intentional

What are your top 3?

How often do we critique ourselves, or is it just me? Questioning our choices, performances, or motivation is a pretty common phenomenon. We are, I’ve heard, our own worst critic. I try my best to be an encourager – to point out the good in others, to praise when things are done well, to give thanks when I am grateful. But I don’t typically do the same for myself – and you might not, either. After choosing intentional as my word of the year for 2023, I am becoming more aware of my own self talk, and to be honest, I’m kind of a meanie. I often dwell on mistakes or recall situations that could’ve been handled differently. I’m now focusing more on what has gone well, what I’m proud of, and what I’d like to see continue. As I grow in this direction, I saw a writing prompt that looked helpful “Name three personality traits that you are proud of”. Making myself look for positive attributes of my personality was just what I needed – and I assume you need it, too! I hope you will join me and at the very least make a list of personality traits that make you proud. We all need reminders of the great job we are doing as we push through this crazy thing called life!

Creativity

I’d say that being creative has always been a part of my personality and has served me well. As a child, I could play secretary for hours with a pretend phone and a spiral notebook that I had made into my appointment book. I established Kelly’s Deli, complete with an ever changing menu of what the refrigerator held at the time, and took the orders of my family members, serving them their food as they lounged in the living room. I later used these creative juices to write book reports, poems, and eventually three children’s books as an adult. We would enjoy themed dinners when the children were growing up and chocolate parties and heart hunts on Valentine’s Day. As a teacher, I love to create eye catching bulletin boards and art projects that include color, texture, and fun. Life is too short not to celebrate the average Tuesday, or redecorate a room for no other reason than you got a new pillow on sale. Adding joy to the ordinary has helped me to create many memories , and for that I am grateful.

Organized

I have always loved all things that have to do with organization. Gel pens, journals, colored paper clips and calendars make me giddy. Being able to plan, schedule, and make the best use of my time gives me a high like no other. Of course, the opposite is true as well. Life has a crazy way of taking your calendar and lighting it on fire – take the PANDEMIC, for instance. Being a mom of four and a preschool teacher has also taught me the importance of staying on task. Knowing that a tidy space and well thought out day would only benefit my students and family encouraged me even more to hone in on my organizational skills. Understandably, it’s impossible to keep a spotless home or classroom, and it’s also not healthy to dictate an extremely rigid schedule. But having a routine is crucial, and we all thrive when we know what to expect. I am proud of all that I have managed to achieve so far in my life using these skills.

Compassionate

If I had to choose one trait that I am most proud of – it would be that I’m compassionate. It doesn’t take skill or intelligence- but it does take time, and the ability to notice the needs of others. I was brought up to be generous with my time and abilities. We were always encouraged to have open eyes to areas in the house, school, or community that would benefit from our help. Many people don’t offer assistance because they think they couldn’t do “enough”. I’m here to confirm that it’s the little things that mean the most, and are remembered the longest. A text to check in on a friend, a meal dropped off to a family with a sick child, flowers given secretly to someone that needs a smile. I love doing these things for others because I know how much I appreciate similar acts of love (and really, it’s not difficult at all!). No matter what is happening in my own life, I know that I always feel better when I offer my time or services to others.

Okay – now it’s YOUR turn! What are your top 3? Please share – I’ll be waiting to hear from you 🙂

HAPPY FEBRUARY ❤️

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Intentional

Each year, I think long and hard about what my word of the year should be. I was “this close” to repeating my word from 2022 – worthy – something I had never done in my previous eleven years of choosing a word. The word worthy brought me so many lessons, and I was hesitant to move on without it. Nonetheless, I poured over lists of potential words until one made me stop in my tracks – intentional. The dictionary defines intentional as an adjective, meaning “done on purpose; deliberate”. Now, as a TYPE A personality, I feel that most of what I do in life is thought out, planned and on purpose. But was I living an intentional life? It appears I will be finding this out in 2023.

I thrive on a schedule. Having raised four children, I found that our household also did much better when a routine was established and we did our best to stick with it. As a teacher, I’m fully aware that my days are the most productive and successful when they are scheduled and planned in advance, even to the point of over-planning in case an activity took less time than originally planned. Needless to say, most of the areas in my life are already organized, anticipated and planned in advance. So why did the word intentional tug at my heart this year? Since I’m not a fly by the seat of my pants kinda gal, why did I feel the urge to focus on this word in particular? Honestly – it has a bit to do with an upcoming date this winter. That, my friend, will be my 50th birthday (50 😳). I’m not dreading it by any means, but I am becoming more aware of how time has the capacity to pass rather quickly, and if I have things that I’d like to say, or do, or witness – I better start being more intentional.

I spoke earlier about how I feel that I have already tried to be intentional in my parenting and career. There are so many other aspects of my life that deserve a similar amount of intentionality… my hobbies, my eating habits, my relationships, how much sleep I am getting each night – the list could go on and on. Let’s take this little blog for example. Writing brings me joy. It also brings me frustration and guilt when I can’t (don’t) find time for it in my weekly schedule. It gets pushed to the back seat – heck it’s being pulled behind the van on most occasions. I don’t allow this outlet for myself – and I can’t even explain why it’s not justifiable in my own mind. But no more, I will be more intentional this year about writing more – and hopefully adding blogs for you to read about whatever is in my head at the time (God help us all!). I will also allow more time for reading – another true love that gets shoved aside in the chaos of daily living. I know I will find several other areas in my daily life that are begging for more intentionality.

For the most part, I will open my eyes a bit wider, and wait just a moment longer before I respond – making sure that I understand what’s in front of me, before I open my mouth and comment on it. I will plan more lunches and dinners with friends, be more careful with the words that I choose to speak and write, and be more cautious with what I agree to do with the time I have been blessed with on the earth. I will try to acknowledge that everything I do is a choice – and that others are choosing too… and that’s the hard part. I am going to do my absolute best to live on purpose, not just react and respond to what is happening around me. Being intentional sounds right, it sounds necessary. I know that God had a reason to plop that word in my lap. I am hopeful that this year will allow me to grow in whatever areas in my life could afford some improvement. I pray that this year is a great one for all of you ❤️