Sometimes goals don't really seem that important; resolutions that you made in January start to seem, well, not worth it come February.
I am at that point right now.
It seems like when I get up early my toddler gets up early, too. And cries until I come and lay with her and she goes back to sleep. That seems to defeat the purpose of getting up early!
So what to do? Get up earlier? Would that work?
Then I'm cutting into evening time with the family. And yet I know that more important than anything is else is my relationship with God. Granted, that happens all day long. But I give it a place of honor by making it FIRST thing in the morning.
And so I'm going to press on. I'm going to ask Hubby to help me get to bed earlier.
I'm still going to get up when the alarm clock goes off, even if I have to lay back down with my fluffy headed toddler for a few minutes.
I am going to go ahead and read my Bible and journal, even if I have a toddler scribbling on her paper at the table beside me and a ten year old eating a bagel on the other side and its hard to concentrate.
I am going to remember the good. My house looks way better now that I have started getting up earlier. You wouldn't think that would make a difference but somehow it does.
I have started couponing a little bit . . .I know that I saved $14 alone this week and last week just in CVS Extra Bucks on stuff that I would have bought us anyway.
I have also started to write out my meals for the week and get the ingredients so that I don't have to stand in front of the pantry and try to throw something together. That's comforting. I know that in a few minutes I'll go out to the kitchen and throw some frozen chicken, half a packet of taco seasoning, some lime juice and some cilantro in the crockpot and we'll have Lime Cilantro Chicken tacos for supper . . .with next to no effort from me.
So this getting up early thing is good. It's good to feel like I am living with intention. And if it doesn't always feel good when I roll out of bed . . .well, it doesn't always feel good when a runner is only halfway through the race, either! Or a student is only part way through writing a research paper.
But when it's all done, it feels really good. And so it is with establishing this habit.
Good luck to you with YOUR habits, too!
~ Jennifer
Showing posts with label Goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goals. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Monday, January 20, 2014
How My Goals For Jan 12 - 18th Turned Out
At the bottom of this post is my first ever "to-do" list of personal goals for a week; I think I did pretty good with it.
I do think that maybe I was overly ambitious. I kind of got on a couponing/meal-planning tangent. I ended up finding a site about taking survey's for money and was very excited that I racked up $5 dollars in just a few minutes. Then I realized I had to do $30 before I could GET my money. But Secondborn needed help with Algebra and I couldn't do both . . .poke around on the site and help Secondborn. So maybe that won't be an option for me, but if you want to check it out, click here.
I don't know if I am going to have "blog" goals this coming week. Honestly, I am happy if my blog helps other people and I hope it does but I don't really enjoy playing around with formatting and such ( I wish I DID enjoy that because I like looking at other people's "pretty" blogs) and even though it would be nice to earn money off of my blog . . .I think I need to concentrate on just making sure I have the time to write on a regular basis right now!
Also, trying to do extra stuff kind of derailed my MAIN objective, to get up early every day in January. I got worn out and even though I woke up at seven I didn't get out of bed on Sunday morning or this morning ( Martin Luther King Jr. day . . .kid's don't have school). Not getting up early also messed with my keeping the house in order which makes me sad. I like having a clean kitchen smiling at me when I get up early.
The truth is, Hubby also likes me to have extra time to do things with him. Twice this week he asked me to go out with him in the evening to check out sales on items we need. And this weekend he took the kids and I on an impromptu road trip to pick up work supplies. It was to a pretty part of the country that I've never been to and I loved going but it did mess with my getting up in the morning as we stayed up late at the hotel swimming in the pool . . .
So, basically, this is my conclusion about this week's goals:
Less Goals. Do Better With the Ones You Choose to Do. Remember that People are More important that Things and be Thankful that Your People want you around!!!
And I am not going to go look at other people's goals this week or I will feel bad about mine. Not a good thing. I have compared myself to people in other areas and felt like this: I won't even try XYZ project because I can never be as good as So and So! Never! So what's the point?
So this week's goals are
2. Use either Ibotta or Checkout 51 on your grocery receipt
3. Shop at CVS using my CVS extra bucks and buy make-up for self and daughter. Hopefully they'll have some on sale!
4. Make a meal plan before going grocery shopping; look in fridge to see what you already have and plan around that.
5. Make sure to quiz Thirdborn every day on her spelling words in preparation for the upcoming spelling bee.
6. Go to Flylady's site and read about routines. Try to find something there to implement into my life.
7. Call a potential friend. Have her over for coffee. Talk to Hubby about a potential Super Bowl party and who we could invite.
8. Reserve Ann Voskamps book, One Thousand Gift's from the library. Click here to see more. :)
The List that Was Too Much from Jan 12 - 18th
My Personal List
1. Go to the Library & Find Books On
~ Goals
~ Home Money Management
~ A Random Book
~ Gratitude
~ Relationships
~ Blogs
2. Research Flylady for Guidance on Weekend Cleaning/Extra cleaning beyond Morning Routine
3. Spend 30 minutes working on menu planning
4. 5.
Marriage/Family
1. Bring the Windows into the House. Talk to Hubby about where to hang them. Look for appropriate pictures to go behind the windows. Praise him excessively for bringing them home for you.
