Seize the Day

All Fired Up 

All Fired Up 

Yesterday is ashes, tomorrow wood. Only today does the fire burn brightly.
— Eskimo proverb
This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today is all you have. The past is behind you and the future is unknown. This moment is where life is lived, not in yesterday or tomorrow. Each day offers opportunities that will never come again. Time is one of your most valuable, non-renewable resources. When you relax into God’s grace, you will discover that every day can be a good day. 

Take time to set your priorities. Instead of frantic multi-tasking or wasting time on non-essentials, focus on what is most important and meaningful to you. Your choices and decisions will color not only this day, but also cast their shadows on coming days. Remember, too, that by not making a choice, you are really making a choice, and that choice always has unforeseen consequences.

Real generosity toward the future consists in giving all to what is present.
— Albert Camus
Heart of Fire 

Heart of Fire 

Procrastination, putting off till tomorrow what should be done today, steals precious opportunities. Procrastination produces guilt because you know you should do something but you don’t. Instead, choose to value your time by doing what needs to be done right now, and live fully in each moment.

Flaunt Your Colors 

Flaunt Your Colors 

This moment is all you have. Yesterday is a memory and tomorrow is only a dream, but today is the treasure you own right now. Spend the treasure of your time wisely and you will learn to make every day a good day, no matter what the day may bring.  Be aware that there are hidden depths and dimensions in each day, unique to that day. Yes, there will be other opportunities on other days, but this day lived well will reward you with its own special joys.

Life has its ups and downs. We love the up times, but oh, how we hate the down times. After many disappointments and difficult times, it’s sometimes hard to believe for the best. We become cynical and jaded, ashamed to be vulnerable and childlike, afraid that our hopes and dreams are foolish in the “real world” that often seems to reward cold calculation. Yet when we close our hearts to optimism and faith, we close the door on making our dreams come true in this world. 

You can choose to face the day with an optimistic attitude. Optimism is a learned attitude of faith.  Faith is a choice, not an argument. It is an inner conviction, an unshakable assurance. You make a decision to choose optimism, and to make the most of whatever you have been given to work with. Recognizing that yesterday is a dream and tomorrow is a hope, you learn to focus your energies on what is possible here and now. 

Focusing on the negatives in any situation is counterproductive. You concentrate at what’s wrong, and soon that’s the only thing you can see. Negative thoughts that hold us back include: I can’t. I won’t. That’s a problem. It’s not fair. It won’t work. Stupid. Impossible. Hopeless. It’s too hard. I’m not good enough. What a drag. But we never did it that way before. 

Positive thoughts help us make positive choices.  Choose to replace negative patterns with positive, empowering thoughts like: I can. It’s possible. I’ll give it a try. Let’s go. Yes. I will. It will work. I am able to do this. It will be fun.

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
— Helen Keller
Here Today and Gone Tomorrow 

Here Today and Gone Tomorrow 

Each moment is a gift if you have the eyes to see and the heart to appreciate it. The perfect gift is the present, the here and now. You do not know what will happen tomorrow and you cannot change what happened in the past, but this moment offers the gift of choosing what you will do right now. Will you embrace the present with gratitude and optimism?

• Set a simple goal for today and achieve that goal. Reward yourself with a small pleasure when you achieve the goal.

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.
— Dale Carnegie
Red Bravado 

Red Bravado 

To bring to the place where you live only the best and most beautiful—what a plan for life!
— Howard Thurman
Make a Statement 

Make a Statement