While sipping on some peppermint tea in hopes of fighting off the sore throat I woke up with, I am reminded of the simple things in life. As cliche as it sounds each day is a gift and while most of us are busy 95% of the time we are awake, we are truly blessed to be living the lives we live. Second, tea is extremely comforting. Not only for my sore throat but for my soul. I drink peppermint tea because of my sister. She is a huge advocate of peppermint tea and I am now learning why. There is something calming about the cool refreshing mint taste delivered in a steaming warm beverage.
I have to be honest and say that I have not lived up to the expectations I set out for myself in this journey. I am not discouraged because I know that in these moments of struggling I am learning more about myself and who I want to be. I have come to the realization that I have heard from my mom for years: I am really hard on myself. Regardless of what I am doing I like to be doing things to the best of my ability and I get upset when I fall short. This reminds me that I am human. I will not have enough time to have coffee with every friend or finished every project at work in one day. Part of being able to do things to the best of my ability is by saying no. This is hard for someone like me who likes to make everybody happy. By saying no I am allowing myself to be more invested in the things I do say yes to. I am able to be more present in the time I spend with others. I often catch myself saying "Sorry I missed your call" or sending a text back to a friend "Hey I was away from my phone when you texted me" when did apologizing for not being available 24/7 become instinctual? I want to challenge myself to become unplugged from the craze of social media and technology.
One verse that was repeated in the sermon this weekend was Deuteronomy 6:5 "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."I am saying yes to this. People often say if you want to know what a person cares about look at their calendar and wallet. The expression is used to imply that people are "who and what they invest their time and money in." I want to be invested in God. By choosing this I am choosing to say no to the customs of this world (Romans 12:2) don't worry I am not going to run off and join a third world refugee project. I believe that God has called me to be where I am. This does mean that I am going to make choices that may look different than those of my past and I am asking those in my life to support me in this uncertain time. I am scared of the crticisim a choice like this can cause. I am more scared of what my life would look like if I don't make this choice.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Nov 1st
If you know me well you know that today is much more than the first of the month... today is the beginning of the most wonderful time of the year!
I believe it is no coincidence that today is the first day of the AIM Commitment. Today as I was reading about others doing the challenge starting to achieve their goals I was fired up to chase after mine. I have to be honest and say there was not enough time to do everything but hey, Rome wasn't built in a day. Today I was able to read in the New Testament (spirit) and squeeze in a 45 minute workout at the end of my day (body). I plan to dedicate some time over the weekend to my first mind goal- passing my LEED GA exam.
Today was also the first day of RED Starbuck cups. Now if this doesn't excite you I'm not sure what would! I went out of my way to grab a drink before a small group tonight and it brought just as much joy as I remembered! While sipping on my Vanilla Steamer I realized that the happiness I was experiencing should not be limited to a sales gimmick at a coffee shop. I have decided to have a mini-challenge within the greater AIM Challenge.
For the next 30 days I will refuse to be unhappy. I know what you're thinking, sure I'll be happy until the first early morning arrives or snide comment gets thrown my way. Nope not this girl! For the next 30 days I will live in the joy that we are given everyday by being alive. I am not saying my life is going to be filled with bliss over the next 30 days but I will refuse to get down. I will however keep a list of everything that would normal alter my mood. At the end of 30 days I will reflect over my list and if I feel I still need to get upset over the item then I will deal with it then. My guess is by the end of 30 days I won't remember the items from the first 15 days and the last 15 days won't matter. I believe being happy is a choice we all can make. Who wouldn't want to be happy?
I believe it is no coincidence that today is the first day of the AIM Commitment. Today as I was reading about others doing the challenge starting to achieve their goals I was fired up to chase after mine. I have to be honest and say there was not enough time to do everything but hey, Rome wasn't built in a day. Today I was able to read in the New Testament (spirit) and squeeze in a 45 minute workout at the end of my day (body). I plan to dedicate some time over the weekend to my first mind goal- passing my LEED GA exam.
Today was also the first day of RED Starbuck cups. Now if this doesn't excite you I'm not sure what would! I went out of my way to grab a drink before a small group tonight and it brought just as much joy as I remembered! While sipping on my Vanilla Steamer I realized that the happiness I was experiencing should not be limited to a sales gimmick at a coffee shop. I have decided to have a mini-challenge within the greater AIM Challenge.
