Getting Through the Rough Spots: Daily Inspiration and Encouragement

By Almeta Perry Smith

Getting through the Rough Spots: Daily Inspiration and Encouragement guides readers by helping them to recognize that no matter how well planned or orchestrated, life will bring its moments of pain, loss, grief, loneliness, rejection, defeat, and turmoil. Almeta Perry Smith, a seasoned life and spiritual coach with nearly three decades of experience working with support groups and individuals, addresses lifes challenges head-on in Getting through the Rough Spots.

Crafting a years worth of daily reflections, she encourages readers to turn to them, daily, to receive words that share wisdom, courage, hope, and faith. Each days entry offers a brief and inspiring passage and then presents Something to Think About.

By spending a few moments each day with Getting through the Rough Spots: Daily Inspiration and Encouragement you will cultivate a growing awareness of the ebb and flow of your life, the patterns of peace and pain, and the times that challenge and comfort you. These daily reflections will not prevent you from encountering those trying moments; rather, they will give you the resources and support you need to get through the rough spots.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Nov 8, 2016
• ISBN: 9781480836419

Almeta Perry Smith

Almeta Perry Smith, a trained life and spiritual coach, mentor, activist, motivational speaker, author, and accomplished floral designer, works with groups and individuals to encourage goal attainment and learning how to live a life of purpose and satisfaction. Almeta has been a practitioner of self-care for nearly three decades. She resides in Ovilla, Texas, with her sons cat, Baloo.

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Copyright © 2015, 2016 Almeta Perry Smith.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Cover design by Robin Kouns Thomas

Photography by Laveta Beavers @LRochelle Photography

Archway Publishing

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4808-3640-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-3641-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016914018

Archway Publishing rev. date: 11/8/2016

CONTENTS

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to women who struggle to create a better life for themselves and their families, who aspire but sometimes feel they fall short because they don’t have the time, energy or enough strength to keep going. This book is written to provide inspiration, encouragement, and motivation to sustain you in your valiant and sincere effort to continue to stand for what you want and to keep moving forward toward what you yearn for in life.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank my children, Tawana and Patrick for the opportunities they have given me to learn how to be a courageous mother and a caring and compassionate human being.

Thank you to Kathleen for being an amazing woman, who showed me how to have the courage to speak up and to speak out about injustice and doing the right thing. I appreciate your suggestions and insight and for being a living example of a courageous and fierce woman.

Thanks to Loreli for introducing me to the concept of being a wildish, bold, and unapologetic woman. You taught me that it is all right to pursue my dreams even if they seem ridiculous to others.

Thank you to all of the women who showed up at the meetings and conferences over the years, who supported, nurtured and loved me when I didn’t know how to do those things for myself. Thank you, and I love you all.

Thank you to everyone that kept on pushing me to finish what I had started and for constantly asking if I was through, yet.

Thank you to all who wrote hundreds of inspirational books and pamphlets, who guided me in meditation and teachings, which helped to open my heart, my mind, and my very soul.

INTRODUCTION

I awoke one morning when I was in my mid-thirties, terrified. I had no idea why I was so afraid. As I sat looking around my bedroom and thinking about my life, I realized I was afraid of me and my life. I was, in my mind, nearly middle age and I had nothing; no life. I had accomplished none of the things I planned, owned nothing, and felt as though I was doing nothing worthwhile with my life. It was in those minutes that I understood what the terror was about. The first thirty years of my life had slipped by so easily, with no warning or indication the years were coming and going so quickly, until that fateful morning. I knew, based on how quickly the first thirty years had slipped away, there was nothing to stop the next ten, twenty or even thirty years from doing the same, therein lay the root of my fear. I understood I had to do something or I would stay stuck. I had no idea what I wanted to do, yet, but something had to change.

The first order of business was to take a hard look at me and determine what part I played in the stagnation of my life. I am not going to tell you my journey was easy. Significant change is difficult, time-consuming and rarely easy. For me, it started with honestly looking at who I was, and determining why I had been blind or unaware of what was happening to me.

