Five Word Motivation

Post #7 of Sarah’s Post-It Note Inspirations Blog Series

Last week when I was listening to the radio, people were calling in and sharing their “five word motivations,” short phrases that ultimately inspire and uplift. In that spirit, I decided to create my own five word motivation phrase and write about before the start of my spring semester. My phrase is two-fold: Be inspired & give Him thanks.

Be inspired.

I have made various goals for the year 2017 in several categories of my life including faith, school, fitness, career, relationships, etc. One such category is titled blog/writing. Since blogging is one of my passions, I found it important to attach some goals to this part of my life. I want to continue writing to One Strength, and one specific goal that I would like to achieve is dedicating one large block of time a month to read, write, and craft the inspirations I have encountered that month into a cohesive blog post. In order to do this, I need to encounter moments throughout the month that can serve as content for a post; I need to be inspired.

But I don’t want to just get inspired for the sole purpose of gathering blog-worthy material, but I also want to be inspired just to experience the joy of being inspired. I think this goes for all of us. I believe God not only created us, but He created the entire world, everything around us.  With that, I also believe He created this world so that we may experience it, we may find joy in exploring it, and that we may discover how we can serve Him in it. There is so much in this world, and there is nothing like the feeling of being inspired by something He created. So, I am motivated to seek out opportunities where moments of inspiration like this happen, on a weekly, if not daily basis. This may involve purposely disengaging myself from the daily routine and the busyness around me, if only for a few minutes a day, to truly just be and allow for inspiration to happen. Inspiration can happen in the small, quiet moments, or even in the larger, more crowded times in our lives.  Below are five practical ways I thought of that could allow for these moments of inspiration to sweep in:

Five ways to be inspired:

     Engage in new conversations with longtime friends or first acquaintances

     Connect and catch up with those we look up to and those in our sphere of influence

     Go for a walk on a path we haven’t been on before

     Volunteer or find a way to serve people outside our social circle

     Learn to love others a little bit better by going outside our comfort zone or routine to offer a helping hand 

Give Him thanks.

I am at a very interesting and exciting time in my life, and when I am told this by someone else (usually someone older than me), I often reply with something along the lines of, “yes, I am very grateful.” Like all of us, I encounter bumps in the road or times when life isn’t all that “exciting,” but no matter what, I do try and be grateful for where I am at in the present moment. I try to be aware of the blessings I have, and thank God daily for them. So, I know that I am blessed, but how am I showing it? And by being blessed, how can I be a blessing to others? Truly showing my gratitude and using my blessings to bless others is the project I want to work on this year, and probably a project I will continue to work on my whole life.

No matter where we are in life, even during times of trial, we are called to give Him thanks – give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:18). This is something I want to continue to get better at as life throws in new, more difficult circumstances, because I am confident that everything He gives us is for our good, and that everything He gives us truly is a blessing. I understand that at times, it is harder to give thanks in these difficult circumstances, but I hope that the phrase “give Him thanks” can stick and remind us of what we are called to do, to not only be grateful, but to demonstrate our thankfulness through our actions. So with that, below are five “easier said than done” ways to give Him thanks in whatever stage of life we are in:

Five ways to give Him thanks:

     Pray prayers of thanksgiving to Him alone and with each other

     Strive to serve and love others like Jesus  

     Show gratitude to those who serve you

     Cherish the blessings He has given you

     Try to see everything in your life as a blessing from Him, even the hard things 

My five word motivation is to Be inspired & give Him thanks. Although none of us will be perfect at it and some days will be harder than others, I want to challenge us all to live this out as best we can in our day to day lives.