For the next 30 days I will refuse to be unhappy. I know what you're thinking, sure I'll be happy until the first early morning arrives or snide comment gets thrown my way. Nope not this girl! For the next 30 days I will live in the joy that we are given everyday by being alive. I am not saying my life is going to be filled with bliss over the next 30 days but I will refuse to get down. I will however keep a list of everything that would normal alter my mood. At the end of 30 days I will reflect over my list and if I feel I still need to get upset over the item then I will deal with it then. My guess is by the end of 30 days I won't remember the items from the first 15 days and the last 15 days won't matter. I believe being happy is a choice we all can make. Who wouldn't want to be happy?
Thursday, October 25, 2012
You have to start somewhere
Day one.
I am new to the blogging world. I don't know what will fill the posts of this blog but I know that a year from now I will look back and be proud of what I have discovered about myself.
My goals are simple. Be happy and live with a purpose.
Most days I would say the first is a guarantee. I have and always will find my happiness in those around me. I remember a class in high school where we had to go around the room and talk about our hobbies and interest. We were asked to tell our peers what it was that made us really happy. As you might guess most students identified their happiness in playing a sport or something to do with the performing arts. When it was my turn I stated my answer: people. People have always been the base of everything I do. From playing sports on teams with all my friends to being an orientation leader for new students and their families in college. Even in my career I am working with people every day.
The second is a taller order. I know that my purpose in life will have to do with people. I believe that God puts in all of our hearts desires that he wants us to discover and use to the fullest potential. My goal over the next several months is to discover the best possible version of myself. This means getting honest about everything: mind, body and spirit. (I have to given credit where credit is due and thank Canvas-SF AIM Commitment if you haven't heard about Canvas-SF you will learn more as my blog goes on.)
Mind-"A mind is a terrible thing to waste"
I will set and accomplish several goal geared to strengthen my mind.
-LEED GA certification -learn to play the piano -read more -write more -solve a crossword puzzle
Body: "It's never too late to become what you might have been"
I will push myself to get in the best shape of my life.
-Run a 5k start to finish -try yoga -run on the trails
Spirit- "You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body"
I will take time to listen to what my heart's desires are and grow closer to the God that put them there.
-Overcome anxieties -read in the Word more -find inner peace (who knows what this will look this)
So as I wrap up my first blog post I am relieved to know that I will probably be the only person to read this and mortified to live up to the goals set out above. If you do stumble upon this blog and take the time to read it, I invite you to join me in becoming the best version of you possible.
Until next time...
I am new to the blogging world. I don't know what will fill the posts of this blog but I know that a year from now I will look back and be proud of what I have discovered about myself.
My goals are simple. Be happy and live with a purpose.
Most days I would say the first is a guarantee. I have and always will find my happiness in those around me. I remember a class in high school where we had to go around the room and talk about our hobbies and interest. We were asked to tell our peers what it was that made us really happy. As you might guess most students identified their happiness in playing a sport or something to do with the performing arts. When it was my turn I stated my answer: people. People have always been the base of everything I do. From playing sports on teams with all my friends to being an orientation leader for new students and their families in college. Even in my career I am working with people every day.
The second is a taller order. I know that my purpose in life will have to do with people. I believe that God puts in all of our hearts desires that he wants us to discover and use to the fullest potential. My goal over the next several months is to discover the best possible version of myself. This means getting honest about everything: mind, body and spirit. (I have to given credit where credit is due and thank Canvas-SF AIM Commitment if you haven't heard about Canvas-SF you will learn more as my blog goes on.)
Mind-"A mind is a terrible thing to waste"
I will set and accomplish several goal geared to strengthen my mind.
-LEED GA certification -learn to play the piano -read more -write more -solve a crossword puzzle
Body: "It's never too late to become what you might have been"
I will push myself to get in the best shape of my life.
-Run a 5k start to finish -try yoga -run on the trails
Spirit- "You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body"
I will take time to listen to what my heart's desires are and grow closer to the God that put them there.
-Overcome anxieties -read in the Word more -find inner peace (who knows what this will look this)
So as I wrap up my first blog post I am relieved to know that I will probably be the only person to read this and mortified to live up to the goals set out above. If you do stumble upon this blog and take the time to read it, I invite you to join me in becoming the best version of you possible.
Until next time...
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