Hello Family! I hope you all are doing well and are healthy. Yes, it’s been too long. I sound like a broken record but I plan to do more writing and especially uploading more content. I have been working on my YouTube channel. If you guys would be so kindly to go over there and subscribe because some of the content here will become a visual form afterwhile. The link is here https://youtube.com/user/blb0812

So let’s jump in. You know I am always taking inventory of my life and where I am and where I want to be. I think that it is very crucial for us to do this from time to time. Don’t wait for the new year to come to start setting goals. You can start today! I find myself running into the issue of starting something but not completing the task and even sometimes not starting at all because there’s just too many distractions OR aka options. A great friend of mines asked if I would join him last month in writing everyday a gratitude journal. I did this for the month of October. Starting out was easy because it was super easy to get the simple things out. It’s like in prayer. The way I start every prayer that I prayer is honoring God for who he is. Not asking him for anything but honoring and reverencing him for just being God, then second is repentance, followed by petitions. So I noticed for the first 2 weeks of gratitude journaling, my thankfulnesses mirrored my prayers but after 2 weeks I had to dig deeper. I actually had to think differently from just surface or face value because I had used all of those. I must admit some days I just wanted to hurry up and get the post done for the day, so that I could say I completed the task for that day. In today’s world, that’s usually how we are. We’re not connected with the essence and probably don’t understand the “why” or the motive becomes flawed. It was then that I discovered the danger of having too many options. I begin to think about the homeless and how I’m able to go to my closet and spend 2 to 5 minutes thinking about what shoe to wear today or what shirt to iron. Meanwhile, the homeless person only has 1 pair of shoes and maybe 1 shirt to wear because there’s no options but that’s just the only option. After this revelation, I begin to think more broad on the actual things that I overlook and sometimes take for granted. I also discovered how having too many options could easily make you forget about gratitude. Think about it. If you only had one option or there was one only way you could get something done, it would get done. You wouldn’t ponder or get big eyed over a situation. After carefully review, I realized that having too many options can be a curse because you sometimes you could never make up your mind and decide on something vs the person who only has that 1 option. I believe it’s in these moments where we must continue to recalibrate and come back into alignment with who we are and continue to walk in gratitude.

Now let me go to the other side of this. Yes, having options is great and can be a blessing. BUT, we must be careful not to walk in pride or greed with it. Always remember there is someone out there wishing they had an ounce of what you have. What you might have a lot of someone is in lack of. I also believe that we must have balance. What are you full of? Is it wealth, wisdom, knowlege? Maybe the reason why you can’t make up your mind on something is because you have too many options and are just full. Give something away, and not just the extra or scraps but some of the good stuff. I am a believer in being a giver. People who give always have more coming back to them because they are givers. So the next time you are having trouble picking out what to wear because you can’t decide if you should do the cotton black tie or the silk black tie, remember in that moment someone wish they had just one black tie to wear. Be grateful, be a giver, and be the best version of yourself you can. I love you!