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Value This Life

Value This Life

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How to Transform Yourself

close up butterfly feeding on a flower

Most of us have things we’d like to change about ourselves. Those things may be major or minor, realistic or unrealistic. As a girl I always wanted to have blue eyes and I wished I wasn’t so tall. Obviously those things aren’t going to change permanently.

I’m not talking about self-hatred or low self esteem. I’m referring to a healthy desire to improve ourselves and grow and change as human beings. We see things in our character or our habits, or we admit that we have physical issues that could be improved. It’s a good thing for us to learn and grow and change all of our lives.

The trouble is, we want to transform….right now.

Never mind that the weight crept on over a period of months, or that we’ve had a sharp tongue for twenty years. We want the microwave version, to be rewarded for our decision to change immediately.

Definition of Transform

To transform means to “make a thorough or dramatic change in the form, appearance or character of.”

If you’re painting a bedroom, it’s pretty easy to make a thorough change in the appearance of the room.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way with a human body or a character trait.

When we start out on a self-improvement project, we expect rapid, predictable results from our efforts. And when things go wrong, we think we’re entitled to the stress and disappointment we feel.

Fact: When we care too much about life conforming to our expectations, we’re setting ourselves up for disappointment.

How to Transform Yourself

So how DO you transform yourself?

Limit the number of changes you attempt at one time. In other words, start a new exercise program (and I highly recommend T-Tapp), but don’t begin a new, strict diet at the same time.

Know thyself. Be honest. If you know that you won’t do long workouts, don’t plan them. You’d be setting yourself up for guilt and shame.

Don’t necessarily announce to the world that you’re changing something. Sometimes we spend so much emotional energy and excitement telling everyone, we feel a sense of satisfaction and our brain thinks we actually already did it. With your energy spent, there’s not any left to push you into action.

Make changes gradually whenever possible. Be wary of inflicting stress-inducing, rapid change on yourself. Stay aware of how you are handling the transformation effort. Incremental change is easier to accept.

Use tools to organize your change efforts. Checklists are your friend. Checklists don’t lie. They tell the truth about what you have to do and what you’ve actually done. Writing it down gets it out of your head and onto paper.

Keep it simple. Big, complicated plans may be fun to make, but they seldom get carried out in ordinary, busy life. That’s one thing that’s so effective about Plexus Slim for weight loss, and helps people stick with it: it’s one pink drink in the morning, go on with your day and eat normally.

Instead of focusing on how far you have to go, focus on the next step. Before you know it, you’ll look up and find you’re almost there.

The small things add up. Transformation happens in the daily choices. It’s like seeing a teenager whom you haven’t seen since they were a child. To you, the transformation happened overnight. To their family, the change happened daily but they couldn’t see it.

Take heart, transformer! Your efforts are paying off, even if your eyes don’t detect the change. Your character is transforming in the hard things, slow as it may seem. The change can be dramatic….but not necessarily sudden.

How do you keep going on your transformation journey? Please comment…

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About Charlotte

I'm a grateful wife & mom of 12 amazing persons. I love to inspire & teach busy women to find beauty in everyday life by caring for themselves, creating comfortable homes with their families and living out ordinary days with grace and gratitude. I'd love to encourage YOU!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gabrielle says

    April 1, 2014 at 6:48 am

    Oh how I needed to read this post today!! Thank you once again for writing such a wonderful post!!

    Reply
    • Charlotte Siems says

      April 6, 2014 at 11:11 pm

      You’ve encouraged ME today, Gabrielle! 🙂

      Reply

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I'm a grateful wife & mom of 12 amazing persons. I love to inspire & teach busy women to find beauty in everyday life by caring for themselves, creating comfortable homes with their families and living out ordinary days with grace and gratitude. I'd love to encourage YOU! Read More…

