How I Decided to Change My Life
I have made a practice of choosing a new declaration every month and writing it in my planner as a daily reminder! At the beginning of January, I saw the quote “Every day is a chance to change your life” on Pinterest. Once I saw it, I couldn’t get it out of my mind. As I pondered it, I realized that we have more control over how our lives turn out than I thought! Needless to say, that quote is now my declaration for January!
As I shaped what my days looked like, I kept that quote in the forefront of my mind. While deciding how to use my time, I would ask myself, “is this decision taking me where I want to go in life?”. If the answer was yes, then I would do it. If the answer was no, I most likely did not do it. For example, let's say that I had the day off and I knew that I could either lay on the sofa and binge watch TV all day or I could take an allotted time to rest and then get all of my tasks done for the days. Which one would be the best choice in changing my life? I would say the option of resting and still doing tasks instead of wasting my whole day watching episode after episode on Netflix would propel me closer to where I want to go!
This month has been quite the journey of figuring out where I want to go in life and then changing my behaviors and habits to get me closer to where I want to be! I was able to do this in a few easy steps.
#1 Dictate your time, instead of letting your time dictate you
I know a lot of times, we look up and it is the end of the day and we aren’t quite sure where all of our time went! This month, I have learned that I am actually able to pre-plan where my time is going to go. When I decided to do this, I actually got way more things accomplished! I had time not only to do work, be a homemaker and rest; I was able to do all the things that I used to not do because I ran out of time. I have read several books, blogged consistently, seen my friends, kept a tidy house, and much more!
On a practical note, I found that combining my schedule and my to do list has really helped me do everything I wanted to do. Every task that I wanted to accomplish was written down in my planner, even down to taking my vitamin! I would review my list every night before I went to bed, so that I would be physically and mentally prepared for the next day.
Below are a few examples of what my days looked like over the past couple of weeks. The circles are appointments and the squares are tasks. I have adopted some basic Bullet Journalling principles to my planner.
I have found that combining your schedule and your tasks is a very efficient way to be more productive and get more things done. By doing this, you are choosing to take control of your schedule instead of your schedule taking control of you!
#2 Make good habits
The next thing that I did was try to develop healthy habits. I have heard my whole life that if you can do something for 21 days then it becomes a habit. I am sure scientifically that is correct, but realistically it has not been the case in my life. I can do things for 21 days and still not incorporate them into my life naturally! To help me in this area, I have found an app called Habit List that has helped me make healthy habits in my life! Below, you will find some of my habits that I have chosen to maintain.
The reason why I value making healthy habits is because they are baby steps toward my future. For example, drinking at least 64 ounces of water and taking my vitamin will help me move towards being a healthier person. I may not see immediate results, but my body will begin to flourish and thrive because I am choosing to take care of it!
#3 Stay motivated by keeping your eye on the prize
I would say the final thing that has helped me is to keep my eye on the prize. Not only did I write down my quote in a place where I would see it everyday, I was constantly only doing things that brought me towards my end goal. Every time I faced a decision, I would ask myself, “is this decision going to take me where I want to go in life?”. For example, as I am driving home from a long day I would have the choice of eating a 20 piece chicken nugget meal from McDonalds as I sit in rush hour traffic or taking 15 minutes when I get home to cook a quick meal. Both of those decisions are decisions that would get food in my belly, but one of them keeps me on track of living a healthier life and the other does not!
I am not saying that I am perfect at keeping my eye on the prize because there are those times where I choose the easy route (aka fast food), because I am tired and it is easier. If you fall off of the motivation band wagon, don’t worry. You can always get back on! Have grace for yourself!
As this month is coming to an end, I am so thrilled that I have already achieved all of my big goals for the month by using these three steps! I would encourage you to take the last few days of this month to dream about what your goals are and where you see yourself in the future! Once you have done that, apply these three steps to your life and see what happens!
CHALLENGE: Take the last few days of this month to dream about what your goals are and where you see yourself in the future! Once you have done that, apply these three steps to your life and see what happens! Document your journey on social media by using the hashtag #faithfultomypurpose.