Doing the Hard Thing: Getting Organized this Fall with Kids

Our family, Fall of 2012

Doing the Hard Thing: Getting Organized this Fall with Kids

I love the Fall. I love a new rhythm of life and the possibility to serve my family well. Getting organized is more than aesthetics. It is about pressing on to be who God called us to be this season.

These are a few of the areas that can/could use organization.

Wardrobe • Kids grow so fast. Autumn is a great time to go through closets and see what still fits. The kids have always been my priority. This year, I took 15 minutes to go through my wardrobe and say goodbye to pieces that needed to be donated. It was a great use of my time and resources.

Finances • The kids are actively working on learning how to manage money. This Fall, we continue the conversation and the actions that will help them be great managers of the resources God gave them. As parents, we are determined not to shy away from being good stewards of the resources God has given us. I want to plan and prepare for the holiday season and all our current responsibilities.

Schedule • We revisited our Fall schedule before the summer break was over. It was because of that exercise that we cut back on some activities. We continue to monitor our schedule as a way to be good stewards of the time and energy God has given us. We can't do everything. What we can do, we will do it to the best of our ability.

Friends • You probably have seen a meme of two about how adults are too busy to keep up with friends. They are funny because they are true. The Fall is a great season to rekindle friendships. There is no need to burden one's schedule. All it takes is to simply tell a friend: "I am thinking about you. I appreciate our friendship. Have a great day!" Use your preferred method of communication and hit send. I have the habit or writing letters to my friends. I plan on sending some happy mail out before the end of the year. I am really good about honoring my kids' friendships and encouraging them to find and maintain good friends. Depending on our kids social calendars, there is little time for our own. I believe we can find a happy balance by keeping simple. Just tell a friend you are still available to be a friend.

Faith • A lot of Bible studies start Fall studies this time of year. This is a great opportunity to grow and mature in our faith. The Fall is a great time to catch up on late Bible reading. If for some reason you stopped going to church, go back this Fall. God's house is open and ready to receive you. Be sure it is a Bible-believing church.

Goals • My husband found our 2015 goals the other day. Reading them brought great memories of our lives back then. We wanted to see something new and we planned on doing just that through our goals. I do not want to forget the goals I set in January. The Fall is the time to revisit them and find the perfect strategy to finish the year strong. No matter how big the goal, we can accomplish a lot of we decide to execute the strategy we choose.

 

Food • The Listenbee Family kitchen takes on a different note during the Fall. We wait until it gets cooler to cook denser foods. My husband has a delicious pumpkin cake he only prepares during the Fall. We share pumpkin-flavored treats with our neighbors. My challenge is to use seasonal vegetables weekly. I believe eating seasonally can bring a lot of joy to our palate.

Travel • We travel to see family during the holiday season. We decided to plan and prepare ahead of time. You can't plan early for any trip or travel especially when the entire family is involved.

How about you? What are the areas of your life that can use organization this Fall?

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Intuitive Goal Setting

Today is my birthday! I'm grateful to God for another year of life! He is so good and I'm overflowing with gratitude today! 

Here is a new podcast. It is my gift to you! I pray it encourages you as you reach your 2023 goals:

Show Notes: 

Practicing intuitive goal setting: 

Take a look at my current schedule - Ask, "can my current schedule take me and my family where we need to go?" 

Adjustment as needed - Take a look at your schedule and see how many hours you have available during the day. Match those hours with the projects you want to accomplish this year. 

Keep what is working - Some things in your schedule may be working. For me, menu planning and food prepping are really working and giving me the results I need. Having free time to visit neighbors is currently working as well. 

Write goals - this is the last step!

Be sure to share your goals with family or someone who can account for your ability to achieve these goals.

• Don't forget: my book "Journey to Bravery" is available on Kindle. 

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Goals: Small steps, big leaps

I'm between a travel week and a moving week. I'm reminded of the importance of following the steps that will lead me to my goals for the year. 

I am aware that having grace is important. I'm also aware that the steps that led me to where I am will continue to lead me to where I am supposed to be. What do I mean?

Listen to this episode here:

I don't think it is wise to abandon my dreams just because I am traveling or moving. Let's take moving for example. 