Let me clarify, I was not completely unaware, it just felt like something wasn’t quite right, a slight bit of unease. I quickly assigned it to a busy, fast-paced job, raising children and trying to hold together a marriage which was going further south daily. On that fateful morning, I decided I needed help. I did not have a clue as to what kind, but I knew help was needed. I was willing to open my eyes, leave denial behind and to become present in my day-to-day life. I started to make small decisions about what I wanted, what direction I wanted to go, and what I wanted to accomplish. I learned change is possible but not necessarily easy. I started by going slowly. Even though I started slowly, some of the life lessons had to be repeated. Out of my morning of terror, nearly thirty years later, this book was born. I learned how to change, move on, grieve and let go of what was no longer working for me. I learned how not to be paralyzed by fear or isolate, how to live through fear of rejection and abandonment. This book is written to acknowledge there were times in my life when I needed help getting through the ‘rough spots.’ During those times, I was helped by a little bit of wisdom, some courage, tentative hope, and a whole lot of faith. This book is to share with you what I learned, to help you gain enough momentum, self-love and self-forgiveness to get you through the ‘rough spots’ of your life. Getting Through the Rough Spots is a collection of thoughts, quotes, and affirmations to inspire, uplift and encourage the reader to live a fulfilling life of amazing adventure and accomplishment or any life you choose.

I want my readers to know that you too can make it through, living one day at a time, by starting each day with a little something to get you through the rough spots. Enjoy, and I hope this book helps you to get started and supports you along your journey.

Almeta

JANUARY

January 1

There is something transformative about beginning a New Year. Here we are with another opportunity to start anew. Today we can resolve to do something with a new intent. Yesterday is gone, and everything in front of us is here for the taking. It’s the creation of a new existence. Start a gratitude list of what your past has given you and another list of how you can increase what you received. Use the list to become stronger, smarter, and more creative. You can start a new business; learn more about yourself or any other new venture. We cannot know what we are capable of until we take the first step and move forward.

Something to Think About

Take a single step forward. This is the opening to what is to come. It is the launch of a new life, a new adventure, an altered future.

January 2

Positive thinking leads us to a place where we can create positive change in our lives. Seek out the negative thoughts and attitudes that invade your daily life. Make a list of each negative attitude you recognize and work diligently to transform those into something positive. Transformation can take place through meditation, writing, or playing. By far the easiest way to do this is to look at each situation with an attitude of gratitude. Find some reason to be grateful. Sometimes it is as simple as knowing that you were not harmed, hurt or involved. It doesn’t matter how horrible the situation, there is always something to be learned or taught.

Something to Think About

Learn to be positive in both thought and deed. Remember the gravity of most situations is based on perception and not reality.

January 3

Sometimes we are so stuck in managing today, we can’t see we are capable of getting through to tomorrow or a year from now. We can’t think there may be a bright light or an opening two days or sometimes as close as two hours away. Push forward; find a way to stop the obsessive thinking, overpowering fear, or raging anger. Try to breathe, meditate, pray, cry, get still, call someone, do whatever you need to do to keep going. Find some activity, however small, that will take you out of the problem and bring you into the present moment.

Something to Think About

We have no way of knowing what the outcome of our lives will be. We only know what is in front of us at this moment. Continue to move forward, doing the next right thing, the things that motivate and inspire you. Know the walk to a better life begins with a single step. This step may be the hardest step you’ve ever taken but push forward, lean into it because a new way of living is well worth it, a better life for you even if you can’t fathom what that might be. Have faith.

January 4

I read somewhere that the greatest way to ‘make’ a person is to ‘think’ them so. It works just as well with us, if we can envision it, then it can become our reality. There are times when we think negative thoughts, and those thoughts seem to materialize, ‘I am going to be late,’ ‘I am going to be late,’ and lo and behold, you are late. The same works in reverse. Instead, of the negative put a positive spin on it, I think I can, I think I can, I know I can, and then let it become I will. Create an intention, and let that become your reality.

Something to Think About

I can create an intention by deciding what I want and pursuing that goal through quiet meditation, prayer and release. I can stay centered and let go of the outcome with faith and expect a miracle.

January 5

Today I know what is good for me, and I will make decisions based on that fact. All I have to do is get quiet and listen to my small inner voice. I believe everything I need to know about the life I want is already inside of me. I merely have to listen. Getting quiet and listening is a problem, at times, for me because I get scared of the silence. We are a society of noise, and it gets noisier every day with loud music, phones, automobiles, construction, people and thousands of other distractions. When I am afraid I speak without thinking and make requests for things I have not completely thought through. All of these distractions keep me from the quietness necessary for finding and pursuing my life’s desires.

