It’s summer and I have been diversifying my podcasts and books. I ran into an interesting concept. It says that “the secret of your success can be found in your daily routine.” The idea is that what you do on a daily basis is what leads you to or away from the success you want. The Podcaster went on to ask, what if someone who wants to be successful in an area observed you for 24 hours? What kind of things would they see? This idea really intrigued me. Someone watching me would probably notice that at this season of life my top 5 areas of focus are:
• Connecting with God - praying, reading the Bible and meditation for life application are a must in order for me to function. I’m not religious about when and how I do it: I just try to get it done. Once this season of life changes I bet I’ll find a way to be more predictable in when I connect with God. At the same time, there have been some timeless lessons learned such as “Tweeting with God.” God is a present help and I have learned that in a practical way.
• Connecting with family - I see my immediate family all the time but I make sure we all connect on a daily basis. Most of the time we connect around the dinner table or as we pray during family devotional. When we’re fancy we connect during outings. My goal is to be sure that we connect on a regular basis and we form a strong foundation based in Jesus Christ. I’d say that connecting as a couple also falls in this category. We try our best to connect daily and we fight against the waves to be sure that we keep our love alive.
• Connecting with friends - friends make the fabric of life vibrant. I thank God for my friends and I don’t know where I’d be without them. I looked at my schedule for the past months and I noticed the names of friends all over it. Yeah we’re all busy but I learned that we make time for the things that are important to us. My friends are important to me and we just make the time to connect, even if for 30 minutes. Facebook does not count, I’m talking about face to face (Skype when they’re abroad) interaction. It’s easier to see what’s in the heart that way. My friends are important to me and I do make time for them.
• Exercising - I’m finally at the place where exercising is not a discipline but it’s a pleasure. If my body could take it, I’d do it all day. I include exercise in my days because of the many benefits for now and later. My greatest inspiration is to be able to be healthy for my immediate family. I greatly admire senior citizens who exercise because I can see healthy longevity in action. I rearrange my days so that exercise is always there. Lately I need a lot of energy during the day (I’m serving 1st graders at a local VBS) so I am waiting til late afternoon to exercise. I believe that my stress management is successful because I exercise on a daily basis. It does the body and the mind good.
• Cooking fresh food - I grew up in a home where food was cooked fresh, daily. When I came to America I came to understand that this healthy foundation is what I wanted to pass on to my kids. I’ve watched my husband and children with fresh food and without it. I can tell you we all feel better if we eat most of our meals at home. I’m no super woman and the menu is very basic: I’m talking about rice and beans as staples, some type of meat, vegetables and lots of fruits. It is our goal that our kids know what fresh foods taste like so that when they start making their own food choices they will develop a taste for them. Cooking fresh food is a lot of work but I just know it will pay off on the long run.
QUESTION: If someone could observe you for 24 hours (you pick the day!), which 5 areas of focus would they observe? Are these areas taking you closer to your goal?
i would be a mess.
i do make time daily for my bible reading and quiet time.
i do make time for exercise.
but the computer is a big time waster for me; i'm supposed to be job hunting but somehow it just turns in to blogger surfing.
work is slow so i turn to blogger surfing.
i know i must break this cycle but right now i'm struggling.
Thanks for sharing! I pray that you are improving in your challenge areas!
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