Today I'm writing about priorities. I am a notoriously awful priority-setter. I get easily distracted and, especially when cleaning, jump from one task to another. Yes, eventually everything gets done. Yes, I typically find money or memorabilia. No, it is not efficient.
Day 5 of the 31 Days to Clean program was setting priorities. The first line that Sarah Mae writes for today is, "If you're anything like me, you have good intentions, but you fall short." Zing! Score one for Sarah Mae. This is like...the story of my life. I have THE BEST intentions. Trust me, I really do. Do any of you ever see that? Highly unlikely. You see, I really am a champion at getting distracted. I'm also abysmal at follow-through. No, I don't know why. No, I can't keep a coherent calendar so that I can stick to the things I want to do. Yes, I do say "Yes" to just about everything. No, I don't know how to stop.
So, Day 5's "Mary Challenge" was particularly difficult for me. For one thing, I was challenged to come up with a priority list. Wait, isn't this the easy part? Of course. If I'm being fake with myself and setting a list of priorities (with explanations) that I'm sure you all want to see or that I'm supposed to write, then yes, this is simple. I really expect better of myself. I don't want to be fake. I don't want to lie about my priorities. So, the issue is two-fold. Do I write a list of priorities for where I want them to be/know they should be? Or, am I brutally honest about what I'm actually prioritizing/idolizing (hello, The Biggest Loser, Gossip Girl, and Grey's Anatomy) and then reflect on where to go from here?
Well, I tried to blend them. For the sake of accountability, I'm posting my new priority list here. I'm going to try to give a little background on each one, too, because I know some of you will be thinking, "haha- she never does that." It's true. I know I fall short on
For reference, Sarah Mae's priorities were:
1) God
2) Husband
3) Children
4) Home
5) Gifts
6) Personal
Many of these were the same, but if you want to know Sarah's reasons, you'll have to get the book. :)
1. God- exploring, figuring "it" out (whatever "it" is...I don't mean "it" to be God...just what I'm supposed to be doing), understanding what/where I am in my relationship/role/circumstances. I realize that as the wife of a youth minister, this should "come easy" to me, but it doesn't. It never really has. There's a saying that I found on Pinterest (which is apparently a quote from Will&Grace that says, "She's crazy. And just when you think you've reached the bottom of her craziness, there's a crazy underground garage." I feel this way, oohhhhh, 90% of the time. I don't know why. As a result, I have weirdo trust issues and things I can't comprehend and...I'm a control freak. Thus, sometimes Jesus & I have issues. Don't get me wrong, I never doubt that He is who He says He is, I just don't always have the easiest time figuring out how that affects me. My husband is a very good, good man.
2. Husband. :) This is my favorite priority right now. I feel like I'm pretty good with this priority...and even when I'm bad, he knows I'm trying to be better. My hope in this whole 31 day situation is that it will help me to be his best friend, best support, encourager, and (with the cleaning shtick in mind), his home maker. That's a huge part of my priority here. Sarah Mae also includes some super pertinent Scripture in this portion of her priority list. It's really awesome.
3. Our Family(ies)- I want to figure some things out and know where we are in regards to starting our own family, welcoming our current families into "our" new nuclear family, spending time with our families, and mostly, getting my home in order so that I can spend guilt-/stress-free time with them. I really want to get my house straight so that I can go home & spend a weekend with my mom and grandparents without feeling like I'm getting more behind by not being at my house.
4. My Job- I want to be investing in my students and using my time wisely at school and at home, so that I can work on projects in both places. Staying on top of housework=More time with/for my school work.
5. Me: I took Sarah Mae's advice and put me last. Yes, it was difficult. No, I'm not sure it's completely honest. But, I know this is where I need to be right now. I know that by focusing on these other areas/people in my life, I'll be more of the person that I truly want to be. That being said, I do want to work on working out (P90X, take 2?), resting/relaxing more, and spending/prioritizing time with my friends to restore/recharge in ways that only girl friends can.
I wrote this all down in a notebook and started out on Day 6 by working on the six list. It's an awesome little tool for keeping myself organized that I'm sure I'll talk about when I post pictures of the last few days of adventures. I should've taken before/afters of the massive pile of laundry I put away the other night. Literally, over an hour of my life. Ridiculous.
Thanks for reading this (if you stuck it out- don't blame you if you didn't). Honestly, it's a bit harder to have it all down here than I thought it would be. I'm going to leave you with the little photo of the mission statement that sits on my dresser. Hopefully having all of this motivation in one place will keep me going. Even when I feel like nobody is reading this, I feel guilty if I don't stick to my plan. But, thanks for reading it anyway. My priorities probably don't matter to anyone but me, but I appreciate it all the same. :)
Click here to visit Sarah Mae.
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