Turning Bad Times into Good
God Nuggets, Issue 6

Having a hard, stressful, or just plain boring week? Here are four tips to make your week better.

Number One: Think about a fun or exciting event that you're planning, even if it's weeks away. Whether you're just planning to have dinner with a friend, see a movie, get away for a day of prayer and meditation, or you're even planning a small vacation, visualizing the event will give you something to look forward to. Planning and anticipating a pleasurable experience is often half the fun.

Number Two: Use your "gift" to help someone. Whenever we reach out and help someone using the special "gift" God has given us, automatically, our own spirits are lifted. Plus, reaching out and helping gets our focus off our own problems and on to doing something constructive (even if we're just dealing with somebody else's problems). If you're not sure what your "gift" is, visit Discover your Gift.

Number Three: Go out of your way to be especially generous, merciful, helpful, pleasant or encouraging to someone. Not only will this put you in a better mood just by altering your thinking, but the reaction you'll get from blessing someone else may prove to be an unexpected highlight in your week.

Number Four: Look for an unexpected blessing. It could just be receiving a compliment as you walk down the street or a kind word from a co-worker or family member. Maybe you hear from an old friend. Chances are, if you're really looking for it, you'll find at least one thing positive in your week. Focus on it and thank God for your blessing. When you decide to focus on the positive, all of a sudden, you'll notice you feel thankful and encouraged.

Try one or more of these tips and see if your week doesn't start to improve.

by C.V. Doner

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