January 2013 – Ramona Mills

Don’t Become a Pawn to Someone

January 25, 2013November 29, 2020 Ramona MillsLeave a comment

You can either take control of your life or let someone else do it for you. People become pawns when they allow themselves to be used by others for selfish purposes. It could be through the use of your name, children, employment, political agenda, money, physical makeup, or connections with others.

It’s not always easy to detect someone’s true intentions, but a telltale sign is when your ongoing involvement with them doesn’t produce anything respectable and ultimately interferes with your destiny. Life is too short to live another person’s dream, so live your life for you, and the rest will follow.

Leave a Legacy

January 24, 2013November 29, 2020 Ramona MillsLeave a comment

Once you transition from this world, will you be remembered by the number of years you lived, the amount of money you left behind, or the positive impact you’ve made in the lives of others?

We all want to be remembered by something. The challenge is living a life of substance that is honored for generations to come. How you treat others, not your accomplishments, is one of the greatest legacies you can leave behind.

Finding Meaning

January 18, 2013November 29, 2020 Ramona MillsLeave a comment

When we lack meaning in our lives, we wander around aimlessly, struggling to identify our purpose and how to use our natural gifts to make a difference in the world.

Even under the harshest of circumstances, life has meaning. When you find yourself buckling under pressure, consider the fortitude that prisoners of war, homeless families, the poverty-stricken, victims of genocide, etc., display, despite their circumstances. Even in the worst conditions imaginable, it is evident their lives have meaning.

Finding meaning is not an easy process and will require you to push past your fears. We often look to others to help us find our purpose in life, but it’s impossible to live for the same predetermined purpose as someone else. No matter the challenges we face, there’s always a lesson to be learned and the possibility of brighter days to come.

Setting Realistic Goals

January 17, 2013November 29, 2020 Ramona MillsLeave a comment

Goals can be sound or questionable based on the nature of your desire, for your goals control your actions. While it’s great to achieve worthwhile goals, some are not worth pursuing if you set out to accomplish them questionably.

For example, if one of your goals is to accumulate significant wealth, you have to determine how you plan to achieve said goal. You can opt to build wealth through traditional avenues such as gainful employment and sound investments, or you can pursue non-traditional methods such as playing the lottery, marrying into money, or robbing someone of it. The means you use to accomplish your goal is just as critical as the goal you are trying to accomplish.

Respect Constructive Criticism

January 16, 2013November 29, 2020 Ramona MillsLeave a comment

There’s a difference between the person who learns from criticism and the person who refuses to accept it. The person who rejects constructive criticism is often prideful. Don’t be too quick to reject advice you don’t like.

No one likes criticism, but everyone can benefit from it when it’s given wisely and received humbly. Consider constructive criticism as kindness and listen closely. By viewing criticism in this manner, you’ll better control your reaction to it, making it productive versus destructive.

Prayer

January 14, 2013November 29, 2020 Ramona Mills2 Comments

Prayer is the first step in any venture.

Prayer is the key that unlocks faith in our lives.

When you pray, great things happen.

Prayer quiets your thoughts and emotions and prepares you to listen.

Too often, we pray superficially. Prayer, by contrast, requires concentration.

When you pray, difficult decisions fall into proper perspective. Therefore, pray for the wisdom to see it and the energy and motivation to do it.

When it seems your prayers have gone unanswered, what you need may already be within your reach, or you have yet to fulfill the responsibilities given to you.

Two Are Better Than One

January 9, 2013December 1, 2020 Ramona MillsLeave a comment

One of my favorite quotes comes from Ecclesiastes 4:9 “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work. When one falls down his friend can help him up, but pity the man who falls alone”.

We are not put on this earth to only serve ourselves. Life revolves around helping one another.

Working together allows each person to bring their unique skills or strengths to the table.

It may be our strengths that balance their weakness or their abilities that offset our deficiencies.

Our greatest accomplishment may be helping others accomplish great things.

Similarly, our greatest failure may be preventing others from achieving greatness.

Support is the backbone of any relationship – especially in these difficult times.

We need each other.

Do you agree?

Be Confident Within

January 8, 2013November 29, 2020 Ramona MillsLeave a comment

We often struggle with new challenges due to a lack of self-confidence. It’s not unreasonable that you may have to work harder at something than another, but that doesn’t excuse you from trying. Many people like to take the easy way out and depend on superficial things to exude self-confidence like their physical appearance, material goods, and wealth. But, how you look and what you possess are all exterior.

Building self-confidence is a process that begins internally and grows into a pattern over time. It’s an attitude. Your perception of yourself will eventually bleed over to how others perceive you. Self-confidence affects every aspect of your life and typically stems from several sources: from within, others, and your achievements. Confidence is not about trying to do it all. It’s having realistic views of who you are and the approach you take to meet your overall goals.

Blaze New Trails

January 7, 2013December 6, 2020 Ramona MillsLeave a comment

Our journey consists of many paths of travel and free will to choose our route.

Often, what we believe to be the easier route is more arduous, and the path less traveled becomes more yielding.

Some paths result in detours to encourage us to blaze new trails.

We have to rely on our inner guide to propel us forward to new places.

It is this new path that many fear because they have not gone that far before.

Whatever the circumstances are, new paths have to be traveled to achieve different results.

Not all paths will lead to success. That’s ok.

Celebrate the wins and continue exploring the unknown.

Significant risks produce significant rewards.

Where is your path taking you?

Learn From Your Mistakes

January 4, 2013November 29, 2020 Ramona MillsLeave a comment

Mistakes are effective teachers because their consequences have a way of making lessons painfully clear.

You can’t learn from a mistake that you don’t acknowledge making. To gain the lesson, you have to admit it, analyze it, and make adjustments so that it doesn’t happen again.

Mistakes of the past are a critical part of today’s actions and how well you use them to prepare for the future.