What would happen if...
There is one month left in this year, and it's got me thinking.
What would be awesome to have accomplished, started, be doing, heading into next year?
What do I want?
And, ESPECIALLY:
What do I want these weeks to FEEL like?
This begged the following question:
What do the last few weeks of the year typically feel like for me?
That's not hard to answer, though it's a little hard to share.
I have written many an essay about limping into the new year. We made it. I made it, but came through as an exhausted shell of a human being. 😰😩🤕
At one time, I could blame it on church.
Every year, we participated in Christmas productions and between rehearsals and performances (these were big, awesome Christmas productions!!) we'd be squeezing in all the shopping, wrapping, and general life doings that rudely do NOT go away because it's November into December.
But the Perceiver in me–
(an MBTI term. IYKYK–and if you don't know, that means–I prefer to keep my options open which sometimes looks like procrastination and leaving too many things until the last minute. It can also manifest in tasks taking longer to complete because of a process-orientation rather than a product-orientation and doing too many things at once. Perceivers do NOT need to be admonished to stop and smell the roses because they already are. In fact, they likely wandered off the path bound for the roses and got side-tracked to kick a rock or two, and explore any number of avenues along the way.)
Anyway, the Perceiver in me would leave TOO MUCH until the last minute. This manifested in presents being wrapped until 3 in the morning on December 24th. Work still happening as treasured guests arrived, making me feel like a loser and them having to comfort me that it's really ok and how could they help me?
I bring all this up not to air my own dirty laundry but to give some context to the above questions.
They are challenging me to consider what Flight Deck work is still on the table and to identify how I'd like that needle to move in the next four weeks.
But they are also challenging me to think about what I want this final month of 2023 to FEEL like.
My daughter will be home from college for a month.
My son and daughter-in-love and grandbaby will be home for Christmas--the first actual Christmas we will have with them in several years (and the grandbaby ever!!!!!!)
So I asked myself those above questions keeping in mind the various moving pieces I can currently identify.
What would be awesome to have accomplished, started, and/or be doing, heading into next year?
What do I want?
And, ESPECIALLY:
What do I want these weeks to FEEL like?
It's only four weeks. I can't do ALL the THINGS.
And if I try, I'm going to sacrifice in being present and enjoying what matters most to me.
So I pretended it was January 1st and wrote a list of what I'd like to be able to say regarding the prior month. (And suggest you do the same–this isn't just a holiday exercise but an anytime exercise for living a fruitful life on your own terms.)
I have scripture to back me up. The Bible says
God sees the end from the beginning. (Isa. 46:10)
He always has an end in mind:
For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you, says the Lord, plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (Jer. 29:11, AMP)
And the end He has in mind for us is for our peace and well-being, giving us a future and hope!
As an aside, even if you have no idea where you are going or what you are doing, and getting yourself through the day is all you have headspace for–you can rest in the truth that God has an end in mind for you that has peace, well-being, a future and hope.
The Bible also says to:
write the vision and make it plain so that we can read it and run toward it. (Habakkuk 2:2)
So here (again) are the questions (so you can write your own vision):
What would be awesome to have accomplished, started, and/or be doing, heading into next year?
What do I want?
And, ESPECIALLY:
What do I want these weeks to FEEL like?
Writing the vision is big. It's Biblical–so, it's, like TRUTH.
Even in the world, written goals are 42% more likely to be achieved. (This from a very quick Google search!)
But, y'all, 2023 is coming to a conclusion QUICKLY.
We have to be (at least somewhat) realistic. I am not likely to lose 20 lbs., or get my kitchen re-modeled, for example. But I can ditch all-or-nothing thinking and employ
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BIBLE PRINCIPLES EVER.
God's kingdom works on the principle of seedtime and harvest. Seeds are tiny. And God made it so that every living thing–be it a rose bush, a tree, a puppy, or human grows from a seed.
Ideas are seeds, too.
We start small and grow from there. Faithful over little; ruler over much.
I need to think SMALL in order to live big.
For me, I've been thinking about what has stressed me out in the past during this timeframe (and dampened my ability to enjoy my family and loved ones and be fully present and happy.)
So I'm putting out my Christmas decorations early. The extra table that was cluttering up my dining area from Thanksgiving I took down (way earlier than I usually would have) and took straight to my bedroom so I could set it up as a wrapping station. (Not gonna be up all night the 24th doing that this year!)
All the "we shoulds" as regards Christmas activities, I'm putting in my notes app so we don't sit around looking at each other asking, "What do you want to do now? I dunno. What do YOU want to do?"
Forget that! I'm collecting options and will get some of those ideas on the books.
Those are some of the ways I can be faithful over little so that my holiday feels the way I want it to.
And I'm applying those same kinds of questions to the various areas of my life.
Here's the question I'm asking myself:
What would happen if _____?
There are 4 weeks left.
I've identified a number of things I'd like to be able to say walking into 2024.
I can't do everything, but let's just use the "lose 20 lbs" example from above.
Not realistic.
But. What would happen if _____
Let's say I filled in that blank with:
What would happen if I recorded what I eat in my food app and got my daily step count to 10k for the next four weeks?
That doesn't guarantee any weight loss, but it moves my habits in the right direction and perhaps I can avoid the average 8 pound weight gain that most people experience over the holidays.
More importantly–it moves me in the direction of peace and well-being. It's small and doable.
So, if you want to join me in taking baby steps NOW to walk into 2024 better, let's do this–together:
- Get the right "food" going into your heart. Take some time to get God's input--pray, read your Bible or a good devotion. Flight Deck's "8 ideas" is a great resource. Say the affirmations every day and read through the material. Find some time and space for some quiet.
- Take a few minutes to prayerfully envision what you would like to be able to say when you look back on the end of '23.
- Write it down and look at it–every day if you're able.
- What "smalls" can you be faithful over that will move you in the direction of your envisioned end? Don't go crazy here. This is supposed to be a positive thing–not one more burden added to an already full existence.
I mentioned earlier that there was a timeframe in our lives–many years, actually where we were truly just swamped. When I think back to that context–my kids were young. We were doing the church work on top of all the demands of our daily life and trying to make our family's Christmas magical. The "littles" I'd advise myself to be faithful over back then would be to just go with it. To live in the moment and enjoy the full-ness–to see my life as full, rather than busy, and trust God to take care of all of my want-to- and need-to-do's.
He always did! Just that attitude adjustment is a great step toward peace.
What would happen if...I did one or two of those identified "smalls" for the next four weeks?
For me, I know I will be more likely to follow through with mine because I've told you.
Get some of that same accountability for yourself! Tell me the "ends" you hope for, and the "smalls" you identify in the comments below!
❤️✈️❤️✈️
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