For years, getting organized was a goal of mine. I found a system that works for me. I kept using the same system and over the years, my life has become more organized. Organization and order are two things I need to move effectively. It makes sense to stick with what works. Why? The benefits of this lifestyle I chose. Moving hasn't been hard. Living with endless clutter is hard. Not having a great decluttering system is hard. I am encouraged to stick with it. 

I am learning that the benefits of staying organized outweigh the proclivity to let my systems go. I can't abandon my systems. 

Consider the example of traveling. Traveling can be what you want it to be. I enjoy traveling. I also enjoy feeling good while I travel. My mindset is: how can I feel good (not sick to my stomach because of food or lifestyle choices) while I travel? In order to feel good, I learned what to order when we eat out. I learned how to choose my indulgences. I also learned to rest so I can have the energy to enjoy the trip. 

While I did not go to the gym, I took a walk one day. The trip included a lot of walking so I decided not to push too hard. I had been super faithful to my workouts. I also knew not to turn back to the life of a couch potato I used to have. 

I took a water bottle and aimed to drink at least 2 a day. I can't tell you how great I felt because I was hydrated. Small thing that made us all feel amazing. 

My systems were not identical to the ones I have at home. The benefits I enjoyed because of the systems in place were incredible. I was so excited about feeling well before, during and after the trip! 

One of my big realizations was that I no longer needed to obsess about a certain food item. Food will always be there. How I feel is way more important. One day, everyone except for me was eating fried chicken. Historically, fried foods and I haven't been great friends. When I was asked why I didn't want to share, I said, "I know I won't feel well if I eat chicken, so I'm choosing a variety of veggies instead." My choice was the best thing I could have chosen for myself. Instead of thinking "I'm gonna miss out if I don't eat this food item!" I thought: "what will I gain if I eat the foods that will make me feel well?" 

I'm not sure if you are thinking about your goals for the year. I am encouraged to think about small steps that can lead me to the results I want to see. 

Small steps add up to big leaps towards your goals.

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Best practices to reach your goals

 We all want to reach our goals for the year. 

What are the best practices to reach each one of our goals? Listen to this episode. 

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Goal Analysis

I'm often ready to plan for the new year's goals by now. This year, I feel like I need to make peace with the year that is ending. Listen to this episode I call "Goal Analysis." The questions I mention can be found here. 

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2021 Goals: update

Listen to the episode here:

There are exactly 11 weeks until the end of 2021. The count down to reach those January goals goes on. Here are a few updates on my 2021 goals. 

Faith Goals • My faith goals include read the entire Bible as well as study two books: one in the New Testament and one in the old. During these 11 weeks I am committing to studying one Old Testament book. Our church is in the middle of a 21-day fast (yes!) so together, we are reading the Bible as well. It's been delightful and so good for my soul. 

Family • My family goals have a lot to do with spending quality time with the family. My goals are pretty much on track, except I need to pick and stick with some small but great books to read with the kids. We all read independently quite a bit. I need to pick those books and mark this goal as done. My other goal is to go on a certain number of dates. I'd say Zeke and I are on track. No matter how busy we are, we have been very intentional with going on dates.

Fitness • I was really encouraged today because I am 4 seconds away from running a comfortable 9:15 minute per mile pace. I'm grateful. I also noticed that if I aim for nothing I will hit it every time. My WW Lifetime goal has been dragging since the beginning of the year. I am determined to finish this year at my goal weight. I am sticking with the plan and I have real people who hold me accountable. I'm not giving up! 

Business • This year, I set 4 business goals. I am trying not to be discouraged about them. Often, I set goals then I look at them and ask "what was I thinking?" Then, I get over that very thought and I go to work. Lately, I've been having to work on my mindset. I have no doubt that God will continue to bless me if I decide that He is faithful and He will empower me to do what I need to do. Keep this area of my goal setting in your prayers. Thank you.

Other • This category includes travel and entertaining goals. Believe it or not we have reached both goals. I hope we don't stop both because it happened sooner than later. 

I hope you know that there is so much time to accomplish your goals and to make a big dent on becoming the person you want to be. Let's have a "can do" mindset and let's be sure that our daily priorities align with such mindset. 