2. Look for a chair for K
3. Pray for Sunday to Go Smoothly. Don't let your attitude stink. Have the kiddos pick out their clothes on Sat. so they are ready to go in the morning. Pick out your own outfit Sat. night. Make muffins or something so people have something to grab on their way out the door.
4. Write a love note to Hubby; put it in his truck
5. Research and start to write out a plan for how the kids can successfully clean their rooms and keep it clean. Praise them excessively for their good work in this area.
6. Ask Hubby how we can keep E's artwork on the wall.
Children/Homeschooling
1. Make sure you do nightly meals as much as possible
2. Pray with the kiddos before they leave the house.
3. 4.
Blogging Goals
1.
2.
3.
4. See if my blog has a search button. If not, try to figure out how to put one on it.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Weekly Goals for January 12-18th, 2014
So, Crystal from Money Saving Mom is a big fan of goals. Because I read her blog on a somewhat regular basis I have decided to make my own first-ever weekly list of goals. I did read other people's blog about goals and here are the two blogs that most influenced this list: Crystal's Goals and Michelle's Goals.
As I re-read Crystal's list it occurred to me that she only listed out ten goals which is probably wise. Perhaps next time I will limit myself to ten goals as well.
But, for what it's worth . . .here's my rough-draft list. Let's see how things go. :)
PS: I apologize for my sloppy posts the last couple of days ( including today). I did not realize how bad they look until I took a minute to preview them . . .I am still new at this and do not know how to make things look the way I want them to look without spending more time than I have on the blog.
5. Buy a Sunday Paper. Look for coupons you'd like to use on Sunday Afternoon
4. Make at least one of those ideas this week
Blogging Goals
1. Blog M-F
2. Read other people's blogs on Sat.
3. Comment on at least on other person's blog on Sat
4. See if my blog has a search button. If not, try to figure out how to put one on it.
As I re-read Crystal's list it occurred to me that she only listed out ten goals which is probably wise. Perhaps next time I will limit myself to ten goals as well.
But, for what it's worth . . .here's my rough-draft list. Let's see how things go. :)
PS: I apologize for my sloppy posts the last couple of days ( including today). I did not realize how bad they look until I took a minute to preview them . . .I am still new at this and do not know how to make things look the way I want them to look without spending more time than I have on the blog.
My Personal List
1. Go to the Library & Find Books On
~ Goals
~ Home Money Management
~ A Random Book
~ Gratitude
~ Relationships
~ Blogs
2. Research Flylady for Guidance on Weekend Cleaning/Extra cleaning beyond Morning Routine
3. Spend 30 minutes working on menu planning
4. Spend 30 minutes working on how to use coupons5. Buy a Sunday Paper. Look for coupons you'd like to use on Sunday Afternoon
Marriage/Family
1. Bring the Windows into the House. Talk to Hubby about where to hang them. Look for appropriate pictures to go behind the windows. Praise him excessively for bringing them home for you.
2. Look for a chair for K
3. Pray for Sunday to Go Smoothly. Don't let your attitude stink. Have the kiddos pick out their clothes on Sat. so they are ready to go in the morning. Pick out your own outfit Sat. night. Make muffins or something so people have something to grab on their way out the door.
4. Write a love note to Hubby; put it in his truck
5. Research and start to write out a plan for how the kids can successfully clean their rooms and keep it clean. Praise them excessively for their good work in this area.
6. Ask Hubby how we can keep E's artwork on the wall.
Children/Homeschooling
1. Make sure you do nightly meals as much as possible
2. Pray with the kiddos before they leave the house.
3. Find 2 breakfast ideas that they express some enthusiasm for4. Make at least one of those ideas this week
Blogging Goals
1. Blog M-F
2. Read other people's blogs on Sat.
3. Comment on at least on other person's blog on Sat
4. See if my blog has a search button. If not, try to figure out how to put one on it.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Goals = An Epiphany
Last night I crawled into bed later than I wanted to because . . . well, because I had to go get the kids from youth group at 9:30 and then I really wanted a yummy breakfast casserole to eat this morning and had to finish making it when I got home and THEN I had to clean up the kitchen because I didn't want to get up to a messy kitchen.
I drug myself out of bed this morning on time. I was sweet to Hubby; I went out and prayed with the two older kids before the bus came. They actually ate a hot, nutritious breakfast.
I read my Bible. I got halfway through my ten minutes of prayer and then Baby Girl showed up. Since she is at potty-training stage I immediately whisked her away to the bathroom and read to her while she worked on her goal: learning how to potty like a BIG girl.
Then Hubby swung by the house for something he'd forgotten. Found that item. Got my homeschooling child breakfast, did devotions with her, started her on math . . .
Realized HOW SLEEPY I WAS and thought that maybe exercise would wake me up. Set the timer for 15 minutes and we stretched, raced around a bit . . .STILL SLEEPY!
Made coffee. Decided to blog while Homeschooling Child and Baby Girl hang out . . .
So how am I doing with my goal?
January's Goal: Get up by seven every day in January.
I am doing fine, I guess, when I look at it that way. A+, actually.
So today's Ephiphany looks like this: Thou shalt not pile extra upon thyself; if thou art up to doing extra, great. If not . . .relax and enjoy life!
You see, it's when I start piling other stuff on top of that goal that I start to think "Oh, no! I am not doing so great!"
