Like I discussed before (on this post back here), there are a lot of expectations I put on myself... but joyful is probably the most important (and overlooked) one of them all.
The trouble is...
How??
It's not like I spent all of 2019 thinking, "Hm, I'd like to use today to be a grumpy grouch," or "Joy? What is this strange concept?!" Let's be honest, we're not -- well, I'm not -- inclined towards joy. It takes some work. And I realize that if I just leave this goal up to chance, it's simply not going to happen.
I need a blueprint. And so I sat down and thought about the three things (only three, let's be realistic, here) that I really need to be able to live more joyfully this year. And from there, I came up with three action steps - trying to be as specific as I could - to meet each of those needs.
Here's what I came up with :
Fix My Eyes on Jesus
Something super crucial that I've been super neglecting.
My specific goals meet this need are...
Ten minutes of reading scripture every morning
Everybody's schedule and needs are a little different, but starting my days in the Word really sets my attitude on the right track for the day. But I also know myself, and setting aside an hour in the morning just is not happening, especially not with a baby who is still nursing during the night.Listen to Christian podcasts more often instead of watching TV
I am thinking specifically about while I'm folding laundry during nap time, here. I even went and got a list of podcasts at the ready, so it's easy to choose a podcast rather than choosing a show. There are so many great Christian parenting podcasts, and I'm excited to listen to them!Memorize a verse of scripture every two weeks
I'm terrible, terrible, terrible at memorizing scripture. Terrible. But in this busy season of life, having the Bible hidden in my heart and always at the ready would be so helpful. Again, a verse a week might be a little more than I can do successfully... so, a verse every two weeks.Fill My Cup
AKA, self-care. It's much harder to choose joy if I'm running on empty.
Sleep!!
Yes, with the exclamation points. I have to make some sleep changes because not sleeping truly makes me a not-nice person to be around. And I have not been sleeping much. So. We're working on teaching little Koben to fall back asleep on his own, and that's actually been going pretty well already. But my own choices are often to blame even more than having a baby who isn't a huge fan of sleeping.... and I've made a goal to get to bed earlier in the evening two nights a week, as well.Be creative
I really like starting new projects and doing crafty things. It always brings me joy to do something productive and creative for fun. So I'm going to try to be intentional about getting time to make something new once a month.Make household routines work for me
It's hard for me to be joyful when I feel like I'm behind with housework, so I'm rethinking my routines to keep my house reasonably clean all week long to prevent the need for a big angry rage-cleaning day once a week. Tell me I'm not the only one who does that.Find Fellowship
As an extrovert, friendship is so important to my attitude. I need people. Feeling isolated or alone makes me far less inclined to be a joyful person.
Connect with other moms once every two weeks
In person. Seeing other moms doing the hard work of momming makes me feel like my struggles are normal, and their encouragement and advice is so important. Bring on the playdates, 2020.Be proactive with my friendships
I'm just not good at calling or texting friends. I'm just not. It takes planning and intentionality from me, and I've really let my existing friendships sit silent for too long. I want to be proactive about reaching out to my friends both near and far.Reach out to our relatives
Just like I'm not good at keeping in touch with friends, I'm pretty terrible at connecting with our extended families (especially the family members who live far away). And sharing the little funny things and pictures of our daily lives not only keeps me in contact with the people I love, but also keeps me focused on the joyful things in my every day life. So I'd like to do that more.There we have it.
Some practical, actionable steps towards a more joyful year! I'm hoping that really spending the time thinking about my needs will really help me find joy more easily in 2020.
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