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How to make progress towards your goals

There are 16 weeks until the end of the year. 115 days to be exact. This is plenty of time to make progress towards your goals.  How do you find inspiration to go on, no matter what happened thus far in 2021? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Look ahead. Remember that time you got in your car to drive somewhere but you kept looking at the rearview mirror? You don't, correct? If you proceed to do what I described, you will cause an accident. You can't make progress towards your goals while looking back at your past. I know. 2020 was a difficult year. If you must look back, take time to learn from your hardships. Once you do, make peace with what was and press on to what's ahead. Every time I see my kids distracted while walking, I tell them "pay attention to where you are going." I believe you and I can use the same warning. Look ahead. There's more and you can rise stronger.

2. Defined steps. Each goal requires a next step. When I wrote my 2021 goals, I decided to write down the steps required to achieve them. One of my goals for the year was to redesign my blog. The required step was to find a design I liked. The next step was to buy that design. Once I bought the design, the next step was to install that design. After these three steps, my goal was accomplished. I still have some goals in progress. I am writing a book. My next step today is to schedule 45 minutes to simply write. Each step will get me to my goal of completing the book. Define your steps my friend. What is your next step?

3. Reliable accountability. Let's face it, it is difficult to show up day and after day and do what needs to be done to achieve your goals. You get tired. Things go wrong. You have a bad day, a bad week. Because we were made for community, reliable accountability is the answer. The right accountability group can help you be accountable for your ability. It is not about having someone call you at 6 am to remind you to work out. It is having friends who will walk with you and remind you to develop your potential. The next question I often get is, where do I find these people? They are doing what you want to do. If you want to run, they are part of your town's running group. When I wanted to study the Bible, my accountability partners were members of my community's Bible Study. When I decided to lose weight, I found accountability with WW. I encourage you to find someone to account for your ability to reach your goal.

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Mid-year Goal Check: here it goals

Let's talk about goals? 

I wrote about my 2021 goals but I didn't tell you what they were. Today, I want to share my goal-setting mindset, my mid-year update, and how I plan to achieve these and more goals. 

I used to set complex goals in the past. I decided to simplify my goals. The mindset is to have precise categories and two items under each one. The goals are stretch goals, as it will take some effort to accomplish them. Here it goals!

Faith

• Read the Bible in a year • In progress. I'm a little late but I am plan on catching up so I can finish one time.

• Study 2 books of the Bible NT and one OT • As soon as I finish a few writing projects, I'm going to start on this.

* this year, I am enjoying encouraging others in their faith walk. I'm also enjoying sharing what I've learned with peers and mentees. I believe that we are not meant to walk alone in our journey of faith. I also believe that I can be a blessing to the people God sends my way.

Family

• Read 6 books with the kids • We are reading but not together. I want to say we started 3 books and finished zero. The good news is that the kids are reading and I am reading. I need to coordinate our reading time to reach this goal before December 31.

• Schedule 4 dates a month • I'm not counting dates as I should but I can say that we are doing really well. We are averaging 4 dates a month and in the previous 6 months, sometimes we went on 5 or 6. * I'm grateful to God for our family. I'm trying to do what it takes to be a blessing in word and deed. I'm learning that when I change, I can be a better blessing to my family.

Fitness

• Run a comfortable 9:15  minute per mile pace • I'm not there yet because I chose the word comfortable. I also started CrossFit, which wasn't in the radar when I wrote these goals. We work on speed during CrossFit. Yay me!

• Arrive (and stay) at WW Lifetime by March of 2021 (September) • I'm 4 months overdue with this one. I am making progress. The new date is September. I'm focusing on this big time. It's time to make some great advancements towards my health goal. * I'm so close to reaching my health goal. I'm grateful for the support I have. I have a free month of WW to offer you if you'd like to give it a try. Click here

Business 

• Redesign my Blog • I did this!

• Write at least one book • In progress. When I finish I will tell you all about it. I want to actually start another one once I complete book number 1.

* I'm willing to put in the effort. I believe that goals help us be accountable for the blessings we have received. I have another business goal I am keeping to myself.

