First blog post of the new year! How do you feel? Is this a fresh start for you? I finished out 2019 with some goal setting and I have been doing my best to reach those goals each day. It always feels good to have a new beginning point. Any day can be that for you. Let it be today!
Every year I pick a word for the year. 2019 was PERSPECTIVE. You can go read my blog about that HERE. I really feel like having one main word to zero in on for the year can really bring a focus to your goals. Every goal that I set had the header of PERSPECTIVE. I want to have the right perspective in every goal and every challenge. It really changed my life.
This year my word for 2020 is INTENTIONALITY. I want to be intentional about my relationships, my health: physical, spiritual, and emotional, and about reaching out to others who are lost or in need. I've discovered that none of these things will happen if I am not intentional about them. Here is how I am being intentional this year.
1. Planning
I don't feel like you can be intentional without making a plan. I bought my favorite planner which is an Erin Condren planner, at the end of 2019.
I feel motivated to plan when I enjoy doing it. I'm pretty into it with all the stickers and pretty stuff, but you don't have to do all that if you don't want to. Just sit down one day a week and plan for the following week. Tauren and I have also started waking up early and sitting down together to drink coffee and tea before the kids wake up to go over our day and make sure we have everything planned out and we are on the same page. I also write down all of my "to-do's" for the day. It always feels good to get them checked off once I've completed the task.
Another way to plan is to prepare. Put out your workout clothes the night before, set the coffee maker to come on at a certain time, pick out your outfit the night before, etc. Prepare for your healthy meals that week. BE PREPARED!! And yes, I sang that in my best Scar voice from the Lion King.
2. Measurable Goals
We usually like to make goals like - Read more. You can't measure that goal, so guess what? It ain't gonna happen. My goal this year was to read 1 book a month. With all of my other goals, I thought this was a challenge for me, but still doable. I put that in my planner, so now when I finish a book I can check it off of my list and I know I've completed it. Make your goal measurable. Also, make it doable. It needs to be a challenge, but still be able to be achieved. If you achieve your goals, it will set you up for a win to achieve higher goals next time. If we are constantly failing to reach a goal, it makes us want to quit altogether.
3. Get Up Early
You might already get up so early for work that this isn't doable, but I would say most people have the ability to wake up earlier than they are currently. We just started doing this. We felt we were starting every day at a deficit, because our kids wake up around 6:15am. They would come to our door and knock and whine about how hungry they are. Ugh. Insert bad attitude here. Most often, I would wake up in a sour mood and shuffle into the kitchen to make the kids breakfast while barking little snide comments under my breath. What a horrible way to start the day! So we decided to change that. We are getting up at 5:15, sitting down with coffee and talking about our day, then we each go do our personal workouts, personal devotion and prayer, showers and whatever else we need to do. Then we are ready to cook breakfast and get the kids off to school. It has been challenging, but AMAZING! I have never felt so good. We also have had to adjust our bed time so we can get between 6-8 hrs of sleep at night. TRY IT! Incredible. I have had so much energy and I have been so productive.
4. Move Daily
I got this idea from Rachel Hollis. She recently posted about how she does at least 30 minutes of exercise every single day. Most people would say, just workout 3-5 times a week and that works for them. But for her, she feels she has more energy when she starts the day with exercise. I have to agree. I've been starting every morning with a workout and I am amazed at my energy increase. I don't always do something crazy, sometimes I am doing pilates or walking and other days I'm running or doing a 21 day fix workout. However, I am doing something EVERY SINGLE DAY. I work well with consistency. When I take two days off, I lose my momentum. So this might be the route for you, if you are like me.
5. Consistency
Just be consistent. Whatever goals you make, make them sustainable. When you are consistent in working out, reading, devotion, discipline with your kids, eating healthy or whatever your goal is, you will see GREAT results. If you are struggling to sit down and read the Bible today, just read one chapter or a few verses, but DO IT. You will begin to build that habit and routine and it will become a part of you.
We are the only thing holding us back from progress. There is no magical secret for results, we just have to do the work. We don't need perfection, we just need progression. Keep moving forward. I pray this is your best year yet! Put God first in everything you do and He will give you the strength to reach your goals.
"For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13
Lean in to Life. It’s messy, but beautiful.
Much love,
LB