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Value This Life

Value This Life

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Packing For Your Trip to a New Habit

Shirts, ties, belts, shoes, pants, socks, suits for five men, young and otherwise.  Check.  Dresses, slips, leggings, shoes, hair accessories and jewelry for five girls, young and middle-aged.  Check.  Wedding clothes are packed.  Rinse and repeat for wedding rehearsal clothes.  Then get started on the blankets, pillows, utensils, appliances and more for staying in a church building for a few days.  Finally, gather the towels, floaties, tents, tarps and swimsuits for a trip to the beach.  Packing for a trip is always hectic, but multiply the people times ten plus add seven days, and you’ve got a formula for either efficiency or a nervous breakdown.
 
Packing is just part of the preparation for a trip.  There are always things to take care of at the office and in the backyard before you leave.  There are lists to check, people to consult and phone calls to make.  The preparations can be frustrating or calming, but they are always necessary.
 
Whenever we set out to do something new, especially something that involves a journey, preparations can make or break our success.  There are preparations that help us along the way, with more efficiency than frayed nerves.  Let’s say you want to develop a new habit, like using a planner to organize your schedule and to-do’s.  Here are a few items for your packing list for the journey to consistency with your new habit:
 
Decide.  No “try,” no “hope.”  You decide to begin, but then every day after that is another decision.  Use the planner, check it often….or not….you decide.  The new habit you want doesn’t begin accidentally.  It’s usually the habits we don’t want that begin that way.
 
See.  What are you seeing?  Focus your vision on where you want to be, not where you are.  Constantly bemoaning your current life management keeps you focused on where you are now.  I’m not talking denial, just adjust your vision upwards and onwards.  See yourself successfully using the planner to keep you on track with your time and to-do’s.
 
Begin.  No more “next week” or “on the first of the month.”  Don’t get so caught up in the planning to start that you feel a sense of emotional satisfaction when you didn’t really do anything yet.  Getting lost in the details like finding the perfect planner is a good way to avoid actually using a planner.
 
Move forward.  The way to do that is “keep moving forward.”  When you’ve decided on a new habit, criticizing yourself for the old habit will keep you discouraged and focused—on the old habit.  Don’t be mean to yourself or grieve over lost time or wish you’d started years ago.  It’s amazing how fast you can get over something when you’re not focusing on it all the time.
 
Attach.  Arrange your life so that the new habit is attached to something you already do consistently.  If you always “get up, eat breakfast, start the coffee,” then that’s probably a good time to “check planner.”  Decide on where the new habit fits best.  Using a planner works well early in the day, with checkpoints through the day.
 
Trips don’t always go as planned, but successful travelers adapt and keep going.  Missing a flight or having a flat tire doesn’t have to mean the trip is cancelled.  You adapt and solve the problem and keep going so you get to where you want to go.  New habits aren’t magically made overnight, but quitting and cancelling the effort doesn’t get you anywhere. 
 
Sit down and think through (on paper) where you want to go, what new habit you want to ingrain in your life.  Make your “packing list” of what will need to change or how the habit will fit into your days.  Then start the trip.  Sitting in the driveway revving up the engine doesn’t get you anywhere.  The highway’s a callin’—gotta be movin’ on!
[break][/break]*********************
  

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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. Amy Machin says

    July 1, 2011 at 1:51 pm

    IMHO…this is the best article yet.  Maybe because it really made sense in a very do-able way.  Thank you!

    Reply
  2. Shelley Molitor says

    November 20, 2011 at 6:35 am

    Oh.my.goodness. Bullseye! I live and breathe this, and want to share these concepts! Powerful. Thanks.

    Reply

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Hello & Welcome!

