Laying My Foundation

My two year old son loves all types of machines, especially things that build:  tractors, rollers, diggers, cranes....you name it.  So the show, Bob the Builder, is right up his alley.  Even better than the regular animated series, are the specials when Bob goes "on site," featuring film clips of real construction projects.

Our whole family now knows, in detail, the basics of how railroad tracks, roads and bridges are made and my son often recreates these projects when he plays with his train set or in the sand at the park.  After watching a few episodes, I noticed a distinct similarity between Bob's guidelines for completing a project and accomplishing any other goal in one's life.  It seems like a simple four-step process....

Life According to Bob
1.  Plan
2.  Lay Your Foundation
3.  Build
4.  Complete Your Work (which includes clean up!)

When I started this blog in October, it was my intention to establish and implement a plan that addressed "Daily Mastery of the Ordinary."  The goal (#1 -My Plan) was to identify and commit to five daily actions that  would support my big picture goal of living the life I love.  While I knew what my plan was I didn't follow through with identifying my daily five, which I needed in order to move on to Step #2 - Laying My Foundation.

I've spent the past few weeks thinking about the actions that would have a significant and immediate impact on my goal and realized that if I started with focusing on my physical, emotional and spiritual well being I would be able to lay a foundation that would serve my family, my work, and myself.  So here they are, my daily five.

1.  Create the optimum environment for achieving at least 8 hours of sleep each night
2.  Drink a minimum of 64oz of water every day
3.  Take all daily vitamins and supplements
4.  Undivided attention
5.  Set aside time for daily meditation/prayer

The first three items on the list seem like "no-brainers," but without a conscious focus on these things, I find that it's easy for me to let other things (work, play, commitments to others) distract me from making these actions the norm. Of course I know I need these things to be healthy, but without focus...   The last two items are things that I know I need to practice daily, but again without making it a priority, it doesn't happen.

So there it is.  Let's see how it goes!  :-)

Precious Things

I "started" this blog last October as an anchor/reminder/journal for me as I work daily to be present and live the life I love. So here I am 7 months and several transitions later (new job, new home, a very two year old son) and I realized I haven't made use of this tool at all since then.

I recently posted the following as my FB status and received fantastic comments in response:

I want to be the type of person who consistently sends thank you notes, birthday and holiday greetings and has framed photos from my wedding hanging on at least one wall in my house. I want to exercise at least 200 minutes a week and eat a lot more vegetables. I want to spend more time with friends and family less time with technological devices. I WILL be devoting this weekend to figuring out how to make this happen

.

My favorite response was from a friend that I have known since Jr. High School and I have always admired what she has and continues to accomplish in her life:

In my opinion...you just have to make the time. I know that sounds easy...but, I think people make excuses for not doing things because they don't have the "time"...when really, if you examine your life and look at what is taking up your time...you will see that there are many ways to fit in the things that you "want" to fit in...you may be using time for things that, when examined, are not really that meaningful.

My goal this year - and really the whole idea behind a "A Purpose Driven Life" - is to take it step by step and decrease the time spent on things that "are not really meaningful" so that I focus and put energy into things that matter and what I want in my life. I feel so blessed to have friends and family that help guide that process, as well as the guiding faith, love and grace of my Creator.

So its getting a little easier. About 6 weeks have passed since that FB post and I AM eating more vegetables, exercising more (but not quite 200 minutes a week) and have been in contact with our wedding photographer so we can get those photos printed, framed and up. I HAVE been spending more time with friends and loved ones and less time with technological devices, and am continuing to explore ways to keep what is truly precious at the center of my life.

Precious Things

Daily Mastery of the Ordinary

It's funny to see how the themes in our life play out. I posted today (April 5, 2011) what I thought was my first entry for this blog that I started in October, but found this incomplete post from October 11, 2010....

I suppose I should start by clarifying that I've started "blogging" for my own personal sanity and not to share my insanity with the world. I'm not looking for followerers or comments, or posts, but just a space where my mind and spirit can connect. If in the process, I connect with others, that's ok, but this is more for me than anyone else.

So I'm taking a page from my mom's playbook. She calls it "daily mastery of the ordinary." I'd love to blame it on adult ADD, but I think I just lack discipline. I struggle with maintaining a daily routine that allows me to feel like my life is in "order". I've decided to focus on five daily commitments so that I might feel more "on track".

I'm also looking at ways to align my daily life with the life I believe I want.

I went on to identify a core value, actions I could take around that value, and my personal mentors. The funny part is that I didn't list my "five daily commitments" nor do I remember what they were. I'm guessing at least one of them had to do with getting more sleep and perhaps another was focused on prayer/meditation, but this is a wonderfully ironic example of the challenges I've faced in recent years, and perhaps my whole life, when it comes to staying on track.

Again, taking it step by step, my five daily commitments might be whittled back to three but I'm excited to explore this within the context of "precious things".