Tag Archives: journey

Fast quick start of a red-letter day

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A red-letter day is defined as a day that is pleasantly noteworthy or memorable. It is any day of special significance or opportunity.   The word comes from the late 1300s when important days were marked in red ink in calendars made in monasteries and convents.

I choose to start each day with a planned perfect start.  This is a habit; I believe this habit will change and improve every area of your life.  This will make every day special, a red-letter day. Design your life each day. Create a Legacy to prepare those you love to grow through the most difficult challenges of life.   I intentionally invest in the first part of each day to personal development and planning the day to accomplish my top priorities.

My personal start of the red-letter day:

5 minutes; Prayer and quiet time with God. He knows my concerns and situations; He is big enough to handle them. I ask God what is the plan and what is my part in it.  I simply listen to God.  He always answers.

20 minutes; Read Scriptures and daily devotionals.  I am concerned about the right mental and spiritual input. I read inspirational, uplifting and educational books.

5 minutes; Write in journal.  my thoughts, my feeling and my insights; always list three things for which I am grateful.

10 minutes; Write in performance planner daily goals, priorities and objectives for the day

5 minutes; Envision mentally important calls, meetings and appointments.  Review potential questions and needs of others.

5 minutes: Thinking deeply about the most important objective I need to accomplish today.

If you are pressed for time or maybe you are not familiar with the concepts of preparing, planning and performing a red-letter day set aside 10 minutes to begin working on this habit.

3 minutes:  Write three items for which you are grateful and thankful.  Meditate on the good in your life.

3 minutes:  Read positive affirmations and use positive self-talk. A great start would be, “I am getting stronger and stronger every day in every way.

4 minutes:  Write down major goals and problems to solve.

Develop a Gratitude Habit

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Develop a habit of gratitude

Zig Ziglar said “Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions” and it is defined as a feeling of appreciation or thankfulness. I have been on a journey of gratitude for a long time.  The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.

We need to make gratitude a habit.  Each day I write down three things I am grateful for on a list in my daily journal. Each day the three things are different from previous day’s list.

In the European Journal of Social Psychology, the author stated, “it takes 66 days to create a habit”.  Keep the list for 66 days and you will have almost 200 items that you are grateful for and your mind will constantly be looking for new things in your life to be grateful and thankful for.

Some days when I am thinking, preparing and planning, I enjoy reflecting about the things I have been thankful for in the past.  Those that know me well,  know my love of Southern Gospel Quartet Music. My favorite has always been Hovie Lister and the Statesmen especially their bass singer, James “Big Chief” Wetherington. He was dignified and a class act with integrity.  His character was beyond reproach. Many days I would attend practice sessions with the Statesmen and Blackwood Brothers at the Briarcliff Hotel.  He was a wonderful man who enjoyed the outdoors, hunting and fishing in South Georgia.  He was born and raised in Ty Ty, Georgia. On many occasions we spent hours at Fulton County Stadium watching the Atlanta Braves. The “Chief” had many followers and they all seemed to love baseball too. I am grateful Abner Doubleday invented baseball.  Many life lessons are learned on the field and in the stands.

The “Chief” believed he was called by God to sing and to use his voice to inspire and bless others. I will never forget our conversations and will leave you today with some of his comments.  He believed “life is like a mountain railroad from cradle to grave” and he prayed “for all to understand – the Hope of America lies in faith in God and The Common Man”