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
It’s not so much having a lot to do and many res It’s not so much having a lot to do and many responsibilities....it’s over-committing and the energy of “not being enough” that leads to burnout and adrenal fatigue. Your body will cooperate until it doesn’t.  Check in with yourself: What is driving all this doing? What’s behind all the striving, pushing, proving? Sit with that....and then STOP being so hard on yourself, sweetie. Give yourself a break. See where you can simplify. Think about what refreshes you and bring more of that into your life. 🌱
Day 8 of city-water-shortage-after-frozen-pipes ha Day 8 of city-water-shortage-after-frozen-pipes hair. Today they gave the go-ahead for dishwashers and clothes washers, so this girl will be washing her hair without guilt. A week ago it was snowing and -26 windchill, today it’s 71 degrees and sunshine. Don’t tell anyone, but I like variety so Oklahoma weather suits me.😍
Family favorite: No-Bake Cookies! Our recipe is ju Family favorite: No-Bake Cookies! Our recipe is just right, both chocolate-y and peanut butter-y. We like to eat these while they’re still warm and gooey!  Best No-Bake Cookies  1 stick butter  1/2 c. milk  2 c. sugar  1/2 c. cocoa  Mix in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until melted and combined.  Boil 1 1/2 minutes only! Remove from heat and stir in:  1/2 c. peanut butter  1 tsp. vanilla  3 c. oats (either quick oats or old-fashioned)  Drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper.  Let set and enjoy!
Living and loving with your whole heart.💕That s Living and loving with your whole heart.💕That sounds lovely but exhausting. Maybe it’s because we’re zoomed out, looking at the whole day and our whole life. 
.
God is not asking you to do it all. Especially not all at once. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. 
.
Zoom back in to this moment. Do the next thing, but do it with your whole heart. 
.
While you’re doing the thing, stop thinking about all the OTHER things you have to do. The most important things WILL get done, but not all at once.❤️
Pretty college student on her 21st birthday. Our 1 Pretty college student on her 21st birthday. Our 10th child. Straight A student. Absolute delight. And when I found out I was pregnant with her, I couldn’t see how it would work out. All I could see was the current circumstance, the feelings and the fear of the future. Maybe this will encourage you today about a situation in your life. There’s a lot of good and hope in your future.🌱
Snow is rare where I live in Oklahoma. Today it’ Snow is rare where I live in Oklahoma. Today it’s still at the pretty stage, when it covers bare ground and sparkles in the sun. Stray snowflakes are falling like glitter. The melting gray slush is coming, but for today it’s a fairy landscape. Reminds me that we can’t stop time or hold on to life’s moments. We can look for the good right where we are and trust God for the “different” good coming.❄️
A good word for when you’re tempted to be mean t A good word for when you’re tempted to be mean to yourself ❤️
Nobody sittin’ on this garden bench in two degre Nobody sittin’ on this garden bench in two degree weather today!🥶Unusually cold, with rare snow and more to come in Oklahoma. This weather event has disrupted “life as usual.” Prayers for those without power, water or heat right now—rolling power blackouts have begun...
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. 😊
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Looking For Something?

valuethislife

valuethislife
It’s not so much having a lot to do and many res It’s not so much having a lot to do and many responsibilities....it’s over-committing and the energy of “not being enough” that leads to burnout and adrenal fatigue. Your body will cooperate until it doesn’t.  Check in with yourself: What is driving all this doing? What’s behind all the striving, pushing, proving? Sit with that....and then STOP being so hard on yourself, sweetie. Give yourself a break. See where you can simplify. Think about what refreshes you and bring more of that into your life. 🌱
Day 8 of city-water-shortage-after-frozen-pipes ha Day 8 of city-water-shortage-after-frozen-pipes hair. Today they gave the go-ahead for dishwashers and clothes washers, so this girl will be washing her hair without guilt. A week ago it was snowing and -26 windchill, today it’s 71 degrees and sunshine. Don’t tell anyone, but I like variety so Oklahoma weather suits me.😍
Family favorite: No-Bake Cookies! Our recipe is ju Family favorite: No-Bake Cookies! Our recipe is just right, both chocolate-y and peanut butter-y. We like to eat these while they’re still warm and gooey!  Best No-Bake Cookies  1 stick butter  1/2 c. milk  2 c. sugar  1/2 c. cocoa  Mix in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until melted and combined.  Boil 1 1/2 minutes only! Remove from heat and stir in:  1/2 c. peanut butter  1 tsp. vanilla  3 c. oats (either quick oats or old-fashioned)  Drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper.  Let set and enjoy!
Living and loving with your whole heart.💕That s Living and loving with your whole heart.💕That sounds lovely but exhausting. Maybe it’s because we’re zoomed out, looking at the whole day and our whole life. 
.
God is not asking you to do it all. Especially not all at once. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. 
.
Zoom back in to this moment. Do the next thing, but do it with your whole heart. 
.
While you’re doing the thing, stop thinking about all the OTHER things you have to do. The most important things WILL get done, but not all at once.❤️
Pretty college student on her 21st birthday. Our 1 Pretty college student on her 21st birthday. Our 10th child. Straight A student. Absolute delight. And when I found out I was pregnant with her, I couldn’t see how it would work out. All I could see was the current circumstance, the feelings and the fear of the future. Maybe this will encourage you today about a situation in your life. There’s a lot of good and hope in your future.🌱
Snow is rare where I live in Oklahoma. Today it’ Snow is rare where I live in Oklahoma. Today it’s still at the pretty stage, when it covers bare ground and sparkles in the sun. Stray snowflakes are falling like glitter. The melting gray slush is coming, but for today it’s a fairy landscape. Reminds me that we can’t stop time or hold on to life’s moments. We can look for the good right where we are and trust God for the “different” good coming.❄️
A good word for when you’re tempted to be mean t A good word for when you’re tempted to be mean to yourself ❤️
Nobody sittin’ on this garden bench in two degre Nobody sittin’ on this garden bench in two degree weather today!🥶Unusually cold, with rare snow and more to come in Oklahoma. This weather event has disrupted “life as usual.” Prayers for those without power, water or heat right now—rolling power blackouts have begun...
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. 😊
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