5 Things I’ve Started (and Stopped) Doing

“…let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.  And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1

Here are 5 things I’ve started and stopped doing in order to live my life with greater purpose and impact in 2018:

1. Trust God more than I Worry

• Sometimes I don’t realize my shoulders are up by my earlobes until I remember to ask myself, “Are you trusting or worrying?”
• Trusting God isn’t a passive state, so I ask myself, “What can I do to stop worrying?”
• I can find peace by reading the Bible daily and trusting God to keep His Word.
• Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.”

2. Move more than I Sit

• Weekly checklists motivate me to get moving.
• I love to walk and ride my beach cruiser, and this year I’m adding weights and yoga, and it feels so satisfying to check it off my list.

3. Read more than I Scroll

• I’m usually scrolling for entertainment, not for information or growth.
• Scrolling leads to comparing; and comparison drains my energy.
• Putting down my phone and picking up a book (or reading a book on my phone) is actually increasing my energy.
• My goal for 2018 is to finish at least two books per month.  (I’m currently reading Boundaries by Cloud & Townsend and Everybody Always by Bob Goff.)

4. Reach Out more than I Retreat

• Just like hunger pangs are the body’s signal to eat, feeling lonely is the heart’s signal to reach out.  (I just love this quote from Friendships Don’t Just Happen – another great book I finished this year!)
• Whether I’m reaching out to friends or family or a new community, I want to be someone who invites, includes and invests, not someone who hides out and holds back.

5. Start more than I Doubt

• I’ve always been that girl who has trouble making decisions, but I’ve come to realize that self-doubt is just a form of procrastination, and who has time for that?
• So I’m challenging myself to skip all the doubting and what-ifs and just get started!
• Starting doesn’t always result in perfection, but it always leads to being fully present.

I’d love to hear what you’re putting into practice as you reach the half-way point of this year!  – what have you started doing?  – what have you stopped doing?  – and how is it going so far?

If you’re curious about how to get started on living a life of greater purpose and impact, I’d love to talk with you about your own LifePlan.   You can connect with me at rene@eat-art.org or visit www.patersoncenter.com to learn more.