It’s been said that we are what we eat but we also are what we think. Proverbs 23:7 says that “so as a man thinks in his heart so is he.” How different would your life change if you started to think big? It’s important to have big dreams for your future. After all, failing to plan is planning to fail. If you don’t think big about your future, you’re not going to have a very big future. But what is big? It is, of course relative, meaning that what is big for one person may not be big for another person. So that we are all on the same page, I’m going to define big as anything that takes you farther than where you are today or it is possessing much more than what you currently have.

Thinking big begins with a single thought. The one major factor that separates the most successful people from the rest begins with a single thought. This single thought grows over time and eventually propels a person to their reward which is achieving their goals. Thinking big is not easy because you will constantly run into people who will criticize the way you think. These people will tell you that what you are thinking is not possible. They will tell you that you are wasting your time and energy and that you should be thinking about something that is more in line with what already exists. In other words, they want you to lower your thoughts and believe in something else – something that won’t bother them or make them envious once you get it. They want to discourage you from reaching your full potential. People will always judge, criticize, condemn and complain. It’s just a natural part of human nature. However, this is not a barrier to thinking big unless you make it so. Just accept the fact that not everyone is capable of thinking big like you and you must look for support from others who have already achieved big things because of their big thoughts.

People who think big place no limitations on themselves nor are they plagued by fear. They embrace every challenge and are prepared to break down every wall standing in their way so they not only think big but they act big. This allows them to keep doing bigger and bigger things. On the other hand, people who don’t think big get stressed about what might go wrong, so they think small, make small decisions and act accordingly. Life is about making mistakes, it’s about taking chances, and it’s about thinking big about your life. The enemy knows that our every day decisions are made based upon the way we think. Therefore, let’s think big because we have the mind of Christ in us. Whatever degree of success you have achieved so far, raise the bar and think bigger! Remember, we are what we think so think BIG! When you do, you’ll find that your future will be far more amazing than your past, and even more amazing than you thought it would be.

Think about it!

How would your life be different if you stopped worrying about things you can’t control and started focusing on the things you can? Don’t anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Worrying about tomorrow is like moving into tomorrow ahead of time. It is difficult to live in and enjoy the moment when you are thinking about the past or worrying about the future. You cannot change your past, but you can ruin the present by worrying about your future. Sometimes people let the same problem make them miserable for years.   That means that they have not accepted what they could not change nor have they changed what was in their power to change. We must learn from the past but look towards the future. The more you live in and enjoy the present moment, the happier you will be.

If you want to be happy, do not dwell in the past, do not worry about the future, focus on living fully in the present. You can’t fully appreciate today if you worry too much about tomorrow. Realize that tomorrow is going to happen whether you worry about it or not; and since worry has never accomplished anything for anybody, redirect your energy on your life today. Fully appreciate the moments of today. Soak in as much of today as you possibly can – the sights, the sounds, the smells, the emotions, the good things and even the sorrow. If you can only live one moment at a time, you might as well make it the present.

Dream about the future, but work hard today. Set goals and plans for the future but working hard today is always the first step towards realizing your dreams tomorrow. Don’t allow dreaming about tomorrow to replace living in today. Today is full of all sorts of possibilities and promises. The dream that didn’t happen yesterday for you could happen for you today. Avoid dwelling on your past accomplishments. If you are still talking about what you did yesterday, you haven’t done much today.

Jesus Christ gives us peace. The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 5:7 to “cast our cares on Him because He cares for you.” Understanding and accepting that God cares for you and that He can take away your anxiety is life-changing. God does not want you to carry your burdens alone. In fact, He doesn’t want you to carry them at all and that is why He sent His Son to take away everything you are worrying about today. Leave the past in the past. Live in the present with a peace that passes all understanding. It’s what God wants for you.

Whether you realize it or not we all have the power to affect the behavior of others and that is why we must be careful about our words and our actions. Your words and actions will have a lasting influence on the people who are watching you and, yes, someone is always watching. You are setting an example for someone even if you are not aware of it and the example you set can change someone else’s life for the better or for the worse and that kind of power should not be taken lightly.

The power that can change another person for the better is shown when you show respect to a homeless person on the street by acknowledging that you see them by saying a simple hello. It is shown when you encourage someone to keep moving forward when they are going through a difficult time because you believed in them and you took the time to tell them that. Your influence has the power to comfort someone who has lost a loved one because you shared in their grief by just being there in their time of need. Enough cannot be said for the person who sets an example of kindness by ‘paying it forward’ when the opportunity presents itself.

The power that can change someone’s life in a negative way is when you show disrespect for someone who might be of a different race, gender or religion than you are, and just as you can put a smile on the face of someone you have helped, you can also break the spirit of someone you have hurt just as easily. Therefore, it is extremely important to be an example of a righteous and honorable person in our world today.

Albert Einstein said that “Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means.” As you go about your daily life remember your words and actions do matter and may influence more people than you may realize. Power is something we all have so use it wisely. You may never know which lives you influence and influence can last a lifetime. Be mindful of the fact that someone is always watching you. Be careful what image and legacy you leave behind. Life is too short to promote negativity and bad habits. Take pride in having some integrity at all times because even when you’re the only person in the room, someone is watching you from above. Be the example that you want others to follow.  Your influence cannot be over-emphasized. Inspire people and maybe one day someone will look at you and say “because of you I didn’t give up.”

What does it take to make you happy? Is it money, your job, vacations? It’s not how much we have, but how much we enjoy our life that matters.   Slow down and enjoy your journey. Don’t miss the little pleasures in life because it is those things that will mean the most to you later in life. When you wake up in the morning, thank God that you are alive to see God’s latest creation – a new day. God wants you to enjoy life not just to endure life. Don’t just exist but live a full and happy life. So few people enjoy life because they are trying to be happy without God but the truth of the matter is you will never be happy without God.  Without God life is miserable but with God life is marvelous!

Not only are people living unhappy lives but we take a lot of things for granted.  We take our blessings for granted.  We are so accustomed to them that they fail to excite us as they once did. It’s evident that we have grown accustomed to our blessings when we start to criticize and complain.  Instead of thanking God for what we have, we complain about it and tell God we wish we had something else or that we want even more. You can be sure that even if God did give us what we asked for, we would eventually complain about that too. The person who has gotten accustomed to his blessing will never be satisfied. It’s easy for us to take things for granted, and take people for granted when they are there for us all the time. We fail to appreciate them when they are with us. Sadly most people realize the value of these things or these people only after we lose them.

Unfortunately, people also take God for granted. People fail to realize that it is only by the grace of God that we wake up every morning and enjoy the blessings that have been given to us. Some things we just live with day in and day out and after a while we just assume that they will always be there. We take them for granted. We stop seeing the beauty in them and miss the joy of them. James 4:14 says “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.” Don’t take your blessings for granted because in the twinkling of the eye your life can change.  Appreciate the gifts God has given you. Thank God for all that He has already done for you. Make an effort to live a full and purposeful life. Be grateful for every blessing you have; taking nothing for granted and watch God bless you with the desires of your heart!