Generosity

Ok, so my mini-goal for Friday was generosity.  I was lying in bed that morning trying to think of a way I could be generous.  My older daughter and her boyfriend were in town and we were going shopping.  We went to the Plaza - an upscale outdoor shopping center and although I was trying to be generous with my thoughts and with my time and energy, I was looking for something more tangible.  Although generosity doesn't always mean monetarily, that day I felt compelled to give to someone less fortunate.  We passed a homeless guy on the street at the Plaza.  He looked pitiful, but unfortunately, I wasn't prepared (money out of my purse) for him.  While we were in the next store, I dug in my purse and pulled out a $20 bill.  I was going to hand it to him when we came out; however, he was no longer there when we left the store.  I was a bit disappointed, but we trudged onward and I was hoping we would see him again on another corner, but nothing...  We finally wrapped up our shopping and headed for home.  We stopped at a stoplight and there was a man on the corner asking for money.  I immediately reached in my pocket and pulled out the $20 and handed it to him.  He was ecstatic.   The pure joy radiating through him was so awesome and touched me profoudly.  I know $20 isn't a lot to offer, especially when we have so much, but when I think about all the times I've walked by someone in need, my heart hurts.  I would love to be able to give to everyone.  Obviously that's not possible, but at least I made one person's day.  That night, I prayed that God guide him to use the money wisely and maybe someday he could pay it forward to someone else in need.... 

Harder Than I Thought

Boy, was I wrong...  I thought it would be a piece of cake to pick one mini-goal for the day.  Problem is, there are so many areas I want to work on that I waffled from one to the next to the next...  I finally settled on committing to smiling more and being friendly to everyone today.  I don't know how other people reacted, but I have to admit - I felt SOOOO much better today!!!!!!  I think over the past few years, I've become a much more negative person, and I hate that.  I have always been a glass half-full person and try to see the positive side of things.  Even though I am still positive most of the time, I have let some negativity creep into my everyday life and it has really dragged me down.  As a matter of fact, thinking about it over the course of the day, I have come to the conclusion the negativity is a rock or an anchor weighting me, making it hard for me to walk, and sometimes even breathe....  One thing is for sure - I DON'T LIKE IT!!  It is NOT who I am.  The question then becomes - what do I do about it?? 

When I was thinking of setting a mini-goal each day, I thought I might choose something different each day.  And although I think I still will, I am thinking of keeping this as one of my mini-goals at least once a week.  It truly is amazing how much better I felt today.  Life is SO serious, and I have so many responsibilities, it's easy to get caught up in the everyday, and forget to laugh and have fun.  If I can devote at least one day a week to smiling more and being friendlier to everyone, I think it will help me get back to the fun-loving person I used to be...   

Mini-Goals

Ok, so I was lying in bed last night thinking (which is a VERY bad habit of mine) and I was thinking about goal setting and the difference between setting a goal and making a resolution.  To me they are very closely related and setting goals which are too lofty, just sets you up for failure.  I am not scared of failure.  Failure is how you grow.  But this is a journey for me, kind of a marathon, if you will, and not a sprint.  I am in it for the long haul and am committed to not giving up.  It's the 4th of January, so I have a LONG way to go. 

Anyway, I have a daily prayer book that I got myself for Christmas - full of short, little devotionals which are profound and thought provoking.  The prayer for yesterday was about goal setting and I started pondering about whether there was a way I could set goals which would be congruent with my one-word, Health.  I decided the best course of action for me would be to set mini-goals.  A different goal each day that I would try to carry out throughout the day.

How am I going to remember to set my goal each day??  You know that twilight time right before you drift off to sleep and again when you're about ready to wake up?  I'm going to think about my goal for the next day (or that day - if it's in the morning) during that time.  Hopefully I will be able to remember the goal I set for the day, and will try to post it here for reinforcement...  :) 

Already behind...

Ok, so it's three days into the new year and I'm already behind.  But better three days than three weeks or worse, right?  I am fairly new to blogging, so will be muddling my way through, but hope the end result is the same - by the time 2012 rolls around, I will have a clearer picture of who I really am, and will be stronger and healthier in mind, body, spirit, and faith.  SO, here goes!!

For quite a while now (a year or two), I have been trying to become more spiritual.  Oh no, you say... here's another religious blog.  Let's get one thing straight - that is NOT my intention.  I hate (ok, hate is a strong word) dislike uber-religious people who try to persuade you to their way of thinking.  My experience is that many of the people who are out there pushing God on you are the some of the biggest hypocrites there are.  I am trying my hardest NOT to be one of those people.  So, if I get too "preachy", someone please bop me on the head...  Anyway, I have found a church that I really like and have been listening to contemporary christian music on K-LOVE.  A couple weeks ago, I was listening to their morning show and they had a pastor on there talking about New Year's resolutions.  Did you know that only about 12% of resolutions are ever kept?  Talk about disheartening - you've practically failed before you even begin.  Prior to listening that day, I had already decided that I wasn't going to make any resolutions this year.  However, on the radio that day, the pastor was talking about choosing one word for the year, as a lens to view your life through.  I immediately loved the idea - I can do one word, right??   (Click here to choose your ONE WORD)

SO, which word??  There are so many aspects of my life that need "cleaning up"...  A thousand thoughts were going through my head - what could I come up with that could be the turning point with my kids, my husband, God, the way I look, the way I act, my friends, extended family, etc.?  I finally settled on one word - ONE WORD, one little six letter word. 

HEALTH

One little word, indeed... and one HUGE feat in front of me.  I am committed, though, to taking things one day at a time, leaning on God, and getting to 2012 a happier, healthier me, and hopefully those around me will benefit from my improved physical, emotional, mental and spiritual self...   Come join me - if you dare!!