Other 

• Travel 5 times this year at least • so, we completed this but we are not done traveling for the year. We had to postpone one trip. I'm all about short-distance travel as well. The world is our parish, right?

• Host fun dinner parties • so far, I have hosted 2 super fun dinner parties. I have plans to host two more. * The "other" category was meant for things that do not fit in the previous ones. Sometimes, I sporadically write goals and it has been fun to see them happen.

Have you looked at the goals you set for yourself in January? How can you adjust your approach so they can happen?

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Diligence

"The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, 

while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied." Proverbs 13:4 (ESV)

The past 150 plus days have been challenging to say the least. I remember wanting to write here more. My time was spent caring for my sweet family and working a lot. I quickly realized that if I didn't take care of myself, I wouldn't last. 

I became diligent to take care of myself. Why diligence? Diligence is steady and careful application, proper attention or care. Diligence is the degree of care required in a given situation. 

My given situation was not simple but worthy of diligent effort on my part. I was working full-time, in and out of my home and the kids needed to complete their online learning. The house needed to be cleaned. All our food needed to be cooked. I also knew I had to take care of my health instead of letting go of my nutrition and fitness goals. 

I made up my mind to be diligent. I would set goals for each one of those areas and I would apply myself steadily and carefully. Here's what diligence looked like in the mentioned areas:

Work - I decided to do my best during work hours. I decided to fully focus on each task at hand. I decided to remember that I could stop and continue to work the following day. 

Kids school - I decided I was not going to be school junior. I'm one person. At school, my kids have access to multiple professionals to help help them. I'm one person. I decided to do my best to help them but I knew I was never going to measure up to the help they get a school. This simple thought freed me to be myself and to help them the best I could. I created a schedule for the kids to complete their work. I reminded them to work hard and have fun later. Thank God, they worked hard and finished well. 

Housekeeping - I can write about this topic endlessly. I will tell you about my linen closet. It was driving me crazy for 150-something days. It was disorganized and (surprise) I didn't have time to clean it. I realized that we were not using that closet as much as we used other areas of our home. I left the linen closet alone and focused my energy on the rest of the house. I also realized that my kids can actually help me to get the house cleaned. I counted on their help and we all enjoyed our home as a result. The week before the kids went back to school, I was able to find some extra time. I decided to dedicate it to the linen closet. It is now clean and organized. The big lesson was to focus on the areas we all used. Ask for help. Wait until there is extra time to dedicate to projects such as a closet most people will never see.

Food - my husband and I took turns cooking for the family. He is so good, I wonder why we ever consider going out to eat. We created a menu and we truly enjoyed all our family meals. It took diligence to create a menu, shop for the ingredients and actually cook the food. The result of diligence in this area meant family togetherness. 

Health - I decided to take my health seriously by attending WW virtual meetings and putting in the effort to care for my health. It was hard but I got healthier during covid. I will always remember this experience as my "I can" season. I can succeed although life seems uncertain. I can take care of my health despite stressful times. I can because I want to be healthier to serve God and my family. 

Fitness - this actually kept sane. I've always said running is for sanity not vanity. I enjoyed getting out and just running for fun. 

Is there an area of your life that needs proper attention and care? I suggest diligence. It is a concept that can't be bought. You need to decide you want it bad enough to take steps towards succeeding. I am here to tell you that no matter how difficult the circumstances around you, you can thrive with diligence inside you.

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Goal consistency

I love setting goals. The process of setting goals is fun because involves dreaming. The process of making those goals become reality is not so fun because it involves consistency. 

A reader once asked me to write about achieving goals, with consistency and grace for yourself. Today, I'd love to share a few strategies of mine. 

Failure is my greatest teacher in goal setting. Every time I failed, I learned what it means to try again and again. I remember acquiring joy for new beginnings. Mornings, Mondays, Minutes were all chances to try again. Failure can be a good teacher if we decide to learn from it. Don't be discouraged by failure, make it your teacher. 