The temptation for me is to pile great big expectations upon myself.
Getting up by seven every day in January is NOT ENOUGH. I must also
~ establish a morning routine and cross everything off of that list EVERYDAY
~ buy ONLY healthy and ON SALE food
~ Blog in a witty and consistent manner. Daily!
~ Be nice to Hubby and Children. Always!
~ Find New Friends because we just moved here and I am lonely. Find them NOW!!!!
~ Find awesome recipes, pin them; cook them. File them in a "real" cookbook. Put them on a calendar so I have my meals planned for the YEAR.
It's time for me to Stop, Drop the Expectations and Relax and Enjoy Life so that my little family can enjoy life, too. :)
I hope you are all relaxed at your house! I'm still itching a little to go out there and push myself really hard to DO MORE STUFF but I'm trying really hard not to give into that urge because a tired Momma that can't do anything is not useful to anybody. So for now the plan is to go, make a list of what HAS to be done and do only that. And if I accidentally get some energy, by George, I'll let myself do more. Now:
Be Well, My Friends,
~ Jennifer
Monday, January 6, 2014
Start Where You Are : Eliminating Negative Self-Talk
I've been blogging on goals and habits. I was going to save this topic for next month, but it seems applicable to this month. And so here we go:
One of my goals is to Eliminate Negative Self-Talk.
Another of my goals is to only really tackle one "big"/keystone habit a month. Right now it's January and somehow I'm working on two keystone habits without really meaning to . . .I need to take the time to sit down and write out at least twelve habits that I want to implement in my life this year. I've already figured out four of them.
A. Getting Up By Seven AM on school days for the month of January
B. Making sure my sink is shined before bed every night for the month of January
C. Eliminate Negative Self-Talk by praying about it, reading up on how to break bad habits and being accountable to someone everyday in February.
D. MAYBE I will exercise for at least 15 minutes everyday in March. I don't know WHAT that's going to look like yet! So far today it is six degrees outside. The snow is CRUNCHY. Yes, we have snow. Lots of it. My exercise of choice is walking. I love to walk. I do NOT love to walk in the cold. As you can see I'm still debating this habit. Perhaps I ought to bump it to June!
But I know that February's keystone habit is going to be Eliminating Negative Self-Talk. I didn't even really realize I was doing this so much until I read Carrie Willard's book on the "How (and Wow!) of Habits. In her book she mentions that Eliminating Negative Self-Talk is a keystone habit, meaning that if I can learn to do that other good things will come my way.
I think I had an epiphany about my goals and habits last night. It looked like this:
Start where you are.
The words reverberated in my skull. Start. Where. You. Are.
Let me back up and tell you where I was before these words crashed into me.
I was feeling pretty good about myself.
The kitchen was clean. The living room was clean. Every member of my household was content. I was content.
I was thinking about how I'd been doing a good job writing for my blog on a regular basis. I was thinking that maybe I should clean the tub out again even though I had just cleaned it not too long ago . . .yes, this all happened in the bathroom where I was supervising my two-year as she took a nice long soak.
And then I decided that I should better myself by reading on goals. Well, that was easy enough. I googled a blogger that blogs about goals on a regular basis and I read her list of weekly goals. I did find myself feeling a little deflated partway through, especially when I got to the exercise section.
My next mistake was clicking on another link to another blog on the same topic. Her blog was peppered with gorgeous pictures. She was obviously beautiful. She has a horse. I am not beautiful. I want a horse but will probably never have one.
That was it. I stopped looking. The comparison boogie men were after me and I was succumbing fast.
And that's when the words hit me: Start. Where. You. Are.
If God wanted me to have drop dead features and amazing coloring, I'd have them. As for the horse, well, I'll have to take that up with Hubby . . .
But the point is this: when I stopped to think about all the changes that have taken place in the last 18 months of my life . . .I don't have much to complain about all.
Last December, just over a year ago, I was just beginning to pull out of a particularly bad bipolar episode; I had days when all I could do was pretty much hang out with Hubby or Mother-in-Law.
But I had so much trouble with making decisions ( and I mean SIMPLE things) that Hubby completely delegated Thanksgiving Dinner (which we were hosting because our house was the biggest house) to Mother-in-Law.
I was very much a shell of who I really am. We were facing a financial crisis: the loss of our business. We ended up relocating several states away. So now we are rebuilding our lives.
And when I stop to think about it, we're doing well with the re-build, especially since the kids and I only knew one person in this state before we moved here; especially since Hubby spent the two months prior to this Thanksgiving prone in the living room with a back injury.
When I stop to think about where we have been and what we've come through it seems a little silly to compare myself to other people who have completely different life stories than mine.
We aren't all meant to look the same, act the same or enjoy the same activities. For example, as much as I love to see my little girls dressed in cutesy outfits I hate to create said outfits but I sure LOVE it when people like my Mother-in-Law who enjoys creating for little girl send us those cute outfits!
Please,
Start where you are. Thriving isn't about perfection. It's about living life the best way you know how, and in the best way you know to love others.
Now, Go Forth and Do,
Love,
~ Jennifer
One of my goals is to Eliminate Negative Self-Talk.
