#WriterWednesday: Why NOW is the time to have hope?

I don't mean to scare you with this statement but I believe the end times are near. There are many signs that Jesus is on his way back to Earth. Yet, this blog isn't about the end times at all...it's all about hope and why you should be living in it every day.

Just watch the news (CNN, anyone? aka the Chicken Noodle News, haha) or listen to today's music on the radio and even watching tv or movies, and it's easy to see why so many people are depressed. This world is filled with negative, critical, ignorant, death talk and not enough hope, love, or faith.

Yet, as someone who has suffered from medical depression, I know even all those outside sources aren' the only things to blame for the state of the world. Continuous trials and trying circumstances can and will get you down if you let them.

The key to living a hopeful life is surrounding yourself with hope and stop talking so much about your problems and the problems of the world.

Unless you are going to say something from God's word regarding the situation, the best thing you can do is Be still and know that he is God. (Psalm 46:10).

Suggested ways to live in continual hope

Pray One Bold Prayer a Day
The only way to see anything positive happen in your life is to exercise your faith. And the best way to exercise your faith is to pray. If you have hope, you're never afraid to believe big. You have not because you ask not. (James 4:2). And quit believing that God doesn't want to be good to you.

 God loves you more than you will ever understand, and he has a good plan for your life. You are never alone because he is with you all the time. God's forgiveness is greater than any sin you have committed. His mercy is new every day. As a believer, God has given you power, and you do not have to live a defeated life. Have a need? A dream you want to see fulfilled? Talk to God about it in prayer, much the same way you would a close friend, a family member, or your therapist. There is no formula. God just wants to hear from you. Start with Hi God, I need you, and the rest will follow.

Do Something Fun Each Day

You don't have to go to Disney every day to be hopeful and full of joy. It could be something as simple as coffee with a friend, watching a comedy with your family, or a walk in the park---anything that brings a smile to your face.

For example, yesterday my mom and I played the board game Trouble for the first time in many years and we had a blast! Today, I worked out and sang the entire time. For me, that was fun.
The key here is to enjoy life NOW! Don't wait until tomorrow, retirement, or that vacation to enjoy your life. Find a way to enjoy every single day!

Bless at least one person each day

Give someone a compliment
Tell someone how much they mean to you
Pray with someone who's having a rough day
Buy someone's lunch or a coffee

Write Down at least one way each day that God blessed you

Every night, I write in my blessings journal, and thank God for the blessings from that day. A grateful attitude produces great things to happen, plus it creates a joyful atmosphere. The more you are aware of what God's done in your life, the more your faith will increase for what you are hoping for.

I hope this blog encouraged you and if you want to know more or need some more HOPE, please check out Get Your Hopes Up! by Joyce Meyer. It's a short book filled to the brim with words of encouragement and ways to become more hopeful. It reads like a heartfelt letter from a long-lost friend.

Until next time, remember:

God is the only one who can make the valley of trouble a door of hope. -Catherine Marshall

Love Times Infinity,

Chelsea

xoxo

God Bless!

~Just Keep Swimming!~

#WriterWednesday: How To Overcome Writer's Block

Behind every successful author is the book proposal they wrote to get their book considered for publication. Since it's been almost nine years since I first published my two YA novels and because I did not go the traditional route, I wasn't aware that you must write a book proposal for your book whether it be nonfiction or fiction.

So last week, I set out to begin writing my proposal but found I was looking Writer's Block right in the eyes. In case you are unfamiliar, writer's block is a hindrance a writer faces that is fear based.

How I Overcame my Writer's Block:

1. I worked on something else. My most productive day last week was when I wrote an additional chapter for my memoir and not my actual proposal.

2. I continued doing research and found a mock proposal to use as a guide for mine. A book proposal is a 30 to 50 page document telling an agent or publisher what your book is/will be about and also compiles marketing data for the market your book would fit in. ( You would have thought my marketing degree would have helped in this area except it hindered my creativity because I didn't know how to present the marketing data).

3.  I found that the source of my writer's block came from the rejection I faced in my beginnings of the search for a post-graduate job in my field. I overcame that rejection by writing My Poem: Perpetual Sadness, and studied my Bible and found the truth behind this current employment situation. I was listening to a Joyce Meyer teaching the other day and I found out that sometimes God wants us to use our faith to change ourselves instead of the situation, allowing God to help you become better. 

4. I received my monthly letter from Joel Osteen and in it he said:
            "In order to keep adversities, unfortunate experiences and tragedies from holding you back, choose to stir up what God placed on the inside of you. Meditate on the fact that: 

• You are a child of God.
• You've come too far to stop now.
• You will not allow your past to dictate your future.
• When God is on your side, anything is possible. 

5. Lastly, the other day I was reading Get Your Hopes Up by Joyce Meyer and she showed a scripture that was perfect for my situation.

So yes, I faced rejection and have in many different areas my whole life but I have faith that my breakthrough is coming and so I'm going to give my all to applying for work and toward writing my proposal because it is part of my God-given destiny.

In other news, I no longer have to go to a thyroid specialist because my thyroid levels have stabilized and I'm healthy enough to just go to one doctor again for all medical needs. On Monday I had my first well visit in three years and it went really well. Praise God!

Until next time, remember: May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—  yes, establish the work of our hands. -Psalm 90:17

Love Times Infinity,

Chelsea

xoxo

God Bless!

~Just Keep Swimming~