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valuethislife

valuethislife
Have you ever procrastinated about doing something Have you ever procrastinated about doing something, with thoughts of dread and overwhelm?😬And then done the thing,  finding that it was easier and faster to get done than you thought it would be?🥴Yeah, me too. Note to self: The dreading and putting off costs a whole lot more emotional energy than just doing the thing. 😊
In our busy ordinary lives there is a tendency to In our busy ordinary lives there is a tendency to get by with the barebones of running the household—but we skip the joy, comfort and encouragement part.   We trade an artful arrangement of beautiful things on the coffee table for a stack of newspapers and mail. The TV takes the place of a board game. Irritation with our family flavors our speech.   Sometimes this happens so slowly that we barely notice it, and then one day we realize that our home life is out of sorts.  With that realization comes the choice to fix those little things. Tidy up the clutter, get the laundry caught up, read aloud to children, and set a pretty table for an ordinary supper.  Look around your home with fresh eyes to see if it needs a reset. Even 20 minutes of tidying can make an amazing difference.❤️
Unexpected October ice storm in Oklahoma. Power ha Unexpected October ice storm in Oklahoma. Power has been out for 2+ days, grateful for a generator and hot water. I figured out that complaining doesn’t make electricity come back on. 😊
Always wanted a “mother’s ring” with birthst Always wanted a “mother’s ring” with birthstones of our children but we never found a design with 12 stones. 💍 It was a forgotten wish until I received this bracelet as a sweet gift. I can rattle off their birthdates like a boss but sometimes the size of our family still surprises me. It grew one baby at a time and I grew along with them, like all mothers do. There’s no rewind button, and we can’t go back and have a do-over. But we can be grateful during EVERY season for what we have, and I am!❤️
“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” Not “they that complaineth much” or “they that talk about their issues all day long.” I’m guessing that “not waiting” means sucking the life out of strength instead of renewing it. But waiting can begin in this very moment. 
•
(pic from my kitchen window)😊
Sometimes it’s a struggle getting started on a t Sometimes it’s a struggle getting started on a task, but we all love how it feels when the task is done. Maybe it would help to think about how good the result will feel before we start!
Yeah, I had to run to the store to get eggs before Yeah, I had to run to the store to get eggs before 14yo could mix up cookie dough. 
👉🏻Note to self:
Don’t wait until it’s time to do a task to check whether you have what you need to do it. Realizing you’re short on supplies or information at the last minute costs time and causes stress! Knowing that you’re prepared eases the pain of getting started. Put “check for ingredients” on your to-do list!
How much life do we waste worrying and fretting an How much life do we waste worrying and fretting and dreading....when the thing we’re upset about IS GOING TO GET DONE?! It’s going to happen, it’s all going to work out, and we probably won’t even remember it by next week. Sometimes it helps to remember that!💕
We bought a house built in the 80’s and have bee We bought a house built in the 80’s and have been doing that fixer upper thing. Sorry for the blurry “before” but just think “black hole” and you’ll get the idea.😂 Amazing what paint and decor can do for a space. Sold the old mantel on FB Marketplace for $60 and bought the unfinished new one for $45. Found the print in my garage, lol. Mirror from Hobby Lobby. Sorta reminds me of my life pre-Jesus. Dark to light. Old to new. Same basic human, transformed with light and love.❤️
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Looking For Something?

valuethislife

valuethislife
Have you ever procrastinated about doing something Have you ever procrastinated about doing something, with thoughts of dread and overwhelm?😬And then done the thing,  finding that it was easier and faster to get done than you thought it would be?🥴Yeah, me too. Note to self: The dreading and putting off costs a whole lot more emotional energy than just doing the thing. 😊
In our busy ordinary lives there is a tendency to In our busy ordinary lives there is a tendency to get by with the barebones of running the household—but we skip the joy, comfort and encouragement part.   We trade an artful arrangement of beautiful things on the coffee table for a stack of newspapers and mail. The TV takes the place of a board game. Irritation with our family flavors our speech.   Sometimes this happens so slowly that we barely notice it, and then one day we realize that our home life is out of sorts.  With that realization comes the choice to fix those little things. Tidy up the clutter, get the laundry caught up, read aloud to children, and set a pretty table for an ordinary supper.  Look around your home with fresh eyes to see if it needs a reset. Even 20 minutes of tidying can make an amazing difference.❤️
Unexpected October ice storm in Oklahoma. Power ha Unexpected October ice storm in Oklahoma. Power has been out for 2+ days, grateful for a generator and hot water. I figured out that complaining doesn’t make electricity come back on. 😊
Always wanted a “mother’s ring” with birthst Always wanted a “mother’s ring” with birthstones of our children but we never found a design with 12 stones. 💍 It was a forgotten wish until I received this bracelet as a sweet gift. I can rattle off their birthdates like a boss but sometimes the size of our family still surprises me. It grew one baby at a time and I grew along with them, like all mothers do. There’s no rewind button, and we can’t go back and have a do-over. But we can be grateful during EVERY season for what we have, and I am!❤️
“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” Not “they that complaineth much” or “they that talk about their issues all day long.” I’m guessing that “not waiting” means sucking the life out of strength instead of renewing it. But waiting can begin in this very moment. 
•
(pic from my kitchen window)😊
Sometimes it’s a struggle getting started on a t Sometimes it’s a struggle getting started on a task, but we all love how it feels when the task is done. Maybe it would help to think about how good the result will feel before we start!
Yeah, I had to run to the store to get eggs before Yeah, I had to run to the store to get eggs before 14yo could mix up cookie dough. 
👉🏻Note to self:
Don’t wait until it’s time to do a task to check whether you have what you need to do it. Realizing you’re short on supplies or information at the last minute costs time and causes stress! Knowing that you’re prepared eases the pain of getting started. Put “check for ingredients” on your to-do list!
How much life do we waste worrying and fretting an How much life do we waste worrying and fretting and dreading....when the thing we’re upset about IS GOING TO GET DONE?! It’s going to happen, it’s all going to work out, and we probably won’t even remember it by next week. Sometimes it helps to remember that!💕
We bought a house built in the 80’s and have bee We bought a house built in the 80’s and have been doing that fixer upper thing. Sorry for the blurry “before” but just think “black hole” and you’ll get the idea.😂 Amazing what paint and decor can do for a space. Sold the old mantel on FB Marketplace for $60 and bought the unfinished new one for $45. Found the print in my garage, lol. Mirror from Hobby Lobby. Sorta reminds me of my life pre-Jesus. Dark to light. Old to new. Same basic human, transformed with light and love.❤️
Follow on Instagram
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