Another of my goals is to only really tackle one "big"/keystone habit a month. Right now it's January and somehow I'm working on two keystone habits without really meaning to . . .I need to take the time to sit down and write out at least twelve habits that I want to implement in my life this year. I've already figured out four of them.
A. Getting Up By Seven AM on school days for the month of January
B. Making sure my sink is shined before bed every night for the month of January
C. Eliminate Negative Self-Talk by praying about it, reading up on how to break bad habits and being accountable to someone everyday in February.
D. MAYBE I will exercise for at least 15 minutes everyday in March. I don't know WHAT that's going to look like yet! So far today it is six degrees outside. The snow is CRUNCHY. Yes, we have snow. Lots of it. My exercise of choice is walking. I love to walk. I do NOT love to walk in the cold. As you can see I'm still debating this habit. Perhaps I ought to bump it to June!
But I know that February's keystone habit is going to be Eliminating Negative Self-Talk. I didn't even really realize I was doing this so much until I read Carrie Willard's book on the "How (and Wow!) of Habits. In her book she mentions that Eliminating Negative Self-Talk is a keystone habit, meaning that if I can learn to do that other good things will come my way.
I think I had an epiphany about my goals and habits last night. It looked like this:
Start where you are.
The words reverberated in my skull. Start. Where. You. Are.
Let me back up and tell you where I was before these words crashed into me.
I was feeling pretty good about myself.
The kitchen was clean. The living room was clean. Every member of my household was content. I was content.
I was thinking about how I'd been doing a good job writing for my blog on a regular basis. I was thinking that maybe I should clean the tub out again even though I had just cleaned it not too long ago . . .yes, this all happened in the bathroom where I was supervising my two-year as she took a nice long soak.
And then I decided that I should better myself by reading on goals. Well, that was easy enough. I googled a blogger that blogs about goals on a regular basis and I read her list of weekly goals. I did find myself feeling a little deflated partway through, especially when I got to the exercise section.
My next mistake was clicking on another link to another blog on the same topic. Her blog was peppered with gorgeous pictures. She was obviously beautiful. She has a horse. I am not beautiful. I want a horse but will probably never have one.
That was it. I stopped looking. The comparison boogie men were after me and I was succumbing fast.
And that's when the words hit me: Start. Where. You. Are.
If God wanted me to have drop dead features and amazing coloring, I'd have them. As for the horse, well, I'll have to take that up with Hubby . . .
But the point is this: when I stopped to think about all the changes that have taken place in the last 18 months of my life . . .I don't have much to complain about all.
Last December, just over a year ago, I was just beginning to pull out of a particularly bad bipolar episode; I had days when all I could do was pretty much hang out with Hubby or Mother-in-Law.
But I had so much trouble with making decisions ( and I mean SIMPLE things) that Hubby completely delegated Thanksgiving Dinner (which we were hosting because our house was the biggest house) to Mother-in-Law.
I was very much a shell of who I really am. We were facing a financial crisis: the loss of our business. We ended up relocating several states away. So now we are rebuilding our lives.
And when I stop to think about it, we're doing well with the re-build, especially since the kids and I only knew one person in this state before we moved here; especially since Hubby spent the two months prior to this Thanksgiving prone in the living room with a back injury.
When I stop to think about where we have been and what we've come through it seems a little silly to compare myself to other people who have completely different life stories than mine.
We aren't all meant to look the same, act the same or enjoy the same activities. For example, as much as I love to see my little girls dressed in cutesy outfits I hate to create said outfits but I sure LOVE it when people like my Mother-in-Law who enjoys creating for little girl send us those cute outfits!
Please,
Start where you are. Thriving isn't about perfection. It's about living life the best way you know how, and in the best way you know to love others.
Now, Go Forth and Do,
Love,
~ Jennifer
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Pressing On: Maintaing Willpower in Regards to Goals
I am going to talk about maintaining willpower in regards to goals today.
If you have read the last few blog entries I've posted, you know that I am trying to establish a new habit: I want to get up earlier!
So I am going to talk about that goal today. I'll put some ideas out there and number them to make it easier to follow so that I can be encouraged in my fight to get up earlier. You feel free to insert YOUR personal goal into the principles discussed and be encouraged, too.
I was surprised and delighted to find that in the beginning of her awesome book, The How (and Wow!) of Habits, Carrie Willard of http://carriewillard.com talks about the same things I'll be blogging on today and so I'm making sure you have a link to her website so that you can get over there and research her further if you like what you are reading here.
So here we go: I am maintaing this goal, this "Habit-to-Be" because:
1. My "Habit-to-Be" is a GREAT Habit. I am going to make a list of WHY this is a great habit to have and tape it to my mirror to remind me daily of WHY I am doing this.
One of the first concepts that Carrie discusses is this: not all habits are created equal. Some have a "spillover" effect, meaning that if you establish one habit, it leads to other habits. For example, if you start making your bed every morning, chances are you will start picking up the socks beside the bed and tossing them into the laundry basket instead of letting them mildew beside the bed. :)
She lists out some great keystone habits and one of them is eliminating negative talk. I am mentioning this because perhaps I will work on THIS keystone habit next. I'm not sure. Do you see how the fact that I am up early, blogging, is a positive thing? It is giving me the time to think about my NEXT keystone habit.
