7 Ways to Upgrade Your Life

1. Upgrade your employment!
Are you passionate about the work you do? Does your job offer you the fulfillment you desire, want and need? If not, it's time for an employment upgrade. The economy is starting to rebound, so now could very well be the perfect time to start looking at alternative employment opportunities. Make a commitment to find the job that’s right for you and allows you to use your God-given gifts and talents. You deserve it. Don't settle for less!

2. Upgrade your health!
Good health is one of the most valuable things you can possess. This year, don’t skip the annual visit to the gynecologist. Make the appointment. And certainly don’t forget your mammogram. Also, choose better eating habits. When shopping for groceries, stay away from cans, boxes and other packaged goods that include ingredients with words like “modified,” “hydrogenated” and those you can’t pronounce. Eat more fresh fruits and veggies. Try cutting down on meat, especially red meat. Better yet, realize you don’t have to have it everyday. Skip a couple of days a week of eating meat. And by all means, exercise and drink plenty of water!

3. Upgrade your attitude!
An attitude upgrade is one of the best things you can do for yourself and others in the New Year. Throw away your negative attitude and upgrade to a new, positive attitude. Smile more. Laugh more. Hug more. Love more. Give more. Forgive more. Throw away your tiara and give up your position as a drama queen. Stop blaming others. Start being responsible. Stop holding grudges. Start letting go. A new attitude can mean a totally new you!

4. Upgrade your appearance!
What you look like on the outside can be a good indication of what’s happening on the inside. Do something different in 2011. Get a nice new hair-cut. Or, do something even more drastic and get rid of the perm. Go natural. Lots of ladies are doing it, including me. Get a couple of new mix and match outfits. But don’t spend a lot of money. Resale shops can be a great place to shop for nice, gently worn, fashionable outfits. This New Year, let your outward appearance say something awesome about you!

5. Upgrade your perception of yourself!
What you think about yourself can reflect to others and affect how they see you. If you think you can’t do it, others will think you can’t do it. If you think you have no value, others will think you have no value. If you think you’re not attractive, others will think the same. Instead of looking down on yourself, start looking up. See yourself on top of the world; flying high in life, reaching new heights, conquering all there is to conquer. Change that negative perception to a positive perception and watch your life change!

6. Upgrade your mind!
The best way to upgrade your mind is to start making an effort to slow down your thinking and live in the present moment. Your mind is the most overworked tool you own. You’re always thinking about something. Before you go to sleep at night, you’re thinking. When you wake up, you’re thinking. Your mind is either in the past or in the future. You’re thinking about what’s already happened, or you’re thinking about what’s going to happen. Even when someone is talking to you, instead of listening, you’re thinking about something that has nothing to do with the conversation. Stop thinking so much and take some time to come home to the present moment. Stop living in the past and in the future of your mind. The present moment is where life is truly happening.

7. Upgrade your spiritual life!
I went to a funeral on yesterday and as the casket was rolled down the aisle, I couldn’t help but think that one day I would be the one in the casket. Funerals have a way of making you realize just how short life is. They make you turn and take a look inward and ask yourself the question, “What’s really important in life?” Success, money, houses, cars, lavish vacations; in all honesty, when you look at the big picture, those things are really not that important. In 2011, upgrade your spiritual life by living the words of King Solomon in Ecclesiastes 12:13, “… Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

Listen to my weekly radio broadcast Sundays 4-430pm on Houston's 100.7FM, or listen on the web at kkht.com. This Sunday, I will fully develop the topic, "7 Ways to Upgrade Your Life." Tune in!