Monday Motivations

Is New Year A New Beginning? – Monday Musings

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I wonder why at the end of each year we arm ourselves with new journals, scribble all those new year resolutions and jump into the starting year revving to go, yet by the end of the first quarter, we’ve fallen off the wagon of our resolutions, bruised and battered we simply try to limp along.

Years back I gave up on the idea of resolutions, rather I chose to start thinking of my goals as life solutions and decided to live each day as best as I could. Over time, I have also realized that these jumpstarts on resolutions create some sort of tension within us that makes us feel that we’ve let ourselves down when we don’t meet these goals and actually sets off negative ricochets and thought patterns.

Is a New Year truly a new beginning when the person living the year hasn’t done much changing in their thoughts, actions, and approach?

The fireworks of 31st December is not a magic wand that suddenly transforms us from the person we were to a new being. Of course, the excitement of the fireworks ushers in a new calendar year, however, what of the calendar within us?

What fireworks do we need to transform and to pursue those ideas, goals, and dreams that we want to achieve?

Change in our personal lives is a consistent, deliberate mental attitude that gradually transforms us from one state of mind to the other. It’s not sudden abracadabra.

Chances are that when we fail to work on the innate issues that cause us to derail from our objectives, we simply continue the cycle of falling off, losing faith, getting back on and on that before you know it, it’s another New Year’s Eve.

Each day has to count positively. By all means, we must set accountable and realistic goals, but we must also set the attitude and drive to meet them on a daily basis.

Jacqueline

appreciation

Greetings From Dubai – Welcome to 2017

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Dear Friends, thank you for staying with me through 2016.

Thank you for all your support and grace-filled thoughts.

I pray that 2017 would be a year kind to all of us.

A year filled with blessings, favour, grace and mercy.

A year of progress and achievement for all of us.

I wish you the best of this New Year.

Let’s live through this year with love and purpose.

With all my love, remain blessed.

Jacqueline

Below is a short clip from Dubai’s New Year’s Eve fireworks taken by me.

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The Masterpiece

Now, this is a brilliant quote that I will definitely use well this 2017 🙂

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ALL NEW WRITER’S QUOTE CHALLENGE

Harness the winds in your sail and let’s set off into 2017. A brilliant poem from anonymous source shared by Bernadette.

Bernadette's avatarHaddon Musings

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Bernadette at http://www.HaddonMusings.com

Jacqueline at http://www.Acookingpotandtwistedtales.com

Jacqueline and I invite you to join in on our blogging event called The Writer’s Quote Challenge.

This is Jacqueline’s week and her prompt follows:

“We are all vessels. The question is what are the contents of your vessel?” Jacqueline

My thoughts this week turn to the new year of 2017 approaching and Jacqueline’s quote left me thinking about how we are all vessels sailing into the new year with hope for the future.  The following poem spoke to me:

Upon the bridge you stand;
It’s your ship, aye, your own ship,
And you are in command.
Just what the twelve months’ trip will do
Rests wholly, solely, friend, with you.

Your logbook kept from day to day
My friend, what will it show?
Have you on your appointed way
Made progress, yes or no?
The log will tell, like guiding star,
The…

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kindness · Lifestyle

Just a thought

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Recently, someone told me that they can’t stand unnecessarily good people because they don’t believe that people are that good.

As a matter of fact, they get suspicious when people are good to them.

What a sad way to think :/

I still believe that there are loads of beautiful and good people in today’s World and you are one of them 🙂

Show some meaningless kindness to someone today.

Blessed be.

Jacqueline

Writers Quote Challenge

Prompt – All New Writers Quote Challenge

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Bernadette at http://www.HaddonMusings.com and I invite you to join in on our blogging event called The Writer’s Quote Challenge.

For this week, here’s my prompt below. I believe this quote might have come out based on recent reflections that I’ve been having which I would call personal accountability and stock-taking.

Let me share some of my thoughts with you.

