Relieve the Pressure
Something I love about my 30s is I don't put so much pressure on myself. When I try to cut back on junk food I don't say, "I'm never ever eating anything with white flour in it again for the rest of my life!" I say, "I'll try my best as long as I want to." That helps me feel realistic. When I'm doing something fairly intense for the Lord (a new prayer regiment, a time of fasting, a new Bible study), I don't say, "If I really love God I could do this 8 times a day every day forever." I say, "I will be doing this for my sweet Jesus for as long as He and I deem it necessary." I don't put so much pressure on myself to be perfect. If I have a day when I've done everything well, I don't expect to be like that every day. I think we, as women especially, need to give ourselves some more grace. We try our best and when we fall short, we realize this is not Stepford. If we were perfect, we wouldn't need God. I certainly don't ever want to be in that boat!
All that said, I am going to be doing, for a while, a new thing to work to make my only child even less spoiled. I am always working hard to make her a non-only child (typical only child: bratty, spoiled, won't share, selfish, etc.), but Beth Moore gave me this idea in her last Bible study video. Kids (who have good home lives) don't have to think about others very much. Because of that, their little life becomes all about them. In an effort to help them have a beautiful, carefree childhood, we've let them be self-centered. So, each week, Kara is to pick someone in our lives to do something nice for. We will pray for them and do something nice for them. (For example, she picked my friend Merideth for her first week. We will be buying her diapers for her baby and pull ups for her toddler. We will also be making her 3 meals and maybe cookies too.) I'm not sure how extensive the "nice things" will be once school starts, but we're starting out with good intentions.
Who knows? Maybe I'll learn to be less selfish too!
All that said, I am going to be doing, for a while, a new thing to work to make my only child even less spoiled. I am always working hard to make her a non-only child (typical only child: bratty, spoiled, won't share, selfish, etc.), but Beth Moore gave me this idea in her last Bible study video. Kids (who have good home lives) don't have to think about others very much. Because of that, their little life becomes all about them. In an effort to help them have a beautiful, carefree childhood, we've let them be self-centered. So, each week, Kara is to pick someone in our lives to do something nice for. We will pray for them and do something nice for them. (For example, she picked my friend Merideth for her first week. We will be buying her diapers for her baby and pull ups for her toddler. We will also be making her 3 meals and maybe cookies too.) I'm not sure how extensive the "nice things" will be once school starts, but we're starting out with good intentions.
Who knows? Maybe I'll learn to be less selfish too!
Comments
I like your ideas on setting realistic goals. I've tried to lose weight for months now, and I end up feeling like a failure every single time-which makes me want to eat more. I finally said to myself. I'm doing this for me... and I will do the best that I can... one day at a time. And I've been good for 3 weeks!! I'm so proud of myself. It is very hard-with all the pressures around us to lose focus! But you are so right-Don't set yourself up for failure!