It's the Little Things

These past few months have been so challenging. They were full of new challenges, transitions, and responsibilities. In three months I graduated with my Master's degree, broke up with my fiancee, planned to move out-of-state, job hunted, bought and fixed up a house, worked multiple summer jobs, and began planning an international trip. There were many times I should have sought out social and professional support, as I felt depressed, overwhelmed, and unsure of my life path. As the school year began (I teach middle school), I felt overwhelmed by the routine, the additional responsibilities this year, and the challenge of working with energetic 11-13 year olds. I felt stressed and depressed, instead of blessed.

I envy my friend. He is equally busy, and yet he manages to fit in work, exercise, friends, church and community service, rest, reading, and more. Better yet, he is able to be mindful and intentional in his life, as well as happy and calm. My goal is to learn how he does it all and to become like him. He reassured me that in a few years I would have it all down pat. I hope he is right.

My first habit I wanted to develop was to read my scriptures (holy books) daily. I asked my friend to be my accountability partner and I challenged him to a contest. We would read our scriptures (I particularly enjoy the Bible and Book of Mormon) on a daily basis for a minimum of 10 minutes a day. Those have been a source of inspiration and meditation for me. Our goal was consistency. We started that goal two or three weeks ago, and I haven't missed a day since. Part of it is because I am competitive (not talented, mind you, but competitive). In schools we teach about doing cooperative learning instead of competition, but from personal experience, I do better with goals if it is a competitive endeavor. :) I really want to win! I am ready to expand to 15 minutes a day. Baby steps.

I use the app "Way of Life" to keep track of my goals. I use the "lite" version on purpose. Not only do a save a few dollars by not upgrading, but research has shown that it is better to limit goals to 1-3 in order to maximize success. It holds me accountable to see if I did my goal that day or not. I just push red for didn't do it or green for did do it. Simple and easy. It takes 30 seconds a day from my life. It works.

Now that we have that habit developed, I am looking at developing an exercise habit. That is a much harder task because of the irregularity of my weekly schedule. More on that in future blog posts. The other goal on my "Way of Life" app is to focus on doing something nice for someone else every day. When I do that, I am much happier.

There you have it. Identify the small things that will make a big difference and start small. Try 5 or 10 minutes a day and then build up from there. Invite a friend to join you in the goal. Hold yourself accountable and mark your progress. Make sure it is a habit before you add additional goals.

I would like to say my life is perfect now, but it is not. Many times I still go to bed too late, spend too much time on Facebook, spend too much money, and make short-sighted decisions. However, I am gradually learning how to take control of my life and to develop the habits of excellence that will help me fulfill my potential and lead a purposeful life. One habit at a time.