Vision is necessary in achieving your goal. Without it, you lose sight of the importance of the small, day-to-day tasks. I remember working on a challenging goal along with a group. A lot of members gave up on the goal and dropped out of the process. I remember their discouraging words about the process I continued to follow. I mostly remember the vision I had for myself. That vision allowed me to press on and continue to make progress towards my goal. Let your vision become greater than your excuses and you will see how much easier it is to pursue a goal. 

When I really want to achieve a goal, I make room for that goal in my life. How does grace become part of this journey? I see grace as the empowerment to start again each day. Although working towards a goal has a compound effect, you don't really see it until you completely reach the goal. You need the power to start again each morning. To work tirelessly until you see your goal realized. Grace will get you there. 

What are your strategies for achieving your goals with grace and consistency?

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Marathon training: from friendliness to deep friendships

Marathon training season starts in a few weeks. This will be officially the first season I won't train with my old running group. 

Although I moved after last year's training season started, I went back for a few key runs. I also became a virtual head coach instead of an in-person coach. I guess I was ahead of my time, considering all of this COVID-19 stuff.

I finished what I started (thank God) and marathon number 6 was a wrap.

I decided to sign up for another marathon this Winter because I thought it would be a good goal to pursue. Before the official training starts, I am working on eliminating extra body weight.

I have run enough to know that the extra weight only impedes my progress. I don't want to be on weight loss mode all my life. I want to reach my goal and proceed to maintenance. I have a great chance to reach my weight loss goal and I will reach it before the end of the year.

Back to running. I'm glad I learned a lot about myself these past 6 marathons. I know how to run with a group and I know how to run alone. 

Both skills are very important. My thing is, I don't want to be stuck. I need to be able to adapt to my surroundings so I can reach my running goals. 

One time, the weather was awful and I ran 17 miles on a treadmill. I don't recommend it but that experience taught me to press on and accomplish my goal.

Running with a group is an acquired skill. The running community is generally friendly. The problem some people run into is turning that friendliness into deep friendships. Some runners remain acquaintances after decades of running together. Others develop deep friendships that last a lifetime. 

I don't think there is a secret to developing deep friendships with people. It all depends on the individual and where they are in life. I will write more about this in a later post. 

As a newcomer to a group, you will notice small groups in existence. Most groups are friendly and they do not mind you running with them. Some groups say they are friendly but they are really closed groups running in public. 

It doesn't take long for me to figure out these dynamics. I often ask myself, "should I try to belong to this group who clearly does not want me to be part of them or do I find another way?" 

That's when my skill of running solo or with a group comes in handy. I've had to do both and I'm okay with both. What I try not to do is to be hurt because a group or a person does not want me to run with them. 

Running doesn't discriminate but runners sometimes do. Reaching my running goals while cultivating a forgiving heart is better than getting frustrated with trying to belong to a closed running group.

I've learned to pray about everything, running included. My prayer is that God will lead me to the right people and vice-versa. When I focus on the vice-versa part of the equation, I feel better.

For example, I noticed a lot of people around me were trying to belong to the running community. I thought about my experiences as a runner and as a minority runner. I decided to be a safe space, an encouraging force to anyone who will receive me. I decided to act on this belief.

I verbalize the following: "I am glad you are here. You belong. You don't have to jump any hoops or do anything special to be part of us. You belong just as you are and we want you to feel you are part of us.  Here is my number if you ever need it."

This statement makes my heart's intentions crystal clear. I also find that instead of waiting for someone to do this for me, I can freely offer it to others.

Focusing on the positive is the best way to live and run.

This training season will be different. I dearly miss the familiarity of my old running group. Still, I will learn more about myself. I will bring all that I am to my upcoming training season.

Most runners I met in the past are great people. I met a lot of welcoming, genuine people. My share of bad experiences does not represent the overwhelming good I receive from the running community.

I am thankful for what was. I look forward to what will be. I am committed to being a force for God's goodness in my local running community. I want to be welcoming, encouraging and I want to see my friends reach their running goals.

Here's to a brand new long-distance running season. My heart is free, my whole being is ready to accomplish another marathon. 

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When Spiritual Discipline is Tough

Let's put on our humanity for a second and agree that sticking with Spiritual Discipline can be tough. What I call Spiritual Discipline, you may call quiet time. You also may call it devotional. Whatever the label, making it a habit is challenging.  

