Hello, my friend!
I hope you’re having a wonderful week so far. It’s a windy, warm, quite un-January-like day here on the “Coastal Bend” in Texas, and I’m not complaining – I love the climate here…even if it does make my hair resemble Mia’s from The Princess Diaries…before she became a princess!
This past weekend, my husband Ben and I went on a two-hour coffee date dedicated to planning out and establishing our goals for the year. We began this tradition last year and I have to say, it’s one of the most rewarding, motivating, and fun days of the year. As I wrote about in my last email, we “measured backward” by reviewing the goals we reached (or didn’t reach…) last year, noted the progress we’ve made in a multitude of areas, from faith and outreach, to family rhythms and nightly routines, then fine-tuned or eliminated past-set goals while establishing a macro vision for the future, followed by regular habits and stepping stones to help that vision become a reality.
This weekend, my plan is to create a vision board featuring images that resonate with and remind our family of our 2024 priorities. It won’t be pretty (I have not a single artistic or crafty bone or cartilaginous part in my body), but it will be effective! 😊
Before I go any further, I interrupt myself to announce that…
Alrighty, I have some great quotes and tips to share, so let’s hop to it!
Psych Yourself Up to Work Out By…
We all have days when we feel less than motivated to exercise. And that’s putting it lightly. If we’re honest, there are days, perhaps a string of them, when we’d rather eat a fistful of wasabi than lift weights or touch a treadmill. One thing I’ve found helpful on days like this is to find or write out a routine, then set a timer for, say, eight or 10 minutes, and then steadily perform the routine until the alarm goes off.
By setting a timer rather than telling yourself, “I’m going to do five sets,” or “I’m going to run two miles,” you’re committing to X amount of minutes’ worth of exercise, which, mentally, is easier to swallow than X number of sets, miles, etc. More often than not, after the timer goes off, I’m feeling so good that I extend the workout.
Give it a go next time you’re feeling unmotivated, and let me know how it goes! I’ll eat a fistful of wasabi if it doesn’t help you 😉.
Checking Our Tongues
I was reminded of this quote on a recent Now That We’re a Family podcast:
“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
This week, I challenge you to be mindful of the content of your conversations and ask yourself (optional to audibly ask those you’re conversing with as well ;-)), “Am I talking about people, events, or ideas?” If you’re on the topic of a person or event, how can you redirect the discussion to involve interesting and constructive ideas?
Choosing Our Friends
“When you choose your friends today, you are choosing your habits tomorrow.”
– James Clear
Planning Out Your Year
I mentioned the Now That We’re a Family podcast above, and I believe the quote was from this episode, which I highly recommend for charting your path for 2024.