It is also great for me to establish my GREAT Habit, not just for me but for others. Here is a way to remember that: take a moment and draw a picture. Write "Me" in the middle of a piece of paper and around it enough lines to radiate out as there are people that are very close to you. Write their names at the other end of the lines. In my case, I'd put "Me Up Earlier" in the center and then my Hubby and kids on the other end of the lines. That would remind me of WHY I'm trying to get up earlier. Because it helps me, but also THEM.
2. My "Habit-to-Be" is a Habit that is Easy to Plan Out
A. I must share my vision with Hubby. I think he'll get on board because he likes a hot breakfast and because he'll grasp the spillover concept.
B. I must go to bed earlier. This is crucial. It is hard for me to go to bed earlier because I like to hang out with Hubby after the children are all tucked in . . .but if I am intentional about getting myself in bed and establishing a bedtime routine for my Hard-to-Get-to-Sleep Child, this is definitely achievable.
C. I must research this concept and implement other people's ideas. Carrie has a list in her book: 9 tips to help you become an early riser. If I read that list and write out beside each of her recommendations exactly how that will play out in MY life, I will be that much closer to my goal. I don't have to reinvent the wheel and neither do you. Go ahead and research how other people have achieved the same goal that you are trying to achieve. That's being smart. :)
3. My "Habit-to-Be" is Not the Most Important Thing
What is the most important thing? Why am I getting up earlier?
I am getting up earlier because I want to be a better wife, a better mother, a better person. That is why I am getting up earlier. If I get up late one day and it ruins my WHOLE day because all I can think about is how I have failed, how I am a miserable wretch, etc, etc, then I am missing the point. And so are you if you beat yourself up over something like overeating or missing a day of exercise.
I guess what I'm trying to say is this: don't lose sight of why you are working towards establishing this habit. Don't make the habit your "god". Let it work for you instead of you working for it. That is how it is meant to be.
Above all, give yourself grace. When, and if you mess up, which you will do because we ALL mess up sometimes, treat yourself as kindly as you would treat your best friend.
Remind yourself of your good qualities, of past triumphs and envision future victories. And then join Paul in saying these words "One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 3:13b-14
Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Treat it as such and remind yourself that you are doing a great thing for yourself and others when you press on!
And now . . .
Press on my friend, press on!
If you have read the last few blog entries I've posted, you know that I am trying to establish a new habit: I want to get up earlier!
So I am going to talk about that goal today. I'll put some ideas out there and number them to make it easier to follow so that I can be encouraged in my fight to get up earlier. You feel free to insert YOUR personal goal into the principles discussed and be encouraged, too.
I was surprised and delighted to find that in the beginning of her awesome book, The How (and Wow!) of Habits, Carrie Willard of http://carriewillard.com talks about the same things I'll be blogging on today and so I'm making sure you have a link to her website so that you can get over there and research her further if you like what you are reading here.
So here we go: I am maintaing this goal, this "Habit-to-Be" because:
1. My "Habit-to-Be" is a GREAT Habit. I am going to make a list of WHY this is a great habit to have and tape it to my mirror to remind me daily of WHY I am doing this.
One of the first concepts that Carrie discusses is this: not all habits are created equal. Some have a "spillover" effect, meaning that if you establish one habit, it leads to other habits. For example, if you start making your bed every morning, chances are you will start picking up the socks beside the bed and tossing them into the laundry basket instead of letting them mildew beside the bed. :)
She lists out some great keystone habits and one of them is eliminating negative talk. I am mentioning this because perhaps I will work on THIS keystone habit next. I'm not sure. Do you see how the fact that I am up early, blogging, is a positive thing? It is giving me the time to think about my NEXT keystone habit.
It is also great for me to establish my GREAT Habit, not just for me but for others. Here is a way to remember that: take a moment and draw a picture. Write "Me" in the middle of a piece of paper and around it enough lines to radiate out as there are people that are very close to you. Write their names at the other end of the lines. In my case, I'd put "Me Up Earlier" in the center and then my Hubby and kids on the other end of the lines. That would remind me of WHY I'm trying to get up earlier. Because it helps me, but also THEM.
2. My "Habit-to-Be" is a Habit that is Easy to Plan Out
A. I must share my vision with Hubby. I think he'll get on board because he likes a hot breakfast and because he'll grasp the spillover concept.
B. I must go to bed earlier. This is crucial. It is hard for me to go to bed earlier because I like to hang out with Hubby after the children are all tucked in . . .but if I am intentional about getting myself in bed and establishing a bedtime routine for my Hard-to-Get-to-Sleep Child, this is definitely achievable.
C. I must research this concept and implement other people's ideas. Carrie has a list in her book: 9 tips to help you become an early riser. If I read that list and write out beside each of her recommendations exactly how that will play out in MY life, I will be that much closer to my goal. I don't have to reinvent the wheel and neither do you. Go ahead and research how other people have achieved the same goal that you are trying to achieve. That's being smart. :)
3. My "Habit-to-Be" is Not the Most Important Thing
What is the most important thing? Why am I getting up earlier?
I am getting up earlier because I want to be a better wife, a better mother, a better person. That is why I am getting up earlier. If I get up late one day and it ruins my WHOLE day because all I can think about is how I have failed, how I am a miserable wretch, etc, etc, then I am missing the point. And so are you if you beat yourself up over something like overeating or missing a day of exercise.