What is the secret of the super saints? You and I know there are those among us who never fail at their Spiritual Discipline habit. Or so we think.

Everyone gets discouraged: Moses got mad. Elijah hid. Esther hesitated in doing what God called her to do. Peter and the disciples fell asleep at the top of the mountain. Ops!

We also have examples of people who did great. They remind us of what is possible. Daniel prayed three times a day. Jesus prayed early in the morning. John Wesley's mom kept the prayer habit going while mothering and homeschooling 17 children.

So what is the secret of sticking with Godly habits day in and day out? I'd say try a couple of things but do not fail to start with this:

1. Ask God to help you. I'm not sure if a lot of us who are trying to connect with God, ask Him for help. God will speak to you and He will give you the strategy you need to make this work. 

2. Start small. Everyone has a spiritual superhero. The one I admire prays for 4 hours a day. I can't begin to tell you that I would love to do that but right now, I'm working full-time, I have a business of my own and I have a husband and kids. These are not excuses, these are facts of life. Starting small means starting where I am. Praying before everyone wakes up. Once the kids are grown, I bet I'll be able to carve more and more time to pray. Will I start at 4 hours? I'm sure it would be wonderful. Starting small is also a wonderful thing to do. God does look at the heart, not at the number of hours we are trying to pile up in prayer. 

3. Ask a friend you admire how they make it work. I often ask like-minded people about their devotional life. I ask my mentors questions. They tell me how they made time for God when their kids were little. I learn a lot from my friends, family, and mentors. I'm here to tell you that there are people out there who are seeking God and pressing on to know Him. Ask them questions. 

4. Got interruption from kids? Ask them to join you! I never forgot about the story of John Wesley's mom. She trained her kids to know that when she had her apron on top of her head, they were to give her some space because she was praying. She was also hands-on with their Christian education. If you find that your kids are interrupting you, ask them to join you. The word of God is for everyone. The spirit receives it with joy. There is nothing wrong with exposing kids to what you read in the Bible as well as letting them hear your prayers. Thank God I heard the prayers of my mother. I'm seeing the answers right now. How would I know unless she involved me in her devotional life? 

5. Set an alarm. If you have a problem remembering to set aside time for God, set an alarm as a reminder. When that alarm sounds, grab your Bible, get on your knees, get in the presence of God. Soon, this will become a habit and you will not need the alarm. 

6. Start with 5 minutes and increase the amount of time slowly. If spending time in Spiritual Discipline is a foreign concept to you, start with praying and reading your Bible for 5 minutes then increase the amount of time slowly. The goal is to slowly "taste and see that the Lord is good." 

7. Join a group - When I want encouragement, I join a group. When I joined a Bible study group, I was encouraged to study the Bible on my own. I was also surrounded by people who like me, wanted to spend time with God on a regular basis. The group can't do Spiritual Discipline for you but they can encourage you to do it. 

8. Read a book - There are wonderful books about studying the Bible, prayer, and fasting out there. I often read books related to each discipline. Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster covers them all and he will stretch your thinking too. If you want other book recommendations, send me a message and I will give you some solid books to read. The books I read are recommended by my mentors. These books really helped me pursue God with more passion and joy. These books are simply a tool. The Bible is my main book. God is the One I seek to know, worship, and serve with joy. 

9. Teach what you learn - The best way to master a subject is to teach what you learn. If you have kids, teach them. If you have friends, tell them about what you are learning. If you are a Sunday School teacher, teach your students. I know you have a lesson plan. You can enhance that lesson with the things you are learning from God as you practice Spiritual Discipline. Our faith in Jesus is active. Jesus always taught many things. We need to teach others too. It doesn't take a degree or an actual classroom. We are called to spread the good news of Jesus by simply teaching what we learn. Teaching can be as simple as a conversation with a friend who is feeling stuck in her devotional life. "Have you thought about reading the Bible?" is something I often ask. Then I tell her the why (if you want to know God, you need to read His Book) and how (I recommend a 15-minute Bible reading plan). I'm encouraging you to teach what you learn my friend. 

