New Year’s Day is one of my favorite days to wake up early, grab the morning coffee, and sit down in the solace of my office. The New Year’s resolution became a thing of the past for me several years ago.
A resolution by definition is simply a firm decision to do or not to do something. Somewhere along the way, I resolved just to be the best me I could possibly be – every single day. That mindset allows for personal development decisions to pop up all year long!
Nevertheless, the first day of the year does not fail to put me in a reflective mood. There is a sense of relief when the hustle of the holidays is over. My mind is able to breathe for a moment and re-prioritize for the days ahead.
I am a person of many ideas so making a list of one to seven priorities is quite helpful. This year I’ve specifically chosen four life activities that are set to keep me moving toward my ultimate goal of complete wholeness. Three years ago I let this quote from Matthew Kelly’s book “Perfectly Yourself” mold my perspective of wholeness.
Wholeness: The sense that my life is one – not many parts or many compartments, but one loving, breathing, ordered life. Wholeness allows me to embrace who I am and at the same time strive to achieve all I am capable of achieving and become all I am capable of becoming. (Being content with who I am today and improving myself for tomorrow.)
I believe wholeness is attained when we find the delicate balance that allows both to coexist.
The list written with purposeful intention includes our home-based businesses, this blog, my service as a leader of a worship team as well as my recreational music. Each one serves different areas of my life. The list is set as a reminder on my phone and posted on the bulletin board in my office. The constant reminder helps to keep a boundary line established giving me the right to NO to the things that don’t apply to the particular items on my list.
- Home-based businesses require attention. If you don’t look at something, it will eventually wither away. Discipline and intention are crucial to their success.
- I have specific blocks of time set aside to write and pay attention to this blog. I learned through writing Escape from Darkness that a few hours a week will eventually get you to your goal! I made the decision to write for 3 hours every Wednesday morning. Two years later the book was published. The blog has been the same way. The decision was made to launch a blog, the time has been set aside to do it, and little by little it is getting a presence. Consistency is the key.
The blog also allows me to share myself from the most intimate place of the mind. This is therapeutic for me and nourishes my soul. If you have a desire to do something and never give it an opportunity to blossom, it becomes an actual heartache. I absolutely love the wisdom and insight I gain from other writers as they are willing to share themselves with the world.
3. Serving as a worship team leader at our church allows me to pull the gold out of other folks who are serving with their talents and loving hearts. The rewards are endless in serving others. We should always be willing to share our God-given talents with the world around us.
4. Finally, what I call my recreational music does nothing less than fill my soul. It has no creative boundaries of its own and it makes me happy from the inside out. It is gracious to let me run free and fly in the face of the unknown where anything is possible. I share that space with one of my best friends (who is recognized on my music page) . We share the common mindset of bringing peace and joy to our audiences through music.
I leave you with this encouragement. Make a purposeful list that is tailored specifically to serving the desires of your heart. Resolve to dedicate your time to the boundaries of that list. If something doesn’t fit within the perimeters of those boundaries, just say NO and by all means
Enjoy the Journey- VB
Happy New Year my friends!
“It is not that we have so little time but that we lose so much. … The life we receive is not short but we make it so; we are not ill provided but use what we have wastefully.”
― Lucius Annaeus Seneca, On the Shortness of Life
The challenges and rewards of blogging will bring out the best in you. If you have even a tiny desire to do such a thing, please don’t wait another minute. The time is going to pass anyway- make it count! This is where I started: You’re one click away!