“We are all vessels. The question is what are the contents of your vessel?” Jacqueline

Each day I wake up, I know that my life is not about finding myself since I already exist, but about creating myself out of the ‘me’ that I’ve been given, thus, I endeavour to create a me that I would look back at years later and find that I still like her.

If your body is a canvas
and all your thoughts are etched on it
would it be beautiful to see
or, would it make us cringe in fear and shame?

If your thoughts are an artwork
moulded for all to see
would it stand on a mantle
or, hidden away in the attic for no eyes’ to see?

If your words are droplets
shared with all around you
would it cleanse and refresh the listener
or, would it be corrosive like acid and burn their ears?

If our whole life is a cup
tipped over when it is full
would some smidgen of beautiful things come out
or, would ugliness pour out in generous quantity?

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

P.S. We are continuing the same format and here that is: there are no rules to follow. Either make up your own sayings or use a quote from a famous author that you find gives you inspiration.

Each Thursday, we will post the prompt and all you have to do is participate!

On your own blog post do a pingback to this post and make sure to “like” or “comment” on everyone else’s post. A pingback is when you embed (or copy) the URL of my weekly prompt into your own blog post.

Make sure to check our weekly prompt to see if your entry is there. You can copy URL of your blog post and include it in the comments section of my original weekly prompt if that works better for you.

Copy the badge above and include it in your own post. Tag your post on your own blog as “The Writer’s Quote Challenge,” so we can find the posts in the reader.

We are looking for more hosts to join in the fun.  So if you would like to pick up the challenge of hosting, just let one of us know.

For last week’s postings, you can check this link.

Thank you for participating and compliments of this season once again.

 

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ALL NEW WRITER’S QUOTE CHALLENGE

I believe 🙂

Bernadette's avatarHaddon Musings

invitation-shel-silverstein

Bernadette at http://www.HaddonMusings.com

Jacqueline at http://www.Acookingpotandtwistedtales.com

Jacqueline and I invite you to join in on our blogging event called The Writer’s Quote Challenge.

Here is my offering for this week just in time for Christmas:

“Though I’ve grown old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe.”  Chris Van Allsburg, The Polar Express.

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MY CHRISTMAS OFFERING TO YOU

May the message of Christmas

Ring out like a bell

True and sweet,

May it be embraced by 

Young and old alike,

Peace on our earth

And good will to all.

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My Thinking Corner · Philosophy of Life

This Season…My Thinking Corner

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This is my favourite season of the year and yes it’s because it’s Christmas. It is not just a season of joy, a time to be with our loved ones’, to give and possibly receive, but also a time that we should not forget the reason for the season.

We shouldn’t forget that not everyone around us is blessed with a circle of family and friends to share and spend the season with, therefore, let us reach out to those who are less unfortunate in our midst and spread the cheer and joy with them. Let us be messengers of love and bear the true fruits of brotherhood.

It’s a blessing to bless others and not just to sit on the sidelines watching others give of themselves. There’s always a little way to be a blessing to others.

Sometimes, I feel that the over commercialized aspect of the season has desensitized many people to the fact the Christmas is not just a time to make merry and be jolly. In the midst of making merry, may we not forget the Christ in Christmas.

May the abiding Grace and Peace of God be with you and yours.

Here’s a little tune I played on my keyboard for you.

Whatsoever you do

To the least of my brothers

that you do unto me

When I was hungry you gave me to eat

when I was thirsty you gave me to drink

now enter in to the home of my father.

Rononvan's Weekly Haiku Challenge

Ringing my bell…

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The children press my doorbell in mischief,

it’s ringing, jingling Christmas tune

has become their temporary source of delight

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

I smiled when I saw the prompt for Ronovan’s weekly haiku door & bell because it was easy to choose what to write about.

My Christmas doorbell that I put last week has been pressed twice more than usual, sometimes by my own children and sometimes, I hear the high excited voice of the neighbours little daughters as they press it and run down the passage.

Their squeals make me smile 🙂

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Destinations