Deal or No Deal(1st Yodaism of 2007)

Someone once said, ~Choose to love - rather than to hate. Choose to smile - rather than frown. Choose to preserve - rather than quit. Choose to praise - rather than gossip. Choose to heal - rather than wound. Choose to give - rather than take. Choose to act - rather than delay. Choose to forgive - rather than curse. Choose to pray - rather than despair.~ Let me ask you this question, how many of you have not only made New Year resolutions, but also are choosing to try to actually stick to them as well. Unfortunately, its those same resolutions that intially get broken in the early part of the year to possibly retry over again the following year and the following three usual resolutions made are: be more healthier, spend wisely, and lead a stronger prayer life.

Without a doubt, there has been so much attention focused on the obesity problem in the United States that it has primarily scared people into choosing to eat healthier and get physically fit. Its a tough situation indeed to eat right, as well as exercise knowing there are so many temptations out there to stuff your face full of junk food and become a proverbial couch potato, which is considered a deadly combination that can kill you slowly but surely. What people inevitably need is an incentive to shoot, for that can, in a sense, kick one in the buttockal region in a sort of biggest loser way so that you won't end up suffering a heart attack or worse dying of one. Whatever incentive may be for you to put the chips down and get off the couch to become healthier that it puts a few more years on your life then do it.

Oftentimes, there comes a point where each of us can get in over our head when it comes to spending on the material things in life, which can put any person in financial burden. We've all at some point in the past year bought something that we probably later regretted, which inevitably became a lesson hopefully learned for next time. Whether it's spending money on a car, house, phone, clothes, drinks at the club, whatever the case may be, you alone have the power to choose the right path to take with the money in your wallet that you worked hard for. Hey, we've become more or less responsible adults and when it pertains to my generation we have to realize that sooner or later saving money rather than spending it will be the best investment for both you and your family in the future as well.

For the question can be asked of you, when it comes to your spiritual life, in the past year how many of you chose to turn to God first when you need him the most or chose him as a last resort? Here's another question, do you consistently pray to God when things in life aren't going so well? When I say pray, I don't mean a prayer that doesn't take much thought and lasts for a split second or two, but instead a meaningful prayer coming from deep within your heart. Thinking about it, a deep meaningful prayer is the most precious, valuable, and powerful thing you can ever have as you turn to the Lord Almighty to help you through not just your worries, but also the trials and tribulations you may be going through when other alternatives seem to fail you.

T.S. Eliot once said, ~For last year's words belong to last year's language And next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning." In retrospect, 2006 will soon come to an end and the resolutions made for 2007 are chosen by countless people all over the world to either begin or quit something for them personally and not just because someone wanted them to. What it primarily comes down to is having self control and not failing at what you wanted to accomplish for the coming new year. In the end, when you choose a particular resolution to stick with, there will always be a voice in the back of your head that will ask you this pop culture game show catch phrase made famous by actor/comedian/game show host Howie Mandell which is deal or no deal.