"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle
I looked back through my 2009 list of goals for the kids and laughed when I read "transition to a big potty" and "learn to sleep without duck/thumbsucking." It's easy to forget that those things actually took work and purposefulness on our part. It feels like they just happened, and was it really only a year and a half ago?
Showing posts with label a few things faithfully. Show all posts
Showing posts with label a few things faithfully. Show all posts
Monday, January 3, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
A few things done faithfully
A very happy New Year to you all!
We spent the evening at home with the kids and some fun food (the pan seared prosciutto wrapped mozzarella was a hit with us, and chips and apples and dip were enough to wow the kids). At midnight we were technically awake, but only because of sick children.
Christmas night I sat down with my journal and thought it would be fun to review my goals from last year. It was no surprise to see "What Matters Most" on one page, followed by a list of things that easily creep into my days but don't really hold much value in light of eternity. Those items on the first list are still as true today as they were last year, and yet it seems like this refocusing on the main things is a "common to man" problem.
I've been giving these ideas a lot of thought since my health took a nosedive. At first I was just surviving; then I was living in a state of waiting for the season to pass so I could get back to "normal." (Here we are again.) As an extreme optimist, I usually set high goals for myself. For the first time I am facing my new year with very realistic goals, although keep in mind that realistic doesn't mean easy. I don't have any extra energy or mental capabilities to spend on the less important tasks. I am determined to be faithful in a few areas vs. bemoaning my inabilities to come up with a spectacular (or even mundane) plan to conquer new things.
The truth is, most of us are in a season that seems less than ideal- even the women who have multiple semi-famous blogs and provide loads of inspiration (they just have a surplus of energy). I am thankful for all those great ideas...some of the links on my sidebar this week are amazing. So there's no begrudging another person's list, or even comparing, because God is writing each of our stories and they are different. Last January my sister came up with a great list of goals for her year, something I hope to imitate in the future. In fact, I wonder if I am distracted by the tyranny of the urgent and that keeps me from getting the basics down, which is keeping me from moving forward and accomplishing greater tasks. But that is a question for later...
So, while others are laying out their list of resolutions and goals, I'd like to spend the month of January sharing about this effort to refocus, and passing along a myriad of helpful links that continue to push me in the right direction. Care to join me?
We spent the evening at home with the kids and some fun food (the pan seared prosciutto wrapped mozzarella was a hit with us, and chips and apples and dip were enough to wow the kids). At midnight we were technically awake, but only because of sick children.
Christmas night I sat down with my journal and thought it would be fun to review my goals from last year. It was no surprise to see "What Matters Most" on one page, followed by a list of things that easily creep into my days but don't really hold much value in light of eternity. Those items on the first list are still as true today as they were last year, and yet it seems like this refocusing on the main things is a "common to man" problem.
I've been giving these ideas a lot of thought since my health took a nosedive. At first I was just surviving; then I was living in a state of waiting for the season to pass so I could get back to "normal." (Here we are again.) As an extreme optimist, I usually set high goals for myself. For the first time I am facing my new year with very realistic goals, although keep in mind that realistic doesn't mean easy. I don't have any extra energy or mental capabilities to spend on the less important tasks. I am determined to be faithful in a few areas vs. bemoaning my inabilities to come up with a spectacular (or even mundane) plan to conquer new things.
The truth is, most of us are in a season that seems less than ideal- even the women who have multiple semi-famous blogs and provide loads of inspiration (they just have a surplus of energy). I am thankful for all those great ideas...some of the links on my sidebar this week are amazing. So there's no begrudging another person's list, or even comparing, because God is writing each of our stories and they are different. Last January my sister came up with a great list of goals for her year, something I hope to imitate in the future. In fact, I wonder if I am distracted by the tyranny of the urgent and that keeps me from getting the basics down, which is keeping me from moving forward and accomplishing greater tasks. But that is a question for later...
So, while others are laying out their list of resolutions and goals, I'd like to spend the month of January sharing about this effort to refocus, and passing along a myriad of helpful links that continue to push me in the right direction. Care to join me?
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