Something to Think About

It can be daunting trying to find a few quiet minutes each day to gain direction. Try to carve out a few minutes, enough time to get centered and discover your direction for the day. Your time can be centered on quietness, saying a silent prayer, or complex meditation, but give yourself the gift of getting focused every day.

January 6

Let go of fear, anger, shame, the old mind-set, the effort, the grind, or whatever you call it. Let go of all the things blocking you from the best life possible. Lots of people are waiting for the struggles of this life to end so they can have a better existence in the afterlife. Why can’t you have both, a great life here and an even better one in the afterlife? There is nothing that says we can’t partake of all the beauty, wonder, and abundance of this world or that we have to forego all of this to wait for a better life. We can have all life has to offer right now; don’t let another day pass you by waiting for something better to come along.

Something to Think About

Why should we be given more, when we don’t use and appreciate all we already have?

January 7

Settling, for women, is a huge part of what is expected in today’s society. We settle for relationships out of convenience, even when we know they aren’t right for us. We settle for less in the workplace because we don’t want to appear to be bitchy or aggressive. We teach our females as children not to expect too much, to defer to the opposite sex, and girls are not as important as boys in a thousand different and subtle ways. We lose ourselves trying to make or keep others happy, putting our wants and needs on the back burner. To stop settling for less than we deserve, we have to first start appreciating and respecting ourselves as the amazing people we are. We have to learn to give ourselves credit for all our accomplishments from the very smallest to our greatest. We must stop deferring to the ‘authority’ in the room. Stand up, speak your mind, and understand being called assertive is not necessarily a bad thing, if it gets you what you want and deserve.

Something to Think About

Persevere. Keep going. You are worth it. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. Do the hard work that will give you the reward of having a better life, a great life which you want and deserve.

January 8

Being grateful has the power to force us to stop looking at what we don’t have and guiding us gently into looking at and appreciating what we do have. When you can focus on what you have, it is a very short path to being grateful for what you will have. Being grateful for a future favor is an exercise in developing faith, believing in something for which you have no proof, but knowing without a doubt, it is possible.

Something to Think About

Today I will find a reason to be happy and grateful because there is plenty to be grateful for.

January 9

I try to keep my word to all. When I make a commitment, I follow through. But the one person I tend not to keep my word to is me, thinking, I can do that later, it doesn’t have to be done right now. I would never think to do or make those statements to anyone else, so why is it okay for me to treat myself in this manner. It’s not okay to put your needs on the back burner or to not do them at all. You are the most important person you have a relationship with, honor that relationship and keep your faithfulness to you, first and foremost.

Something to Think About

Today I will put my needs first. It is not selfish to take care of the most important person in my life, me.

January 10

There are days when we feel there must be more than the daily grind of getting up to go to work, working, returning home to do the work of making and keeping a home running and then doing it all over again day after day. Where is the life and living in this? Why am I doing this? Those are questions asked daily by a large portion of the population. The ones not asking the questions have either accepted this is all there is or are so overwhelmed with the day to day living they don’t have time to contemplate if there is anything else. If you are asking yourself the questions and seeking the meaning or the purpose in your life, you have reached a place where you are ripe for finding your ‘higher calling.’ I feel we all have a purpose, a place we reach where we are peaceful and happy in our contributions to the world. Your higher calling may not be earth-shattering or mind-blowing, it can simply be being the best human being you can be and to be of service to your fellow man. This can encompass something as simple as smiling and acknowledging others as you go through your day or contributing thousands of dollars to your favorite charity. Both have the ability to change or make someone’s life better, and that’s quite an accomplishment.

Something to Think About

Our spiritual journey is not merely doing the day to day work of earning a living and just being. It requires we do the work necessary to find and pursue our higher calling, our purpose. Continue to work toward developing a relationship with the God of your understanding, the world around you, and the inner space of self. An even larger part of the spiritual journey is the understanding that you are on a journey in which you don’t have to know the destination or the detours to enjoy the ride. Learn to be comfortable in the knowledge that we are not perfect, and it is okay to let your life unfold without fear or worry of what is to be.

January 11

When was the last time I cranked up the music and sang out loud and danced? Why not? When was the last time I even considered playing in the rain? As a child, these were some of my favorite things to do, but society tends to frown on grown women singing