10. Don't let yourself get lazy - As a Bible lover and teacher, I hear people sometimes say they get lazy with their Spiritual Discipline. Getting lazy is the same thing as knowing you have to sweep a room and you don't quite do it well. There's dirt in the corners. The broom did not cover every square inch available. Just a lazy type of job! Getting lazy is different than getting discouraged. The lazy person will crack their Bible open. They'll check the reading on her to-do list. They will go to Bible Study and complain that the reading is boring. The solution is not to let yourself get stuck in that place. When you feel yourself getting there, ask God to help you. Tell Him how your heart feels. You basically say, "restore unto me, the joy of thy salvation." God will answer your prayer and give you Divine direction. Reading the Bible is not supposed to feel like an amusement park ride daily. It is also not meant to be boring. As you ask God for direction, He promises to lead you and guide you in the way you should go. God will challenge your mind and your understanding of His word. He will take you deeper than before. It is up to you not to let yourself get lazy and continue in the most rewarding journey you can have on this side of life. 

I sincerely hope these tips can help you be encouraged in your Spiritual Discipline. Let me know if you try any of these and what you discover. One thing I know for sure, God is a rewarder of those who seek Him. He will be found by you my friend. 

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Priorities and Standards

Balancing work and life? Forget it. Let's talk about priorities and standards. Enjoy this episode my friend!

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Resolve

"Life doesn't care that you set a goal. 

Life will give you obstacles. 

How you handle these obstacles 

is the key to making progress towards your goals." 

from my post "Don't give up"

The sound of a baby crying announces the arrival of a new life. Each time I heard my children use their vocal cords for the first time, I knew life was brand new for all of us. 

The sound of fireworks always announce the arrival of a new year. No matter if I'm in the States or in Brazil, that sound reminds me of the new opportunity ahead. Life can be brand new. 

We make preparations for this new year. Some choose a word for the year. Others, like myself, set goals. Many follow new year rituals that will hopefully bring them luck and riches. 

I wish life cared about all these things I just mentioned. Life doesn't care that you set a goal. Life simply gives you obstacles. How you handle these obstacles is the key to making progress towards reaching your goals. 

You need more than a goal in hand this year. You need to have resolve. Resolve is the result you get when your courage is tested. If you pass this test, you will gain wisdom. 

I have been setting goals for many years. Each time, my courage has been tested. It seems as if life tells me "oh you have a goal? How cute. Let's see how bad you want to accomplish your goal." As I face each barrier, I become a student of myself. 

I don't take my defeats as final but as grounds for growth. I tell myself, "if you can learn, you can grow." 

Resolve is the result you get when your courage is tested. If you pass the test, you gain wisdom. 

This year, you will face obstacles. I don't want you to be surprised by them. I have learned to list obstacles that will most likely stop me from reaching my goals. Once I list those obstacles, I write down  a list of ways to overcome those obstacles. 

What about the unexpected obstacles that come our way? We trust God to infuse us with grace to face each one. He is a very present help in times of trouble. God is for us, no matter what we face. 

As you enjoy this new year God is giving you, remember there are new opportunities ahead. Only those with resolve will be able to face difficulties and reach their goals. 

Resolve is the result you get when your courage is tested. You will pass your test. You will gain wisdom.

Related Podcasts:
• New Year New Goals
• Ten Ideas to navigate a difficult year
• How to discern your priorities for the new year (includes a free handout)
• Reach your goals with these 3 questions

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Now that Christmas is over

Now that Christmas is over, we can talk about 2020 goals.
Everything I read is encouraging me to start now.
Even when we start being who you want to be immediately, it is important to remember the following:

Navigate your barriers • there will be barriers on your way. You can become an expert in navigating around them and arriving at your determined destination.
Own your life •  when you work on your goals, you are owning your life. You will change as a result. People might wonder why. Let them wonder. Keep owning the life you are building for yourself through your good habits.
Wait patiently for results • results will come. Wait patiently for them. Don't give up. Don't surrender. Be patient and enjoy the results of your hard work.

Now that Christmas is over, it is time to think about your goals. Write them down and start working on them immediately. Small steps will lead you there. 

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