I guess what I'm trying to say is this: don't lose sight of why you are working towards establishing this habit. Don't make the habit your "god". Let it work for you instead of you working for it. That is how it is meant to be.
Above all, give yourself grace. When, and if you mess up, which you will do because we ALL mess up sometimes, treat yourself as kindly as you would treat your best friend.
Remind yourself of your good qualities, of past triumphs and envision future victories. And then join Paul in saying these words "One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 3:13b-14
Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Treat it as such and remind yourself that you are doing a great thing for yourself and others when you press on!
And now . . .
Press on my friend, press on!
Friday, January 3, 2014
From Planning to Doing: On Goals and Habits
Let me just say this; I talk a pretty good game but I am going to be very honest. It isn't the planning that gets me. It's the doing. It's DOING the PLANNING, for Pete's sake. ( That was just too funny to resist, sorry! :)
I wanted to talk about how I'm doing with my plan to get up earlier.
It has become clear to me that if I want to accomplish the goal of getting up earlier every day in January I must make it a good habit.
On a whole, it's working pretty well. I am trying to enlist Hubby in my plan. I am envisioning how lovely it's going to be when I actually get up SO EARLY that I make my family a hot breakfast on cold winter mornings, pray over my kids before I send them out the door and even perhaps trek for about the town with the doggie because, Hey, it's morning and I'm Up and At 'Em!
Unfortunately, the hot breakfast thing has been sporadic. I have fixed Hubby a few sandwiches that I hand to him as he dashes out the door.
"I'm sorry we're out of mayo, but I did put mustard on your ham sandwich and here is a paper towel so it doesn't fall apart! Love you!"
Praying over the kids has sometimes ( lately mostly) been more in the format of an early morning text.
"I hope auditions go really well for you today! I will be praying for you all day long. Love you!"
Now let's switch gears and stop talking specifically about me. Let's talk about a book I started reading last night.
It's called The How (and Wow!) of Habits by Carrie Willard.
In her concise and well written book Carrie discusses Bad Habits. It struck me that sometimes the flip side of Goals is Bad Habits. I mean, think about it. Let's take a few of my bad habits and talk about them.
Goal: Get Up Earlier for the month of January.
Bad Habit: Staying Up Late
The Bad Habit effectively cancels out the goal! Yikes!
I'm planning to delve more deeply into this Bad Habit breaking science soon so stay tuned! And meanwhile, know that you are not alone if you are feeling a bit like "Oh, ugh! What's the point! All I do is mess up anyway."
Believe me, when I stumbled out of my room several minutes later than I'd planned this morning and had to face a surly, disappointed teenager who was COUNTING ON ME to get her to school EARLY so she could work on a speech project, I was NOT feeling especially victorious and like a winner! But these habits, these goals . . .they take time. And the rewards are real and they are worth fighting for.
So let's do it! Let's fight!
~ Jennifer
I wanted to talk about how I'm doing with my plan to get up earlier.
It has become clear to me that if I want to accomplish the goal of getting up earlier every day in January I must make it a good habit.
On a whole, it's working pretty well. I am trying to enlist Hubby in my plan. I am envisioning how lovely it's going to be when I actually get up SO EARLY that I make my family a hot breakfast on cold winter mornings, pray over my kids before I send them out the door and even perhaps trek for about the town with the doggie because, Hey, it's morning and I'm Up and At 'Em!
Unfortunately, the hot breakfast thing has been sporadic. I have fixed Hubby a few sandwiches that I hand to him as he dashes out the door.
"I'm sorry we're out of mayo, but I did put mustard on your ham sandwich and here is a paper towel so it doesn't fall apart! Love you!"
Praying over the kids has sometimes ( lately mostly) been more in the format of an early morning text.
"I hope auditions go really well for you today! I will be praying for you all day long. Love you!"
Now let's switch gears and stop talking specifically about me. Let's talk about a book I started reading last night.
It's called The How (and Wow!) of Habits by Carrie Willard.
In her concise and well written book Carrie discusses Bad Habits. It struck me that sometimes the flip side of Goals is Bad Habits. I mean, think about it. Let's take a few of my bad habits and talk about them.
Goal: Get Up Earlier for the month of January.
Bad Habit: Staying Up Late
The Bad Habit effectively cancels out the goal! Yikes!
I'm planning to delve more deeply into this Bad Habit breaking science soon so stay tuned! And meanwhile, know that you are not alone if you are feeling a bit like "Oh, ugh! What's the point! All I do is mess up anyway."
Believe me, when I stumbled out of my room several minutes later than I'd planned this morning and had to face a surly, disappointed teenager who was COUNTING ON ME to get her to school EARLY so she could work on a speech project, I was NOT feeling especially victorious and like a winner! But these habits, these goals . . .they take time. And the rewards are real and they are worth fighting for.
So let's do it! Let's fight!
~ Jennifer
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Goal Setting ! Who Wants to Join Me?
It occurred to me sometime yesterday that Goal-Setting is a skill that I have not tried to hone.
I can give you all kinds of reasons why.
