Blogtober Day 4: Goals and Lifestyle

 

   I've always admired that quote by JRR Tolkien in the Lord of the Rings.  There are so many quotes out there about time.  I remember as a teenager I kept a collection of quotes on my wall and tried hard to be intentional about my time.  Back then I had no idea how much faster time goes as you get older...  how much less of it you feel like you have with every passing day.

   I've realized that after a really busy summer, I've landed somewhat in a rut.  I don't really have a set routine, I've really put my health and my plans on the backburner and just kind of coasted through.  I really miss routine.  I miss being proud of myself at the end of the day, and I miss so much just knowing that I put forth my best effort every single day.  

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” – Colossians 3:23-24

   At first, I was going to come on here and vent about my shortcomings...  but I realized that would not help anything at all!  So instead of continuing to beat myself up for what I haven't done well, I'm going to make a list of goals on what I want to do better- and go from there.  I believe that's more productive.  I took some time the other day to sit and write my goals down, and I want to share them here and keep track and accountability from time to time on my goals!

   We only have three months left in 2025, so instead of making resolutions starting January 1st, I want to meet some goals by the end of 2025!  

   So, here goes nothing!

Health Goals 

• Exercise daily  I have zero excuses for this one.  I did make a great decision though.  I've followed soooo many minimalists over time that keep saying 'no exercise equipment in your bedroom' which is probably a good rule and I'm not knocking anyone for doing it...  but I'm not going to take the time to go the gym in this season of my life- nor would I use the equipment if it was in the garage or the outdoor building.  So for now, the treadmill and my new elliptical machine is in my bedroom.  So I have no excuses not to use them!
• Get better sleep This is something I'm going to have to be intentional about.  99% of my bad habits are tired to staying up too late and watching tv in my bedroom.  Snacking late, staying up late, and getting up too late.  If I could eliminate that one thing- TV in bed, then I would be able to reach my goals more easily.  So I'm planning on swapping TV for a book, and see how that goes.  
• Cook more often and eat out less This all comes down to meal planning.  If I don't have meals planned, I'm going to go get takeout.  So I need to be intentional about sitting down, making plans, ordering groceries and planning to cook.  
• Stop diet drinks and energy drinks This will be slow and so much easier said than done!  I'm going to become a coffee drinker, and stop these drinks, but I'm going to give myself some grace in doing this because I really love Diet Dr Pepper and Celcius!
• Ground daily I'm a firm believer that God intended us to actually touch the earth.  When my husband and I first started researching grounding we make it a point to go outside and just touch the ground everyday.  I've gotten out of the habit of that, and intend to start back!  I'll blog more about this later, since this is just a quick list with a lot of information!

Finances

• Shop in person instead of online If I got to the store to purchase something, I'm far more picky than if I shop online.  Also, if there is the 'pay in four' option, I'm likely to take it.  I'm not proud, we all fall into these I believe, but its really a terrible thing to be in debt for 'things'.  So I'm ready to make better shopping habits, and try to shop in person vs online, with the exception of groceries and household items.  More details later!
• Meal plan and eat at home This goes with health and finances.  We spend way too much money eating out when we could use that same money and eat for a lot less at home!
• Focus on our dream My husband and I have never bought a house.  We have moved a lot and for a lot of years we have lived in a parsonage.  We LOVE our parsonage and don't plant to move anytime soon, but we would like to buy a home either closer to the coast as a retirement/vacation property, or in the mountains near our families.  That's our dream in the next two years, so I need to focus on that instead of buying 'stuff'

Relationships

• Prioritize my relationship with God.  I think that since we are the pastoral family, most just assume that we have it all together.  I'm here to tell you, I don't.  I spend a LOT Of time serving in ministry, but not nearly enough time working on my personal relationship with God.  This deserves a blog post in itself, and it will have one..  but that's my top relationship priority right now.  Your relationship with God is where all other relationships stem from.  So that needs to be my top priority!

• Spend quality time with my kids We are busy people.  We have a very busy church with a lot going on.  Sometimes we come home and just crash.  I already have one daughter who has moved out and has a family of her own.  That will really show you how fast they grow up!  While I still have kids at home, I want to spend so much time with them.  I want to play all those board games we have.  I want to watch movies together.  I want to cook together.  We do spend a lot of time together, but I want to extend that by so much.  I have a LONG blog post to share on time, and that is how I intend to make this happen.  
• Go on actual date nights with my husband We live in an area where we can be in Greenville in 25 minutes, Tarboro in 12, Wilson in 25 and rocky Mount in 30.  We have lots of place we can go eat and we do that often, especially since we are at a place in our lives that our kids can stay home alone.  However, we never get dressed up and go out on actual 'dates'.  I want to get better at this, and be intentional about it.  
• Send cards to family and friends We have a good friend who always sends cards for every occasion, and I want to be that person!  There's something so sweet and personal about getting a card, and I want to be the person who brightens my loved ones days!\

Lifestyle

•  Declutter I will blog about this a lot.  We decluttered our house back in 2021 and have been doing it ever since.  Once again, this will be a blog post all of its own, but it is life changing to minimize the amount of things you have to take care of!
• Create and prioritize a morning and evening routine This is so important!  And something I've needed to do for awhile.  I will always remember early on in life I heard that a good morning actually starts the evening before, so I know that I have to create both in order for either one to work.  I've heard so many people say that the key to success is a good morning routine, so that' something I'll be working on, and blogging often about.  I think it's so important!
• Be diligent about my prayer and gratitude journal as someone who loves to write (as you can clearly see!) I love to write out my prayers.  Years ago I kept a prayer and gratitude journal, and that's something I have gotten away from.  I think this is very important, and something to add to my morning routine as well.
• Give myself time for my hobbies, and don't feel guilty for it This is really confusing, but I tend to feel guilty when I'm doing things just for my own benefit.  I guess that comes from being a Mom and a stay at home wife.  Somehow I make myself feel like I always need to be doing things around the house or doing things for my family.  Which is great to do those things!  But I also need time to enjoy my hobbies (blogging!) and not feel like I'm not being productive.  I know that sounds crazy but its an honest struggle of mine, and I'm being very honest here!
• Reduce screen time dramatically I'm just going to leave this here and say to expect a very long, honest blog about this next week...  I've been writing it in my head for a months now, and this week I'm going to get it out in writing and actually start an intentional plan.  I am tired of wasting so much of my life looking at a phone.  I'm so ready to make some changes....

This seems like a lot, but again I'm very wordy!  But these are my goals and I'll check in from time to time in order to keep myself accountable!  What things are you wanting to change?  Is the end of the year not the perfect time to do this??  Hope some of you will join me for Blogtober!