Sunday Inspiration: Don't Miss It

Joyful Gratitude: June 27

I Am Thankful For:

Sushi dinner with the Man of the House
Overnight thunderstorms
Baking "toaster tarts" with the grand kid
Finding a card tucked under my pillow
The grand kid asking "What game should we play tomorrow, Oma?"
Finally getting sleepy
Beautiful yarn
Freshly painted toenails
When the headache goes away
Muffaletta sandwich

Sunday Inspiration: Change your focus

Joyful Gratitude: June 20

I Am Thankful For:

Coffee on sleepy mornings
Scripture passages that tap at my heart
Waking up to sunshine after days of rain
Listening to the mockingbird sing
The fallen tree didn't hurt anyone or anything
Sunrise
Grand kid playing in the yard
Laughing until you cry
Finally figuring out how to tag my Etsy products on Instagram
Perfect weather
Hearing "Oma, it's me!" at the door
The simple joys of playing with a water gun
Making plans for cooking "lessons" with the grand kid
The Man of the House agreeing to try meditating with me
Planning things to do on vacation
A moment of silence
The cardinals calling to each other at the feeders
Spending some time with my dad
Father's day dinner

Sunday Inspiration: Happy Father's Day

Photo Credit:  Country Living 

Joyful Gratitude: June 13

I Am Thankful For:

Fresh perspecitve
Pancakes for dinner
Evenings at the ball field
Ice cream in a little plastic baseball helmet
Finches arguing over the feeder
Cooler days
Afternoon rain
Morning prayer
Peaches and nectarines
80's pop songs on the radio
The tapping of rain on the window
First sip of morning coffee
Getting a haircut
The Man of the House fixing eggs for me

Setting Smarter Goals

How did you do with achieving your goals for the past week?  I am pleased with my progress.  Some days were more of a struggle to get the boxes checked.  And in all honesty, I fell a bit short one or two days.  I try not to beat myself up when that happens and  to look at each day as a fresh start.

If you want to increase the likelihood that you will be able to reach each one of your goals, there are a few things you should keep in mind.  You want to be sure that your goals are:

Specific - Not "I want to lose weight".  Exactly how much weight? By when? "Be happier" is not a specific goal.  "Do one thing each day that brings me joy" - closer.  Deciding on something that brings you joy and deciding to do it each day - THAT is a specific goal.

Measurable - This is why "be happier" isn't a goal.  It's not measurable.  Happier than WHAT?  How happy?  Talking to a friend or relative a certain number of times a week is measurable. Eating X servings of vegetables every day is measurable.  Walking a certain number of miles or steps per day - measurable.  If you can't measure a goal, you'll never know if you achieve it.

Attainable - Do you have the time, energy, talent, or means to meet your goal?  This doesn't mean you can't dream big!  It just means that you might need to break that seemingly impossible dream down into smaller steps, creating realistic, attainable goals that will move you closer to the bigger prize.

Last week my goals were to drink at least 80 oz of water per day, meet my step goal each day and to clean/organize in my home office for at least 15 minutes each day.  As you can see - each one of these goals meets the criteria above.  

So, how did I do?

I met my step goal each day! Yah me!!  As I said - my step goal is embarrassingly low for the time being. This is where "attainable" come into play. I know that if I set the goal higher right now, I will likely fall short, get frustrated and give up.  I have longer term goals to slowly increase the amount.  And I feel as if I'm off to a good start.  

I exceeded 80 ounces of water each day, except for Saturday - when I was one cup short.  If I had realized I was that close, I would have chugged that last cup before I went to sleep!

The only day I didn't work on organizing and cleaning my home office was Thursday.  I spent a big part of the day running errands and grocery shopping. By the time I got home, all I wanted to do was sit down and relax before starting dinner.  And that's just what I did.

My goals for this week are pretty much the same as last week.  The grand kid's summer break from school begins this week, which means I get to spend a few days each week with him.  I'm very excited about that, and I want to do a fun activity with him at least one day each week.

