Just yesterday I talked with a young lady who is enjoying reading Live Healthy, Live Whole. She identified with Mary, whose story I tell in Chapter 2. Mary waited too long to deal with a physical problem and died much too soon as a result. My new friend felt there were some things in her life that might create problems in the future if she didn’t deal with them now. She didn’t want to end up like Mary.
I hope you feel the same way. There are many areas where something small will change your future – good or bad. One habit, one decision, one risk not taken, one opportunity not explored can sabotage everything you hope to achieve and experience. We’ve heard just this week about another Christian leader whose life and ministry have been forever marred by a moral failure – one bad decision halting his usefulness for at least a number of years.
But that truth is just as strong in the positive direction. One positive mental attitude developed, one investment regularly made, one relationship treasured, and the payoff will be so much more than you ever imagined. In our microwave society we too often forget the power of regular small investments over time. The most valuable achievements take time to grow.
Here are 25 things you can change today that will result in a big payoff tomorrow. Choose just one. Do it consistently, and see the wonderful change your future begins to show. And when that one becomes a habit, choose another one.
25 Small Changes Today to Change Your Future
- Each week substitute one more processed food with one more natural.
- Take the stairs when you get to work.
- Find one person to say Thank You to every day.
- Buy some good walking shoes.
- Turn off the TV 1 hour earlier, and read a book.
- Eat out one less meal each week, and cook at home.
- Listen to an audio Bible for 10 minutes while commuting to work, from the Bible app.
- Take your spouse’s hand and pray – out loud – before dinner or at bedtime.
- Cut up your credit cards.
- Get a smart pedometer, such as Fitbit.
- Plant some flowers, or a tree.
- Subscribe to an inspirational email list such as Dr Carol Ministries, or Ransomed Heart, or Family Life Today.
- Add one more serving of fruits or vegetables to your daily diet.
- Schedule a doctor’s appointment for a checkup.
- Schedule an appointment with your dentist.
- Spend 15 minutes a day or 2 hours a week learning a new skill, like music or gardening or painting.
- Put something into your savings account each week, even if only $20.
- Drink a glass of water as soon as you get up in the morning.
- Look for one negative attitude or self-defeating message you tell yourself, and practice a positive alternative, every day.
- Take JuicePlus+ daily.
- Each week do something nice for someone anonymously.
- Schedule an hour or two each weekend to plan and strategize about the coming week with your spouse.
- Choose one unimportant or distracting thing in your life and eliminate or drastically limit it (such as your time on Facebook, a magazine or club subscription you don’t need, or time spent with a negative person.)
- Save for and attend an inspirational event this year.
- Set your alarm 15 minutes earlier and spend the time in prayer.
It doesn’t matter very much how much you weigh today, what your relationships or bank account look like right now, or how strong your relationship with God is at this point.
But it matters a great deal how physically fit you are, how healthy your attitudes are, how loving and connected your relationships are, and how strong your relationship with God is one year, five years, or ten years from now.
Choose one thing in your life today that’s taking you in a negative direction. Make a change in that one thing, do it consistently, and you can change your future.
Your Turn: What one thing can you change today that will change your future for the better? Leave a comment below.
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