Great Balls of Fire!

Wow.  What a day.  I'm sitting down to have quiet time and it's 7:56pm.  This is the end of day one and the big change for Lisa Chicken!  Here's putting the action toward moving forward - living differently.  I sat down this morning with the kids and my challenge was on my mind - set goals for my day.  Antony has encouraged me to be a goal setter since we were married - I always knew it was a good idea but I never implemented it.  Man, have I missed a lot of opportunity that time has presented but it all slipped me by with every passing second.  Well, can't cry over spilt milk!  The point of the matter is to make a change starting now – there’s still time to benefit from it.  And even though I want to look back and think of all the missed possibilities, I have to choose to let it go.  That’s a lesson in itself. 

Anyway, I had the boys help me make a task list – things we wanted/needed to get done today.  Jonathon started with his idea of cleaning the bedroom.  But I urged him to be more specific.  Pick up Legos, make bed, vacuum floor, put clothes away…etc.  Generalities leaves room for distraction – specifics makes way for progress.  Oh, I like that…thanks Holy Spirit.  ;)  So we got all our thoughts down – even things like “Cut Marc Alec’s finger nails”.  Then we made a time chart – and put tasks in the order we wanted to do them with play time, snack time and meal times specified.  Yes, it took some time…about 27 minutes to be exact (I’m weird about being exact with time) but like Abraham Lincoln said, If my task is to cut this tree down in 8 hours, I will sharpen my axe for 6 of those hours.  (My paraphrase).  Basically meaning preparation is key.  Taking that little bit of time to prepare for the day is key to having a successful, purposeful day.  27 minutes preparing for 10 hours of my life.  And wow, can I say this was an amazing day! 

The boys were like little worker bees.  They took out the garbage, cleaned their room, mopped the kitchen floor, did school work, played outside…and every few minutes they would check the time – making sure they were right on task!  Did we get it all done?  No.  Is there still so many other things that I could have put on that list that need doing?  Yes.  But I feel amazing!  How is that?  I worked diligently today b/c I had something to work towards – I had direction.  I feel like I accomplished things today.  I did things purposefully and what that does for me, personally, is amazing in itself.  I don’t know what it is about our minds but they are pretty amazing.  Just writing the tasks down and putting a time frame to them somehow makes me WANT to get things done – and get more done…I wanted to beat the time!  Like it was some kind of race – me against the task list and I was going to win!  And to know that I got things done that I had planned to do brings a sense of freedom.  I don’t feel bad about the pile of laundry that is sitting there waiting to be folded/put away.  B/c I know tomorrow, I can write it down and git ‘r done!  But the funny thing is that not writing it down and then not doing it makes me feel bound to the task somehow.  And it pushes me away from wanting to do it.  And it’ll sit there for a week if I don’t just write it down and say, “This is what I will accomplish today”.  I’ve had a load of socks that literally sat in a basket for at least a month, once…and I’m being conservative on that figure! 

 I challenge you to live just one day with specific, clear, attainable, written-out goals and a time line to go with it and just tell me what you felt about that day's outcome.  So, in a nutshell – “Goals, are good, Goals are great, plan ahead – it will set you straight!” 

P.S.  Did you wonder why my journal entry is called Great Balls of Fire?  Well, my melting butter became a huge flame in my kitchen today…that one was definitely not on the task list!  What a day, indeed!