2019 quarter 1

Wow. Somehow it is already April. I meant to blog in March and never did. 

I wanted my theme for the year to be: be present. And I felt like January went really well. I crossed all of my short term goals off and felt great about how I started the year. 

Then came the disappointment and hopelessness. Guys, adoption is hard. The almosts, scams, quiet weeks, friends who are placed, all of it, is so hard. The last few months I go to bed saying I’m done with it all and then wake up and try again. It’s been sad to see who isn’t supporting us like I thought they would, but amazing to see who is supportive. It’s all a worldwind of emotions and even my good days feel hard. 

March was especially hard. In relation to my goals, I kept up with the habits I’m trying to create, but also realized I don’t really care about a lot of the other goals I set. By the end of the month, I realized I need to work on developing hope. So for now, that’s going to be my new focus. Have hope. Hope for better days. Hope for the strength to keep going. Hope for my dreams to come true. Hope for the courage to keep going even if they don’t. Hope for miracles. 

My sister created an Easter study guide: www.khemiapopa.eu which I’m so excited to use this month to remember the miracles Christ performed while on earth and the miracles He performs in my own life today. 

While I’m still hoping to build up my habits as some of the goals I set for the year, I want to open my eyes to my daily blessings and miracles. I want to build up hope. 

I guess in a way I am staying present. I’ve recognized where to shift my focus and I’m doing my best to shift in a positive way. This month may be about hope, and maybe next month too. It’s okay to shift your goals. It’s okay to shift a theme. You know where you’re at and where you want to be. That’s enough. 

2019 Pt 1

BE PRESENT 

My main goal this year is to be present. To focus on small changes that will have big impact. To make healthy habits. To put my phone down more. To recognize my needs and act accordingly. To be aware. 

I have a ways to go, but I’m proud of the progress I saw in January. 

At the beginning of the year, I wrote down 12 goals I wanted to achieve this year. One of those was simply to make monthly goals. Each month I plan to set goals specifically for the month and ones that will help me accomplish my bigger goals. 

Breaking goals down is a good way to help you achieve some of those bigger things you want to do. 

Making monthly goals can also help you see where you’re at, what you want to continue, and what you want to stop. 

My goals for January included: 

• exercise 10 times
• apply to take the SSW test
• drink 1,240 ounces of water 
• screen free day 
• journal 4 times 
• one scrapbook 
• Read 3 books 
• Go to the temple 
• Try meditating 3 times

After being incredibly busy over the last 5 months, I knew I wanted to get back into an exercising habit, but I also knew I didn’t want to set the bar too high for myself. 10 was a good number because I meant exercising an average of twice per week. Next month, I plan to shoot for a little more, gradually working back up to where I was. 

The SSW test is something I’m doing for work. I went through the application process last month and am now in studying phase. 

I wanted to get into a habit of drinking more water, eventually averaging half my body weight per day. I started pretty low, with a goal of getting a little over 30 oz per day, but found some days, especially in the beginning to be a challenge. I ended with over 1,400 ounces. In February, I’m shooting to average 40 oz per day. 

One of the big things I want to change is my screen time usage. I’ve decided the first Sunday of every month will be a complete phone free day and then each Sunday after I will take the day off of social media (which really results in not much phone time). On Sundays I’m also trying to limit my tv time. I thought this was going to be so hard, but I loved it so much the first Sunday, I decided social media free Sunday was my new thing. I might change my mind at some point, but I definitely want to stick to one no phone day per month. 

Another habit I want to get back into is weekly journaling. And not just “this is what happened this week” but things that stood out to me. Things I’m struggling with or tender mercies I’ve seen during the week. 

I want to for real catch up on scrapbooking, so this month I made it a goal to make one. Making one didn’t seem to bad and it was something I could do. 

If you know me, you know I love reading. I have the longest to read pile right now! In January I wanted to ease back into regular reading with reading 3 books. Between audio books and reading, I read four. 

1. The Princess Diarist- Carrie Fisher 

2. Room- Emma Donoghue 

3. Love Warrior- Glennon Doyle Melton

4. Glass Houses- Louise Penny 

I wanted to complete a session in January, but then there were no changes and wonderfully so, the temples have been so busy! My sister came into town and some of us did other temple work. I made a pivot in my original plan and decided any temple work was better than none. I do hope to do a session in February! 

Because I want to be more in tune with myself, I wanted to try meditating a few times to see if it could be something I could get into. I didn’t find it super helpful, but did remember how much I love yoga. So in February I’ll be ditching the meditation and trying to integrate in at least one yoga session per week. 

This year will be all about what works and what doesn’t. If something doesn’t work, I’ll make the steps to find something that does. The point is to better myself in small ways that can be impactful. I know it’s going to take some time, but I’m happy with the progress I’ve made so far. 

That being said, here are my hopes for February: 

• Screen free day 
• Mike’s love language x4 
• Yoga 4 times 
• Exercise 12 times 
• Read 4 books
• Journal 4 times 
• Drink 1260 Oz water 
• No spend 2 weeks 
• Wake up at 6:45 10 times 
• Visit the temple 
• Finish 2017 scrapbook 
• South Dakota video 

How is your 2019 going? Remember, you can always start today! There is no better day than today. 

If you’re looking to set some goals, but need some help, please reach out!

bethflint88@gmail.com 

xoxo