty.

Choose your best life

Picture
Many singles don’t want the life they have.  They want instead what they conceive as their best life.  But how can you have your best life without the best attitude?  Attitude influences everything from how you feel to how others perceive you.  

If you want your best life, you first must embrace your best attitude.

And that can’t just be a superficial face lift.  You have to believe so much your best life will come to you that you just exude confidence.  You don’t doubt it will happen, and no one who knows you doubts it either.

How do you ride that train if you aren’t already on board?  The answer may sound ridiculous, but you just choose it.

Own it all

Picture
If you told me ten years ago I could turn my life around just by choosing to believe my best life will come to me, I would have called you an idiot.  But that was before I owned my life.

Taking responsibility for how your life has resulted will empower you to act rather than be acted upon.  And acting with intention — out of conscious choice rather than habit — opens the doors of belief wide open.  You start to realize all belief, even and especially the belief your best life will come to you, is a choice.

And the glorious gift of agency gives that choice to you.

I remember when my life had hit what felt like rock bottom, and I hungered after real.  That hunger led me to question everything in my life, including what I believed.

I came to a moment of decision.  Is it true or not?  If it’s really true, isn’t it time I start believing?  Do I really have to wait for my life to work out before I believe it’s all true?  Realizing belief is a choice, I simply choose to believe.

Picture
I chose to believe my future is what I make of it, not what my past dictates.  I chose to believe God is real, loves me immensely, and really does want to bless me just as immensely.  I chose to believe my best life was just ahead of me.

And things started to turn around for me.  I started feeling better about myself and my future.  And then new opportunities in my career and my dating life began appearing.  There’s still challenges, of course, but overall life just seems to be getting better and better.

And all of this was just waiting for me to get zesty — to start living with intention to reach for the positive choice.  Once I chose to believe, the true joy of living began unfolding for me.

We’re all God’s children.  What happened to me can happen to anyone.  So choose to believe.  Embrace the new year with zest and confidence.  Get zesty, and live in confidence your best life will come to you.  Then watch it happen.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    Howdy! I'm Lance, host of Joy in the Journey Radio. I've been blogging about LDS singles life since 2012, and since 2018 I've been producing a weekly Internet radio show and podcast to help LDS singles have  more joy in their journey and bring all Latter-day Saints together. Let's engage a conversation that will increase the faith of LDS singles and bring singles and marrieds together in a true unity of the faith.

    Comment

    Joy in the Journey Radio encourages the free discussion of ideas but reserves the right to remove and/or block comments which do not conform to LDS standards.

    Donate

    Joy in the Journey Radio offers many free resources to help LDS singles everywhere, but it certainly isn't free!  Help Joy in the Journey Radio in its mission to improve the lives of LDS singles by donating today.

    Posts by Month

    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Categories

    All
    Adrian Ochoa
    Agency
    Assumptions
    Atonement
    Attitude
    Attraction
    Autopilot
    Balance
    Becky Craven
    Believe
    Best Life
    Bradley R Wilcox
    Camille N Johnson
    Change The Culture
    Changing LDS Singles Culture
    Christ
    Christmas
    Clark G Gilbert
    Confidence
    Conscious Choices
    Covenant Mindset
    Dale G Renlund
    Dallin H Oaks
    Dating
    David A Bednar
    Depression
    Dieter F Uchtdorf
    Discipleship
    Donald L Hallstrom
    D Todd Christofferson
    Face To Face
    Faith
    Family
    Family History
    Fear
    Filters
    Finances
    Focus Determines Reality
    Full Life: Body
    Full Life: Heart
    Full Life: Mind
    Full Life: Spirit
    Future
    Gary E Stevenson
    General Conference
    Gerrit W Gong
    Goals
    Gordon B Hinckley
    Gratitude
    Habits
    Happiness
    Hope
    Jack Gerard
    Jean Bingham
    Jeffrey R Holland
    John A McCune
    John C Pingree Jr
    Journey
    Joy
    Leaders
    Legacy
    Life Of Meaning
    Live In The Moment
    Marriage
    Marrieds
    Michael A Dunn
    Michelle Craig
    Miracles
    M Russell Ballard
    Natural Mindset
    Neil Andersen
    Opportunity
    Own Your Life
    Partner With The Lord
    Peace
    Personal Ministry
    Perspective
    Philosophy
    Proclamation On The Family
    Quentin L Cook
    Real
    Reformat And Reboot
    Relationships
    Ronald Rasband
    Russell M Nelson
    Sacrament
    Self Talk
    Self-talk
    Service
    Sharon Eubank
    Stories
    Support
    Surrender To Love
    Susan H Porter
    Taylor G Godoy
    Temple
    Thinking
    Thomas S Monson
    Trials
    Unity
    Valentine's Day
    Vision
    Walk By Faith
    Yoon Hwan Choi
    Zion

    RSS Feed

Offerings

Home
Radio 4 LDS Singles
LDS Singles Blog
Books
Speaking
Recipes
Home-centered Church

Production

About
Staff

Support

FAQ
Volunteer
Donate
Contact
Joy in the Journey Radio is a production
of Aspire Mountain Media LLC.
© 2014-2022 Aspire Mountain Media LLC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  • Home
  • Radio 4 LDS Singles
    • Recent Shows >
      • 9 Nov 22
      • 2 Nov 22
    • Archive 2022
    • Archive 2021
    • Archive 2020
    • Archive 2019
    • Archive 2018
  • LDS Singles Blog
  • Members
    • Members-only
  • World of TED
  • Firesides
  • Books
  • FAQ
  • Volunteer
  • Home-centered Church
  • Donate
  • Contact