My goals for this week:

-  Drink 80+ ounces of water each day
-  Meet (or exceed) step goal each day
-  Clean/organize in home office for 15 minutes each day
-  Go to library and park with the grandkid


Feel free to ask me at any point during the week, how I am doing with my goals.  I'll be sharing a brief update next week before I share my new list of weekly goals.  And if you would like me to return the favor - you can share your goals in the comments!  





  

Sunday Inspiration: Change

Joyful Gratitude: June 6

I Am Thankful For:
Waking up early
Setting simple weekly goals
Ordering birthday gifts
Morning routines
Asian sesame salad
A good dentist appointment
The Male Offspring's birthday
Ice cream cake
Seeing progress in my office
Planning my summer
Very loud birds singing a wake up song
Watching Xmen movies with the Man of the House
Eating the last chocolate cupcake
Quiet Sunday

A Beginner's Guide to Setting Goals

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I'm a list maker.  I make lists for just about everything.  Mostly because if it's not written down, I'm probably going to forget it.  (anyone else? just me?)

One of my favorite lists is my list of goals.  I should say SOME of my favorites listS  - because I have more than one when it comes to goals.  I have a master list of goals. Short term, long term, realistic and outrageous - they all go here.  I have a list of monthly goals, and a list of weekly goals and usually a list of daily goals, aka: the to-do list.  I guess you could say I'm a real "goal getter".  

Now, you may be thinking to yourself  "That's great Beckey, but how can I be as goal oriented as you?  What are the basics to setting goals?"

Good question!!

First... I'm hardly an expert.  Goals get dropped or forgotten more often than I care to admit. Somedays my goal is just to get back on track with setting goals for myself.  Despite this, or maybe because of it, I can share some simple steps to start setting your own goals.

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1)  Decide what you want or what it is you are working toward.  Don't be shy here.  It doesn't matter how big, over the top or complicated it is.  Consider this your "master list".  Every dream you have can go here.  It might be as everyday as "lose 5 pounds" or "organize the closet", or as big as "own a castle".  WRITE THEM DOWN!

2) Prioritize and/or narrow it down.  What is it you want to work toward right now?  What is most important?  Which are most feasible?  This is where you admit that organizing your closet is probably more likely to happen sooner than owning a castle.  Which of the goals on that master list will you work on this year?  Now, which of THOSE will you work on this month?

3)  Tell someone!  Accountability is a really big deal.  Knowing that there is someone who is going to ask you how it's going increases the likelihood that we stick with it.

4)  Reward yourself.  When ever you achieve a goal, take time to celebrate it.  For some goals, the reward of marking it off the list may be enough. For others, you may need to really take time to enjoy the victory.  Treat yourself in some way for your hard work.  And don't forget to thank the person or people that kept you accountable along the way!

With these tips in mind - I've decided to start holding myself more accountable by sharing my weekly goals with all of you.  That's right - each and every one of you is now my accountability partner!  

My Goals for this first week in June:

-  Drink 80+ ounces of water each day:  I have been terrible about drinking enough water recently.  And with the hot, dry days we've been having - that can take a toll on the body rather quickly.  

-  Meet or exceed my step goal each day:  I'm going to be honest and say that right now the number of steps I want to walk each day is so pathetically low that I don't want to share it here.  But once I start meeting that number consistently, I will continue increasing the number of steps.

-  Spend at least 15 minutes per day cleaning and organizing in my home office:  My office is sort of out of control at the moment.  I am in the process of getting it cleaned and reorganized.  In an effort to prevent becoming overwhelmed by the task, I have set the goal to work on it a little each day. 

Feel free to ask me at any point during the week, how I am doing with my goals.  I'll be sharing a brief update each week before I share my new list of weekly goals.  And if you would like me to return the favor - you can share your goals in the comments!  

Sunday Inspiration: A habit of joy