Putting the Cart Before the Horse

We are refreshed and renewed by gratitude. It’s a powerful force, able to transform any mood or circumstance.
— Kristin Armstrong

Action Item:
End and begin each day with a grateful spirit and acknowledge at least one thing you are grateful for. This new habit, more than any other, will lead to all positive change in the New Year and a legacy filled life.

by Neissa Springmann

As I mentioned in the introduction journal of this Journey, the New Year is one of my favorite times. I wish I could say it’s because I’m a party animal who rings it in with bells, whistles, confetti and champagne, but it’s actually just the opposite. The perfect New Year’s Eve for me is a nice and quiet dinner with wine and dessert, comfy (and roomy) PJ’s on no later than 10:00 p.m, relaxing in bed and channel surfing by 10:30 p.m. and asleep before the clock strikes midnight.

But, what also comes prior to the New Year is a holiday filled with sweet family time, lots of napping and “activities” that require no thinking, which is code for “doing nothing.” Basically, I hibernate to celebrate and have found this is the best thing I can do to recharge my battery and become re-inspired. It’s also a cleansing opportunity, as I forgive myself for what I didn’t accomplish during the previous year, re-evaluate my life and goals, and become refocused and committed so I can be, feel and give my best everyday. Could use a little guidance on putting the notion of thankfulness into action? That’s what this Weekly Intention Guide is for!

On the flip side, however, due to getting so excited about the new year and have an all-or-nothing personality, I am eager to quickly accomplish all of my goals. Consequently I bite off WAY more than I can chew, put the horse before the cart, and the end result is fatigue, failure and back to square one before the end of January! So…this year I have decided to put the cart before the horse and start the process at a much slower, methodical and intentional pace. Rather than try to replace all of my bad habits at once, I am going to add one positive habit to my life each week, with the first being gratitude.

Kristin Armstrong wisely suggests in her Heart of my Heart devotional book that “We are refreshed and renewed by gratitude. It’s a powerful force, able to transform any mood or circumstance.” It’s the same concept as the Law of Attraction and “light attracting light;” when we end and begin each day with a grateful spirit, acknowledging at least one thing that we are grateful for, our mindset shifts, our spirit is joyful and even the worst situation is viewed as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. We highly recommend starting a gratitude journal, and here’s an easy step-by-step way to do so:

A Simple Way to Live A More Thankful Life: Start A Gratitude Journal.

We are very fortunate because THE PERFECT gratitude opportunity awaits us during week one of our Journey. After having a week of above normal temperatures, this week presents the opposite conditions. The ARTIC BLAST of 2011 is blowing in, which can make getting outside to iGnite Your Life more challenging. Therefore, rather than focus on the 2.5 days of below average temperatures and five minutes (max) of cold discomfort, an idea for your first gratitude opportunity is go to bed and wake up being thankful to be alive and well. Because being alive and well, after all is what alone provides us with infinite freedoms, especially if we never let any thing, person or past experience play a role in our health, happiness and future! It’s just a suggestion 🙂

We have SO much to be thankful for at ignite…this amazing city full of green parks, trails and lakes, supportive friends, and our friends to inspire us to continue iGniting our lives.

I’m embarrassed to admit that I am 100% guilty of what the man in our video of the week suggests women to be guilty of, but I am! But, despite the urge to put the horse before the cart, we’re going to take the intention of living our legacy in a systematic manner — building upon one positive habit after another, with laying the gratitude brick first. I encourage you to watch the video in its entirety, as it is SPOT ON and hysterical, and laughing will put you in a grateful mindset more quickly than anything.