Kayla Renee Cristy

I hate these numbered candles..  You know what I’m talking about?  The ones where - for your birthday of any number with 2 digits- you get two candles that are numbers.  For instance, when you turn 21, you don’t get 21 individual candles.  You get 2.  You got more candles when you were 9 years old than when you were 21.  That sucks.

The numbered candles are a cop-out.  When I turn 80 years old, there had better be 80 individual candles on my birthday cake.  LET IT BURN.

Well well well… This is the last one.  Kinda makes me sad.  What am I gonna have to share after this?

Ehhhh…. I’ll find SOMETHIN.

Ok.  On a more serious note… This is probably the most important decision of them all.  If you’re still with me at this point, or if you’ve joined in a little late… Regardless, if you’re here, reading this, thank you.  And I hope you’ll take as much away from this as I did.  I highly recommend you get the book though.  It’ll sink in better and give you a more firm foundation than the decisions by themselves.  Anyways… Without further ado… The 7th and Final Decision for Success…

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7^th Decision For Success:

I Will Persist Without Exception

               Knowing that I have already made changes in my life that will last forever, today I insert the final piece of the puzzle.  I possess the greatest power ever bestowed upon mankind, the power of choice.  Today, I choose to persist without exception.  No longer will I live in a dimension of distraction, my focus blown hither and yon like a leaf on a blustery day.  I know the outcome I desire.  I hold fast to my dreams.  I stay the course.  I do not quit.

                I will persist without exception.  I will continue despite exhaustion.

                I acknowledge that most people quit when exhaustion sets in.  I am not “most people.”  I am stronger than most people.  Average people accept exhaustion as a matter of course.  I do not.  Average people compare themselves with other people.  That is why they are average.  I compare myself to my potential.  I am not average.  I see exhaustion as a precursor to victory.

                How long must a child try to walk before he actually does so?  Do I not have more strength than a child?  More understanding?  More desire?  How long must I work to succeed before I actually do so?  A child would never ask the question, for the answer does not matter.  By persisting without exception, my outcome – my success – is assured.

                I will persist without exception.  I focus on results.

                To achieve the results I desire, it is not even necessary that I enjoy the process.  It is only important that I continue the process with my eyes on the outcome.  An athlete does not enjoy the pain of training; an athlete enjoys the results of having trained.  A young falcon is pushed from the nest, afraid and tumbling from the cliff.  The pain of learning to fly cannot be an enjoyable experience, but the anguish of learning to fly is quickly forgotten as the falcon soars to the heavens.

                A sailor who fearfully watches stormy seas lash his vessel will always steer an unproductive course.  But a wise and experienced captain keeps his eye firmly fixed upon the lighthouse.  He knows that by guiding his ship directly to a specific point, the time spent in discomfort is lessened.  And by keeping his eye on the light, there never exists one second of discouragement.  My light, my harbor, my future is within sight!

                I will persist without exception.  I am a person of great faith.

                In Jeremiah, my Creator declares, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  From this day forward, I will claim a faith in the certainty of my future.  Too much of my life has been spent doubting my beliefs and believing my doubts.  No more!  I have faith in my future.  I do not look left or right.  I look forward.  I can only persist.

                For me, faith will always be a sounder guide than reason because reason can only go so far – faith has no limits.  I will expect miracles in my life because faith produces them every day.  I will believe in the future that I do not see.  That is faith.  And the reward of this faith is to see the future that I believed.

                I will continue despite exhaustion.  I focus on results.  I am a person of great faith.

                I will persist without exception.

We’re almost to the end of this… Gotta keep comin back though.  There’s still SO MUCH to learn.  For you and me alike. 8)  This one is SUPA important.  PAY ATTENTION.  Here comes NUMBA 6! ——»>

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6^th Decision For Success:

I Will Greet This Day With A Forgiving Spirit

                For too long, every ounce of forgiveness I owned was locked away, hidden from view, waiting for me to bestow its precious presence upon some worthy person.  Alas, I found most people to be singularly unworthy of my valuable forgiveness, and since they never asked for any, I kept it all for myself.  Now, the forgiveness that I hoarded has sprouted inside my heart like a crippled seed yielding bitter fruit.

                No more!  At this moment, my life has taken on new hope and assurance.  Of all the world’s population, I am one of the few possessors of the secret to dissipating anger and resentment.  I now understand that forgiveness has value only when it is given away.  By the simple act of granting forgiveness, I release the demons of the past about which I can do nothing, and I create in myself a new heart, a new beginning.

                I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit.  I will forgive even those who do not ask for forgiveness.

                Many are the times when I have seethed in anger at a word or deed thrown into my life by an unthinking or uncaring person.  I have wasted valuable hours imagining revenge or confrontation.  Now I see the truth revealed about this psychological rock inside my shoe.  The rage I nurture is often one-sided, for my offender seldom gives thought to his offense!

                I will now and forevermore silently offer my forgiveness even to those who do not see that they need it.  By the act of forgiving, I am no longer consumed by unproductive thoughts.  I give up my bitterness.  I am content in my soul and effective again with my fellowman.

                I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit.  I will forgive those who criticize me unjustly.

                Knowing that slavery in any form is wrong, I also know that the person who lives a life according to the opinion of others is a slave.  I am not a slave.  I have chosen my counsel.  I know the difference between right and wrong.  I know what is best for the future of my family, and neither misguided opinion nor unjust criticism will alter my course.

                Those who are critical of my goals and dreams simply do not understand the higher purpose to which I have been called.  Therefore, their scorn does not affect my attitude or action.  I forgive their lack of vision, and I forge ahead.  I now know that criticism is a part of the price paid for leaping past mediocrity.

                I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit.  I will forgive myself.

                For many years, my greatest enemy has been myself.  Every mistake, every miscalculation, every stumble I made has been replayed again and again in my mind.  Every broken promise, every day wasted, every goal not reached has compounded the disgust I feel for the lack of achievement in my life.  My dismay has developed a paralyzing grip.  When I disappoint myself, I respond with inaction and become more disappointed.

                I realize today that it is impossible to fight any enemy living in my head.  By forgiving myself, I erase the doubts, fears, and frustration that have kept my past in the present.  From this day forward, my history will cease to control my destiny.  I have forgiven myself.  My life has just begun.

                I will forgive even those who do not ask for forgiveness.  I will forgive those who criticize me unjustly.  I will forgive myself.

                I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit.