Hey y'all!
In my
introductory post about The Simplicity Project, I mentioned that I would be starting this journey by working through Lara Casey's
Power Sheets to help me prioritize which areas of my life really needed the most of my attention right now.
Prepare for dramatic expression of satisfaction with a product in
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O' how I wish I could shout from the rooftops just how much these sheets have been an answer to my "sudden lack of focus" prayers! I tip my ridiculously large Scarlet O'Hara hat to my bloggity mentor
Lara Casey and her wonderful creative team. May your afternoons be filled with freshly squeezed lemonade and warm slices of pecan pie.
Ha!
Okay, I'm done.
But seriously, I recommend these sheets to anyone, male or female, who is in need of a little "kick in the pants" towards making their dreams a reality. The worksheets are guided by a video that is only available to people who have purchased them, and a series of blog posts that are open to the public on her blog. Whether you're a college student or a recent graduate, a newlywed or getting ready to celebrate your ten year anniversary, still tapping your pen on a blank notepad as thoughts swarm through your mind concerning your first book, or even trying to make your small business grow so you can spend more time with your family these sheets will help you. But only if you do them right!
Lara is specific about how she wants people to work through this process. The goal was about helping me make progress in reaching my dreams, not stressing me out by adding something else on my to-do list.
What I love most about the power sheets is that they called for me to identify my "core"; the reason
why I do what I do and want to reach certain goals.
My reason
why always focuses on God.
He is my core.
After realizing that He is the driving force behind anything I have a desire in my heart to do that also reflects His heart, the fear of accomplishing these goals went away. I was able to develop the following goals with a clear mind. Not saying it was a quick process. I think it took me at least four days to come up with each of these, and the final one was added only last weekend as I was getting this post together.
Below are the goals I plan to make significant progress on before this year ends, and I pray those of you who have a heart to do so will help me stay on track.
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Goal 1: I want to spend quality quiet time with God everyday, reading His word, listening to His wisdom and pouring out my heart to Him.
I love Him, and I know that if I am to be more like His Son and truly allow His Spirit to guide me, then I need to spend more time getting to know His character. He is the source of my every need and I cannot do anything without Him. If I do not allow myself to be focused on His will, then no other goal I want to accomplish matters.
Goal 2: I want to be fully-committed to investing in
my marriage spiritually, emotionally and physically. I want to do all I can to make sure our marriage is a representation of God's love and grace. The divorce rate in the U.S. is ridiculous, and it doesn't get any better with the Church. I know that God has great things in store for Shelton and I, but we must submit our marriage to Him completely in order to truly benefit from the beauty of being His children.
Goal 3: I want to spiritually, physically, and mentally prepare myself to bring
our little one into this world, and be the mother God has planned for me to be afterwards because he/she is a great gift from God, and He has entrusted us to guide him/her in His way. This privilege cannot be taken lightly.
Goal 4: I want to develop a solid and productive business plan, program development manual, and 2013-2014 program calendar for
Code BLUE Youth Mentoring, while encouraging and strengthening our Leadership Team. Organization and proper planning on our part means the greater the benefit will be for the girls who participate. We want to see their lives be truly changed, and the way they view themselves be transformed into the same way God sees them.
Goal 5: I want to live on a tighter budget when purchasing personal items because my money is not my own. Everything I have been given belongs to God, and I need to be a better steward of it all so I can help His people more. Even though I don't shop that often and I'm not into name brand items, I can still spend a pretty penny when it comes to going out to lunch with friends during the week. I feel like my schedule is so busy that my lunch break is the only time I can make time for catching up with old friends, or giving a kind ear to one of the young ladies from the college ministry who simply needs to talk. I guess this will force me to think of more creative ways to meet with them without it always being a lunch date.
Goal 6: I want to have the first draft of my book completed by November 1, 2013 because telling about the part of my life the book focuses on is not just a means of release for me, but it's about helping others overcome the hurt, feeling of emptiness, guilt, shame, confusion and grief that comes along with it.
Goal 7: I want to consistently encourage others by being as responsibly transparent as I can through my blog, and social media outlets. I never want these avenues of expression to be just about me. I want always pray about how my words and photographs will affect those who view them before I post them in hopes of uplifting them through the victories and failures of my journey.
Goal 8: In light of the distraction that can be birthed from Goal 7, I want to spend more time strengthening my friendships, and less time on social media simply killing time. Time is valuable. Time is precious. Though time if a gift from God, time is not free. Once it's gone; it's gone. I want to be more aware of the way I spend my time and recognize if it is glorifying God, or simply appeasing my flesh.
Goal 9: I want to cook healthier meals for our family and friends. Some people may feel that's a ridiculous goal since they know that I'm pretty good about monitoring what types of foods come in our home, but I know that I can do better. I have cooked things for others that I would never eat myself simply because I know they like it. That's called being an enabler. I know I can't control everything someone eats, but I can at least make an effort to control what they eat when I am the one preparing the meal. I also want to make more of an effort to eat better for myself overall and stick to a more defined exercise routine. This is important to me because I understand that God has only given me one body while on this earth and I need to take care of it.
Goal 10: I want to spend more time outside. This may sound like a rather silly goal, but I was looking through some of my
Instagram pictures recently and noticed just how much time I spend indoors. Nature is so beautiful and unique. I don't want to miss out on it splendor by keeping myself shut away.
Join me next week as I discuss how the Erin Condren
Life Planner has been helping me stick to some of these goals!
With A Servant's Heart,
Ashley Danielle
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