- Lack of Resources
- Lack of Direction
- Lack of Energy
So that is a little bit discouraging. It brings to mind all sorts of cute or not so cute sayings:
"If you aim at nothing you'll hit it every time."
"Where there is no vision the people perish." ~ Proverbs 29:18, KJV
And then it also brings to mind some rather encouraging words:
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart . . . .and He shall direct thy paths" ~ Proverbs 3:5-6
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God . . .and it shall be given him." ~ James 1:5
So I am going to start with this: thinking about what I want my life to look like this year. And then I'm going to think about how to "make that happen."
Basically, if I were an artist, maybe I'd think about a photograph I'd like to paint. I'd think about the canvas I needed, the easel, the paints. I'd consider the brushes I owned and whether I needed to replace any. Do I have the proper pencil and things to sketch the photo first, if that was how I was going to begin this art project? Now, if you are an artist and I'm describing this process wrong, please forgive me. One of these days I'd love to learn how to BE a painter but I've never gotten close to that desire, other than watching that lovely man on television with the melodic voice turn a blank screen into a gorgeous scene with mountains and trees and lakes . . .
So . . .what kind of a picture do you want your life to resemble?
Let's just spend a few minutes thinking about it:
Here are some possible categories
~ Friendships
~ Getting to know your surroundings
~ Keeping your house homey instead of feeling oppressed by it ( that's me at this point, so this is an area I will be working on)
~ Relationships with God and with the people closest to you
~ Health ( most people are very into taking care of their bodies in one way or another. Are you?)
Yesterday I read a blog entry by Money Saving Mom and here is the link to it, if you care to look it over yourself . . .
http://moneysavingmom.com/2013/12/im-changing-goal-setting-2014.html
The one lesson that I really took away from this blog entry was this:
Make Your Goals More Specific
Crystal, the author of the above blog, mentions setting a goal of getting up at 6 am for 21 days instead of the vague goal of "get up earlier every day".
She nailed me right there! I am now going to start marking on my calendar every day that I get up in time to see Hubby out the door . .
So anyway, I hope you do a little goal setting homework today . . .I hope you picture how you want your life to look in 2014. That's what I'll be doing.
Blessings,
~ Jennifer
I can give you all kinds of reasons why.
- Lack of Resources
- Lack of Direction
- Lack of Energy
So that is a little bit discouraging. It brings to mind all sorts of cute or not so cute sayings:
"If you aim at nothing you'll hit it every time."
"Where there is no vision the people perish." ~ Proverbs 29:18, KJV
And then it also brings to mind some rather encouraging words:
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart . . . .and He shall direct thy paths" ~ Proverbs 3:5-6
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God . . .and it shall be given him." ~ James 1:5
So I am going to start with this: thinking about what I want my life to look like this year. And then I'm going to think about how to "make that happen."
Basically, if I were an artist, maybe I'd think about a photograph I'd like to paint. I'd think about the canvas I needed, the easel, the paints. I'd consider the brushes I owned and whether I needed to replace any. Do I have the proper pencil and things to sketch the photo first, if that was how I was going to begin this art project? Now, if you are an artist and I'm describing this process wrong, please forgive me. One of these days I'd love to learn how to BE a painter but I've never gotten close to that desire, other than watching that lovely man on television with the melodic voice turn a blank screen into a gorgeous scene with mountains and trees and lakes . . .
So . . .what kind of a picture do you want your life to resemble?
Let's just spend a few minutes thinking about it:
Here are some possible categories
~ Friendships
~ Getting to know your surroundings
~ Keeping your house homey instead of feeling oppressed by it ( that's me at this point, so this is an area I will be working on)
~ Relationships with God and with the people closest to you
~ Health ( most people are very into taking care of their bodies in one way or another. Are you?)
Yesterday I read a blog entry by Money Saving Mom and here is the link to it, if you care to look it over yourself . . .
http://moneysavingmom.com/2013/12/im-changing-goal-setting-2014.html
The one lesson that I really took away from this blog entry was this:
Make Your Goals More Specific
Crystal, the author of the above blog, mentions setting a goal of getting up at 6 am for 21 days instead of the vague goal of "get up earlier every day".
She nailed me right there! I am now going to start marking on my calendar every day that I get up in time to see Hubby out the door . .
So anyway, I hope you do a little goal setting homework today . . .I hope you picture how you want your life to look in 2014. That's what I'll be doing.
Blessings,
~ Jennifer
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Rambling on Bipolar and Goals and Going Forth and Doing
Did I mention in the last entry that I am going to be reading quite a lot this year?
I like to read. I have been an avid reader since I was a little girl, but lately I have not read much other than my Facebook feed and the blogs that are posted to it on a regular basis. While some of these pieces are certainly worth the time and effort it takes to read them they are not books, just like this is NOT a book, though I hope you enjoy it.
So yesterday, while Hubby and I waited for the ball to drop in New York, I downloaded free books on my Kindle. I was pleased that many of the free books are non-fiction, though there are not nearly as many biographies as I would like.
And of course I had to download some fluffy fiction. It's fun to get lost in someone else's angst now and then . . .and a book lets you do that without the side effect of drama and accidentally giving someone horrid advice and having it backfire all over you!
Anyway, I guess reading is part of my New Year's Resolutions. Reading, but not just reading. Reading and then jotting down the concepts that I find applicable to my life and learning how to implement them.
