Recently my husband and I started going to church. We have found that it has brought our family much closer together. For me personally it has helped me to start kicking some bad habits, and to just be an overall nicer person and maybe to be more understanding of others as they struggle in their daily life. It has been hard though and although the blessings have been coming in small but significant ways, there has also been some downsides. It is always hard when you change your lifestyle, I have been told many times in my life when you change, and your friends do not change with you, you grow apart and are not friends anymore. This has never happened to me until now and I find myself trying to hold on to friendships with certain people who I feel as if they are not really trying. It makes me very sad. Especially because I have tried to make allowances for these people, but it seems like since I don't drink, and I have became much more family oriented they don't like to be around. I understand that it may be weird for them, but I think if you are good friends that you should be able to overcome differences, especially if the changes made are for the betterment of yourself and you family? I understand that some people are not ready to change. and never will, and they like where they are in life. I am fine with that, I just hate feeling cut out of someones life. I guess some people are not meant to be friends forever, but I think the hardest is when you feel that way with a family member! I don't know how to change what I see happening. I wish I did. And I wonder if this has happened with many people who have decided that their way of life was not good for them and decided to change it. As individuals we all have our own personal struggles to overcome, and it is not always easy. I personally have many of my own. What keeps me strong is knowing that we all have many blessings also. I believe with all my heart that every blessing comes along to help us overcome these struggles. I feel as if I did not make a drastic change in my life and if I would of kept going on the way I was with my drinking, that I probably would of not had a very happy ending. You can only drink steadily for so long before it starts taking a toll on your family, your life, spirit and body. I still struggle everyday and everyday I want to drink. That feeling doesn't go away quickly. Lucky for me the Lord sent me a little blessing to help me through my struggle, I don't think I could of done it on my own. Unfortunately my husbands disapproval just wasn't working. Now that my mind is clear I feel so sad about all the time I wasted "having a good time" and I have realized that I don't have to drink to be an awesome person, I am still funny and people still like me. Some people probably like me better now because I am not so obnoxious!! I know my kids and my husband like it alot better and that is the most important. Another struggle I have is judging myself very harshly. I always look at others and think, man she is perfect why cant I be like that? I wish I could be that skinny, that crafty, that pretty, that rich (lol) that great of a mom, that smart, that great of a housekeeper, and so on and so on. That kind of thinking is just setting yourself up for disaster and nobody has a perfect life. That person just has different struggles. It is hard not to only see the great though and to compare yourself to it. So if I could ever give one piece of advice to anybody going through some kind of struggle it would be, behind closed doors, what looks like a perfect person or life is not always so, everyone has struggles and everyone handles them differently. Be who you are and love yourself. Your faults and all, because that is what makes you who you are and if there was no struggles, there would be no joy either.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Daily Struggles
Recently my husband and I started going to church. We have found that it has brought our family much closer together. For me personally it has helped me to start kicking some bad habits, and to just be an overall nicer person and maybe to be more understanding of others as they struggle in their daily life. It has been hard though and although the blessings have been coming in small but significant ways, there has also been some downsides. It is always hard when you change your lifestyle, I have been told many times in my life when you change, and your friends do not change with you, you grow apart and are not friends anymore. This has never happened to me until now and I find myself trying to hold on to friendships with certain people who I feel as if they are not really trying. It makes me very sad. Especially because I have tried to make allowances for these people, but it seems like since I don't drink, and I have became much more family oriented they don't like to be around. I understand that it may be weird for them, but I think if you are good friends that you should be able to overcome differences, especially if the changes made are for the betterment of yourself and you family? I understand that some people are not ready to change. and never will, and they like where they are in life. I am fine with that, I just hate feeling cut out of someones life. I guess some people are not meant to be friends forever, but I think the hardest is when you feel that way with a family member! I don't know how to change what I see happening. I wish I did. And I wonder if this has happened with many people who have decided that their way of life was not good for them and decided to change it. As individuals we all have our own personal struggles to overcome, and it is not always easy. I personally have many of my own. What keeps me strong is knowing that we all have many blessings also. I believe with all my heart that every blessing comes along to help us overcome these struggles. I feel as if I did not make a drastic change in my life and if I would of kept going on the way I was with my drinking, that I probably would of not had a very happy ending. You can only drink steadily for so long before it starts taking a toll on your family, your life, spirit and body. I still struggle everyday and everyday I want to drink. That feeling doesn't go away quickly. Lucky for me the Lord sent me a little blessing to help me through my struggle, I don't think I could of done it on my own. Unfortunately my husbands disapproval just wasn't working. Now that my mind is clear I feel so sad about all the time I wasted "having a good time" and I have realized that I don't have to drink to be an awesome person, I am still funny and people still like me. Some people probably like me better now because I am not so obnoxious!! I know my kids and my husband like it alot better and that is the most important. Another struggle I have is judging myself very harshly. I always look at others and think, man she is perfect why cant I be like that? I wish I could be that skinny, that crafty, that pretty, that rich (lol) that great of a mom, that smart, that great of a housekeeper, and so on and so on. That kind of thinking is just setting yourself up for disaster and nobody has a perfect life. That person just has different struggles. It is hard not to only see the great though and to compare yourself to it. So if I could ever give one piece of advice to anybody going through some kind of struggle it would be, behind closed doors, what looks like a perfect person or life is not always so, everyone has struggles and everyone handles them differently. Be who you are and love yourself. Your faults and all, because that is what makes you who you are and if there was no struggles, there would be no joy either.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Choices
Our lives are made up of small and big decisions, some are hard to make and others easy. And that one small decision can change your life and the lives of those around forever. Even just smiling at someone can change their whole day, and make them incredibly happy, then maybe they will smile or even help someone, and then the effect can go on and even change the world for the better. Just like if you do something bad, that choice can go on to effect the world in a negative way. I think that maybe we all do not think about the effect that we have on the world around us often enough. We walk through the world not thinking about others as much as we should. Anyone can make a difference if they choose to take notice and make a choice!
I found this on a facebook page and I really liked what it says, and I think that it is something we could all live by!
I Choose...
to live by choice, not by chance;
to make changes, not excuses;
to be motivated, not manipulated;
to be useful, not used;
to excel, not compete;
I choose self-esteem, not self pity;
I choose to listen to my inner voice,
not the random opinion of others.
♥Wendy
I found this on a facebook page and I really liked what it says, and I think that it is something we could all live by!
I Choose...
to live by choice, not by chance;
to make changes, not excuses;
to be motivated, not manipulated;
to be useful, not used;
to excel, not compete;
I choose self-esteem, not self pity;
I choose to listen to my inner voice,
not the random opinion of others.
♥Wendy
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