It really is true. Some people inspire us, while others completely drain us. Have you ever noticed that?
Our happiness, success and failure in life are greatly influenced by the people whom we spend our time with. We’re typically happier and more successful when we’re around other happy and successful people. (more…)
If you’re like me, your life is probably pretty busy. There are so many things we can be involved in and before we know it, we can easily be maxed out and in over our heads. Many of them are “have to’s” and others are just wants or desires… things we enjoy, would like to do, always wanted to learn, etc.
Sometimes we make ourselves busier than we need to be. We over-commit. There could be many reasons behind that, including not being able to say no or actually thinking we can do “just one more thing”. But in reality, we can’t be all things to all people and probably will not be effective if we try to participate in every opportunity that comes our way. (more…)
One of my favorite concepts taught by Elizabeth George is having 5 fat files.(from her book A Woman After God’s Own Heart)
You’re probably wondering what that means.
We can’t do everything, even though we often try or think we can. Sometimes we spread ourselves pretty thin, say yes to everything, do things that are outside of our gifting or calling, volunteer to help with everything, don’t say no, feel like if there’s a need we will be the only one who will fill it……you get the picture.
We totally ignore the Good, Better, Best principle. You know, where some things are good for you to do, others are better, and then finally, there are things in the best category. That’s where we would really like to invest our time and energy– God’s best for us. (more…)
I admit, I’ve been energized by my children being back in school. Before you think that I just want them out of here, that’s not really the case at all. I do miss them when they are gone and actually really miss our home school years—I wouldn’t trade those years for anything and often wish we were still learning together each day.
You’ve probably heard the sayings, “Failing to plan is planning to fail” or “If you aim for nothing, you’ll hit it every time”. That’s how I felt all summer. It was draining.
I know that I’m much more efficient and peaceful when I have a game plan for accomplishing all I need to do each day. ( I guess I should ‘fess up–I love it even more when it’s color-coded.) With 6 children still at home (#7 is off at college), you can imagine the busyness around our house. Not to mention little people stuff everywhere. It was really hard to be consistent and have my routine and structure to our days with the lazy days of summer. Some days I felt like I didn’t accomplish anything and it seemed that I never saw the bottom of Mt. Washmore. (more…)
What do you do for self-care? —taking time for yourself, something that energizes you, maybe relaxes you or helps you to feel more centered and balanced, renews you spiritually…….
If you had to rate your “self-care” on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best, what would you give it?
We have 7 children. One’s away at college, so there are only 6 at home, but between the running/busy schedule and Mt. Washmore, ummm, I mean laundry, it can feel like 16 some days. Sometimes it’s hard to have time for myself or to spend a lot of time doing things that I enjoy, just to do them. But, that’s what makes it even more essential that I find time for self-care. (more…)
A friend and I were talking the other day about a transition she is experiencing. Her role of primary caregiver for a family member has ended. It’s a really big transition for her and it has kind of thrown her and disrupted her life. All of a sudden, she has time to fill– yet she is not even sure where to begin. It’s like her identity has been shifted from underneath her. She is really struggling through this change.
We had a great conversation about some things she would like to make time for and how she envisions her life in the near future, as well as down the road. As we brainstormed and talked, she made an interesting self-discovery that I thought was probably applicable to many people. (more…)
Happy New Year!
Have you been busy organizing and getting a fresh start? I must admit, I really do like January first…….even though it’s just another day, something about it is so refreshing and really motivates me to reflect on the past year and think ahead to the new.
I also like the fact that it’s cold here and I usually stay home that day and get quite a bit done. This year I spent half the day in the storage room organizing it. It gets messed up from time to time and I have to go back in and organize it again. <<sigh>> (How in the world did we get so many stuffed animals and Barbie dolls? ) I have all sorts of things in there, like extra dishes, linens for the table, all of my supplies for making flower arrangements, some decorations, party supplies, our games, some toys, and extra sheets and blankets. (more…)
How do you spend your time?
There are so many things we can fill our lives with. Good things. There’s nothing wrong with that. But do our lives get so overcrowded with good things that we have no room for the best things? (more…)
Have you ever stopped to think about the things in your life that give you energy or that zap it right out of you?
Energy Drainers
Let’s start with energy drainers.
You can feel it…..your mood is different, you might dread something, you could feel pain and hurt…. It could be things in your environment such as clutter or disorder. What about unfinished projects? Or even things such as people, to-do lists, e-mail and text messages, unmet needs,emotions, pressure at work, distractions…….. (I think you get the idea). (more…)
Do you have OOPS?
Are you Overly Optimistic with your Planning?
