Beautiful Advice

I have been very stressed with everything that has been happening in my life lately and sometimes let my worries and my agenda get in the way of God's plan for me, which we know only makes the stress worse. I came across this list from an e-mail my dear friend, Marilyn, sent to me. I love e-mails from Marilyn. They are always uplifting or informative or both. I thought this was worth passing on. My comments are in red.

1. Pray - I love that this is number one on this list - I need to make it number one on my list everyday.
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health. - If only I could do that at work!
5. Delegate tasks to capable others. - I admit I have a hard time with this one!
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time. - Another one I have a hard time with!
11. Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety . If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.. - Again - not so easy for me.
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the backyard, extra stamps, etc.
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble. - I'm working on this one - my tongue hurts from biting it so often!
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday. - This is really hard for me, but Kaiden helps!
16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line. - This is where my Baptist upbringing comes in handy - we memorized scripture and hymns, so I always have that in my head - although a Sunday School teacher once told us we needed to do this so we would always have the Bible with us when the Communists took over the world. This was about the time of the Cuban missile crisis and probably had more weight than "you can use it when you are waiting in line."
17. Get enough rest -If I could only stop worrying.
18. Eat right. - Really trying.
19 Get organized so everything has its place. - If the whole family were on board...
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life. - I would be much happier if I never had to drive and could just read my book on the bus.
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray. - Why is this so hard to remember?
24. Make friends with Godly people. - Amen!
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand. - again, I was a very motivated memorizer - we got points and prizes.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good ' Thank you Jesus .' - This is also hard to remember.
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all. - I am trying
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can). - Trying
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most). - Not as hard as it was when I was younger.
32. Sit on your ego
33 Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down. - another thing Kaiden is good for.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe. - But it would run so much better if I were! This one is really really hard for me!
36 Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU. - I know I am so very blessed, so why is this so hard for me?

If God is for us, who can be against us?'(Romans 8:31)

As you can see by all the red, I have a long way to go. So I'll pray for you and you pray for me and we will both be better off. Deal?