That means not just skimming. I am great at skimming. Dh is annoyed by the way I fly through books and is quite sure that I only read every other word. He may be right, but I do get the jist of the story and if necessary, I can always flip back and reread.
It occurred to me this morning that there may be a whole demographic of people who might look at the title of this blog and immediately dismiss it. After all, Bipolar!
It is commonly known that Bipolar is not a title that anyone asks to have bestowed upon them.
And yet we who have been called "Bipolar" know ( if we've done any research on it at all) that there are so many people who have accomplished SO much in spite of their condition or in some instances, because of it. I don't know how much of the genius of some of these people was fueled by mania, or their charm by hypomania. Just check out this link:
http://www.famousbipolarpeople.com
It makes a person wonder . . .what does it do to the path a person might have walked when one chooses to eliminate highs and lows and be stable? Still, I'll stick to my meds because I value my life too much to risk becoming suicidal and ending everything. I couldn't help but notice Marilyn Monroe and Kurt Cobain on the list and immediately I thought of how their lives ended.
In another entry I talked about Abraham Lincoln and how at times his friends took turns staying with him because he was so depressed that he had no desire to live.
And yet here I am, sitting in my dining room, in my normal house in a normal neighborhood . . .blogging about universal themes ( God, keeping order in my day-to-day living, parenting, etc.) These things have nothing to do with my Bipolar because, thank God, I am stable at the moment.
The only way my Bipolar is affecting me now is when I think back about the story I have written by my actions in the past several years. I know that there are moves that Hubby and I would not have made, friendships that never would have occurred if I hadn't had that first very traumatic episode.
I do mourn our lack of some of the "things" that other people who have lived their lives very steadily, like the tortoise. Hubby and I are more like the hare. We have experienced some amazing adventures ( life on a tropical island with your three children, anyone?) but then after that we had some tremendous setbacks . . .like the hare waking up from his nap.
But life is not a competition and the best I can do is figure out what I am supposed to be doing at this point in my life ( some of the things I am to do are SO obvious and others are not clear at all) and then I must GO FORTH and DO.
I'd love to hear what other people know they are supposed to be doing and how they plan to accomplish their goals.
Do you care to share?
~ Jennifer
I like to read. I have been an avid reader since I was a little girl, but lately I have not read much other than my Facebook feed and the blogs that are posted to it on a regular basis. While some of these pieces are certainly worth the time and effort it takes to read them they are not books, just like this is NOT a book, though I hope you enjoy it.
So yesterday, while Hubby and I waited for the ball to drop in New York, I downloaded free books on my Kindle. I was pleased that many of the free books are non-fiction, though there are not nearly as many biographies as I would like.
And of course I had to download some fluffy fiction. It's fun to get lost in someone else's angst now and then . . .and a book lets you do that without the side effect of drama and accidentally giving someone horrid advice and having it backfire all over you!
Anyway, I guess reading is part of my New Year's Resolutions. Reading, but not just reading. Reading and then jotting down the concepts that I find applicable to my life and learning how to implement them.
That means not just skimming. I am great at skimming. Dh is annoyed by the way I fly through books and is quite sure that I only read every other word. He may be right, but I do get the jist of the story and if necessary, I can always flip back and reread.
It occurred to me this morning that there may be a whole demographic of people who might look at the title of this blog and immediately dismiss it. After all, Bipolar!
It is commonly known that Bipolar is not a title that anyone asks to have bestowed upon them.
And yet we who have been called "Bipolar" know ( if we've done any research on it at all) that there are so many people who have accomplished SO much in spite of their condition or in some instances, because of it. I don't know how much of the genius of some of these people was fueled by mania, or their charm by hypomania. Just check out this link:
http://www.famousbipolarpeople.com
It makes a person wonder . . .what does it do to the path a person might have walked when one chooses to eliminate highs and lows and be stable? Still, I'll stick to my meds because I value my life too much to risk becoming suicidal and ending everything. I couldn't help but notice Marilyn Monroe and Kurt Cobain on the list and immediately I thought of how their lives ended.
In another entry I talked about Abraham Lincoln and how at times his friends took turns staying with him because he was so depressed that he had no desire to live.
And yet here I am, sitting in my dining room, in my normal house in a normal neighborhood . . .blogging about universal themes ( God, keeping order in my day-to-day living, parenting, etc.) These things have nothing to do with my Bipolar because, thank God, I am stable at the moment.
The only way my Bipolar is affecting me now is when I think back about the story I have written by my actions in the past several years. I know that there are moves that Hubby and I would not have made, friendships that never would have occurred if I hadn't had that first very traumatic episode.
I do mourn our lack of some of the "things" that other people who have lived their lives very steadily, like the tortoise. Hubby and I are more like the hare. We have experienced some amazing adventures ( life on a tropical island with your three children, anyone?) but then after that we had some tremendous setbacks . . .like the hare waking up from his nap.
But life is not a competition and the best I can do is figure out what I am supposed to be doing at this point in my life ( some of the things I am to do are SO obvious and others are not clear at all) and then I must GO FORTH and DO.
I'd love to hear what other people know they are supposed to be doing and how they plan to accomplish their goals.
Do you care to share?
~ Jennifer
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