The more kiddos I have and the older I get, the more I realize how unproductive life is if you don't have a plan. There is satisfaction that comes with living your life intentionally - waking up each day with a focus and a plan. That's not to say your day will always go as planned or that you will accomplish everything you set out to do, but I do think more will be accomplished.
I have also begun to realize how important it is to live intentionally in other areas of life besides the daily to-dos (chores, errands, activities, etc.). One area that I have begun to focus on living intentionally is in relationships. Having five kiddos and living in the middle of nowhere with very little family close by does not lend to the mister and I having much one on one time with our kiddos. I also am a firm believer in the fact that we have a larger family so that we can be together! However, I do see the importance of focusing on each child - learning their strengths and weaknesses, getting to know their interests and helping them as they pursue those interests. To help me live intentionally in the area of relationships, I have added a relationship focus to my calendar. Each day, I try my best to focus on one particular person in my family. Since I have six (including the mister), it works perfectly to focus on a different person each day except Sunday. Waking up and praying especially for that one person is a great way to start my day focused on him. On that person's day, I write out the strengths that I see in him and find ways and opportunities to encourage and praise him in this. Then, I also write out his weaknesses and try to find opportunities to work with him or give him encouragement in this area. It has really changed the way I look at the people I love the most and has added purpose to the relationships I have with each of them. This idea of living intentionally within relationships can be applied to any and all relationships - husband, kids, friends, grandparents, etc. Wouldn't it be great to feel as though you have a purpose in your relationships and to see progress made in bridging some of the gaps that may have formed in some of these relationships?
Another area that I would like to live more intentionally in is my spiritual growth. There are many ways to do this. The way I have chosen to live intentionally in this area is by focusing on a book of the Bible to study through (Colossians), a passage of Scripture to memorize by the end of the month, and a character trait to work on (gentleness) this month. Choosing these three spiritual focuses has taken away that feeling of frustration I get when I know there is so much I need to work on, and so I try to tackle bits and pieces of everything all at once. This always leads to very little production because there is no focus or plan. I begin to just fly by the seat of my pants hoping that I'll eventually hit the magical button, or I end up quitting everything in frustration. Living intentionally within my spiritual growth has given me a sense of purpose and allowed me to see a little steady progress.
There are so many areas of life that we can apply this idea of living intentionally - our prayer lives, our organizational skills, our time management, etc. Don't try to tackle everything at once. Choose one or two areas to start with and take baby steps. It won't take long for you to see how profitable living intentionally can be, and it will change your entire perspective on life!
I have also begun to realize how important it is to live intentionally in other areas of life besides the daily to-dos (chores, errands, activities, etc.). One area that I have begun to focus on living intentionally is in relationships. Having five kiddos and living in the middle of nowhere with very little family close by does not lend to the mister and I having much one on one time with our kiddos. I also am a firm believer in the fact that we have a larger family so that we can be together! However, I do see the importance of focusing on each child - learning their strengths and weaknesses, getting to know their interests and helping them as they pursue those interests. To help me live intentionally in the area of relationships, I have added a relationship focus to my calendar. Each day, I try my best to focus on one particular person in my family. Since I have six (including the mister), it works perfectly to focus on a different person each day except Sunday. Waking up and praying especially for that one person is a great way to start my day focused on him. On that person's day, I write out the strengths that I see in him and find ways and opportunities to encourage and praise him in this. Then, I also write out his weaknesses and try to find opportunities to work with him or give him encouragement in this area. It has really changed the way I look at the people I love the most and has added purpose to the relationships I have with each of them. This idea of living intentionally within relationships can be applied to any and all relationships - husband, kids, friends, grandparents, etc. Wouldn't it be great to feel as though you have a purpose in your relationships and to see progress made in bridging some of the gaps that may have formed in some of these relationships?
Another area that I would like to live more intentionally in is my spiritual growth. There are many ways to do this. The way I have chosen to live intentionally in this area is by focusing on a book of the Bible to study through (Colossians), a passage of Scripture to memorize by the end of the month, and a character trait to work on (gentleness) this month. Choosing these three spiritual focuses has taken away that feeling of frustration I get when I know there is so much I need to work on, and so I try to tackle bits and pieces of everything all at once. This always leads to very little production because there is no focus or plan. I begin to just fly by the seat of my pants hoping that I'll eventually hit the magical button, or I end up quitting everything in frustration. Living intentionally within my spiritual growth has given me a sense of purpose and allowed me to see a little steady progress.
There are so many areas of life that we can apply this idea of living intentionally - our prayer lives, our organizational skills, our time management, etc. Don't try to tackle everything at once. Choose one or two areas to start with and take baby steps. It won't take long for you to see how profitable living intentionally can be, and it will change your entire perspective on life!
No comments:
Post a Comment