2016 and being Intentional

I have never been a fan of New Years Resolutions. I'm not entirely sure why, but it could be because quite often our resolutions are so "high" that we just cannot realistically meet them. Or maybe it's the pressure of meeting them that causes us to "freeze" and go no further! Whatever it is, you have to decide for you what's going to work. Maybe you totally ROCK those resolutions, or maybe not!

Two years ago we went through some rather sudden changes that were certainly not in our plans, were pretty painful to our hearts and life altering in regards to our day to day lives. I won't go in to details but life as we knew it changed. I'm a fairly stable person, pretty solid, steady, go with the flow, but this threw me for a loop, hurt my heart and added some extra responsibility on my shoulders since my hubby no longer had a more flexible schedule. In a sense I felt like I lost a part of me. Who was I really? Who were my friends? I threw myself into taking care of my family, the lady I worked for, the kids I helped babysit and the "friendships" I had on FB because they seemed more accessible than the IRL (in real life) friendships that seemed to have dwindled and the ones that I felt I still had were so busy it was hard to coordinate schedules. 

I let go of "me". I have always been a nurturer, peacemaker, hater of conflict and I just wanted to take care of everyone. Everyone but "me" that is. I quit exercising, gained 10 pounds and was just stuck in a rut. It wasn't that life wasn't good, it was, it was just different than what it had been, different than what we wanted it to be. Now, I know there are people going through things that would be considered far more intense or life shattering, but we all go through things that are like a smaller earthquake,  not huge, but it can still be felt and it shakes us up a bit. 

So, with that all said, I decided I needed to do some things differently in 2016. The main thing being taking care of me! Honestly, that was the only thing! I needed to take care of me, take time for me. Make me a priority. Because if I do that, then everything else will fall into place, and even if it doesn't, it won't fall apart either. 

I decided to choose a word that would represent what I wanted to see happen in 2016. That word was INTENTIONAL! 

Intentional = Done on purpose; deliberate.

What a great definition right? That is what I needed. I needed to take care of me on purpose, deliberately. Emotionally, Mentally, Physically (health and body), Spiritually. With INTENTION! I would find myself asking myself "is this intentional? Am I being intentional?". "Are the things I'm doing, thinking, feeling, being done, thought, or felt with intention?". 

I know I have a long way to go, but I can sense changes. For me, I do best with little, achievable steps. I'm sure if I had to I could do big, drastic, cold turkey changes, but I'm more likely to be successful if they are small. So I take one day at a time. If I have an "off" day I'm working at not being discouraged or beating myself up, but recognizing it for what it is and evaluating what I need to do differently, or why I was "off". Yesterday, I found myself snacking more and I needed to stop and think about why I was doing this. I think I was really tired, had a bit of a stressful day and that was probably the reason...I didn't take time to be "intentional" with those things and they got away from me. 

So what are some things I'm "intentionally" doing?

• Made a vision board (see tomorrow's post)
• Reading some encouraging books and not just reading but "ingesting" them. I have several others, but these are the ones I'm reading right now.
• The Fringe Hours by Jessica Turner
• Improvised by Robin Konie
• Mirror Bible
• God Believes in You by Francois Du Toit
• Watching periscopes that challenge and encourage me in different areas. 
• Exercising daily. 
• I downloaded the 7 minute App (paid version) and I'm starting with that.
• Working on eating intentionally.
• Choosing joy and not stress
• Embracing the everyday as exciting instead of mundane.
• Finding quotes and sayings that encourage and challenge me.
• Being confident with what I know, feel and think, even if it's different than what others think. It doesn't mean I'm wrong.

Things I want to do a bit more of or try doing:

• Blogging more regularly
• Maybe doing periscopes on books I've read as encouragement, etc. or other topics
• Pursue learning photography more just for me
• Do more things that I love, even if I have to do them alone
• Make time for friends. 
• Get outdoors more, hikes, walks, just out!
• Continue finding and being creative with cooking.

I know there are more things that will make their way on to the lists, but these are just a start. I was going to share my vision board here, but I think I'll do a separate post tomorrow. 

I want to encourage you to be intentional. Don't forget who you are in the midst of life. I love the following verse..

By the waters of reflection, my soul remembers who I am...

Ps 23:2-3

Doesn't that just encourage your heart? It does mine! Take time for you. I'll be posting more on intentional living periodically and my journey. I hope to encourage you. 

Well, I've rattled on long enough. So I'll sign off. Check back tomorrow on my vision board. 

With Joy UNquenchable,