{"id":966,"date":"2012-01-23T19:00:01","date_gmt":"2012-01-24T00:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/smalltownamerica\/?p=966"},"modified":"2012-01-23T11:26:28","modified_gmt":"2012-01-23T16:26:28","slug":"7-ways-to-guarantee-a-happy-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/smalltownamerica\/2012\/01\/7-ways-to-guarantee-a-happy-new-year.html","title":{"rendered":"7 Ways To Guarantee A Happy New Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

The new year is upon us and we each have our own dreams and aspirations as to what that year will hold for us.\u00a0 Life really comes with no guarantees, but here are some simple ways to make this year happier for you.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Start each day with a prayer of thanksgiving.\u00a0\u00a0 We all have so much to be thankful for and it is good to remind ourselves of all God’s blessings.\u00a0 Don’t assume that those blessing will always be there; life happens, God loves a grateful heart. (Psalm92:1)<\/li>\n
  2. Pray everyday for specific direction from God as to what He wants us to do with that day.\u00a0 We will have a lot less frustration if we just allow God to dictate His plans for our day.\u00a0 He aways knows just what we need and what things will benefit us. (\u00a0Jeremiah 29:11-13)<\/li>\n
  3. Look for the positive .\u00a0 There is always a positive and a negative to any situation or circumstance.\u00a0\u00a0 If we look for the good, we will feel better.\u00a0 When our legs ache from too much shopping, thank God that we have legs to hurt.\u00a0 When we want to grumble about our dinner, thank God that we have enough food for ourselves and our families.\u00a0 When the wind blows our hair and the sun burns our nose, thank God that we are healthy enough to go outside.\u00a0 You get the idea? (Philippians 4:8)<\/li>\n
  4. Smile a lot.\u00a0 A smile can be just the thing that can turn someone’s day around.\u00a0 Don’t smile at just your friends, but also your enemies, strangers, and those who treat us badly.\u00a0 A simple smile can\u00a0make such\u00a0a difference and it won’t cost you a penny.<\/li>\n
  5. Do random acts of kindness at least once a week.\u00a0 This doesn’t have to be something major; take some paper towels and toilet paper to your local homeless shelter,\u00a0 cook a big pot of soup for a friend,or read a book to a child.\u00a0 These are all small things, but much appreciated by those in need.\u00a0 this doesn’t take much time or money, but what a blessing you will receive. (Acts 20:35)<\/li>\n
  6. Give away some money once in a while.\u00a0 I know that waitress can use and extra $10. to care for her family, and you probably won’t even miss it.\u00a0 Choose once a month to give up pizza night and\u00a0 bless someone who is struggling pay the gas bill.\u00a0 We can never out give God, but wouldn’t it be fun to try? (II Corinthians 9:7)<\/li>\n
  7. Find a place to volunteer.\u00a0 Give of yourself, not just your time or your money, give a part of you.\u00a0 There are so many choices of places to volunteer; soup kitchens, schools, libraries, hospitals, animal shelters, homeless shelters, social agencies, church groups and so many others.\u00a0 If you pray about where God wants you, He will tell you. (Matthew 25:35-40)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The new year is upon us and we each have our own dreams and aspirations as to what that year will hold for us.\u00a0 Life really comes with no guarantees, but here are some simple ways to make this year happier for you. Start each day with a prayer of thanksgiving.\u00a0\u00a0 We all have so…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":420,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,14],"tags":[5,45,6],"class_list":["post-966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-encouragement","category-inspiration","tag-compassion","tag-personal-growth","tag-witnessing"],"yoast_head":"\n7 Ways To Guarantee A Happy New Year - Small Town America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/smalltownamerica\/2012\/01\/7-ways-to-guarantee-a-happy-new-year.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"7 Ways To Guarantee A Happy New Year - Small Town America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The new year is upon us and we each have our own dreams and aspirations as to what that year will hold for us.\u00a0 Life really comes with no guarantees, but here are some simple ways to make this year happier for you. Start each day with a prayer of thanksgiving.\u00a0\u00a0 We all have so…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/smalltownamerica\/2012\/01\/7-ways-to-guarantee-a-happy-new-year.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Small Town America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-01-24T00:00:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2012-01-23T16:26:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"dhanny\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"7 Ways To Guarantee A Happy New Year - Small Town America","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/smalltownamerica\/2012\/01\/7-ways-to-guarantee-a-happy-new-year.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"7 Ways To Guarantee A Happy New Year - Small Town America","og_description":"The new year is upon us and we each have our own dreams and aspirations as to what that year will hold for us.\u00a0 Life really comes with no guarantees, but here are some simple ways to make this year happier for you. 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