It’s October 1st and the last quarter of 2022, crazy! The changing of the seasons is something I look forward to, yes, even winter for a brief amount of time. And with winter comes thoughts of finishing out 2022 strong and beginning anew in 2023. Discipline is my word for this year. Definitely not my first choice but honestly, it’s been needed. My three big goals for my year were moving my body, better use of my time and reading through the Bible. Happy to say while I haven’t been spot on every day, I’ve definitely been doing all of these. Some I’ve definitely been better at than others.
Maybe it’s my personality, maybe it’s living in the mid-west but every year it seems I start out strong, even into May and then when summer hits, my schedule goes out the window and it’s a free for all. It’s quick, soak in all the warmth, food and fun while we can! Then fall hits and it’s back to schedules and structure. Finding a healthier balance of this would be great. I’m sure some of this is from not having a 9-5 job that keeps me more structured. But then don’t we all love the flexibility that not having that brings? It’s a hard thing for my mind to figure out. Either way, I have kept going, even when I missed workouts or reading my bible.
There are still 3 months left in 2022 and I want to finish well! So, to keep myself accountable, I figured I’d put it all on virtual paper to remind myself to keep pushing for the finish line and cross it, knowing I am stronger than I was at the end of September. I want to be able to write my 2022 Word of the Year wrap up post talking about the ways God used Discipline to form and shape me into being more like Him. How I didn’t keep with the same old patterns and excuses, but I stepped up and kept going, even when it was easier to quit.
One thing I’ve been trying to do is incorporate more movement everyday simply so that as I age, it won’t be harder and harder to gain strength. There are a few things that run in my family, Diabetes being a big one that I would love to avoid. And good news, Type 2 diabetes can be avoided and even reversed through diet and exercise! At the same time, I’d love to see visible results in a few months from continued strength training, more as encouragement to me that what I’m doing is making a difference. If you’re looking to start incorporating exercise into your day, I will shout from the rooftop all the live long day about FIton.
I seriously love the app, there are SO many types of exercise and stretching offered for free, really, we have no excuse to not be doing it. The workouts range in intensity and even time, so you can do an arm workout in as little as ten minutes. They make it even easier by offering an app on the Roku so you can have it on your TV and not just your phone.
Spiritually, if you’re looking to finish the year strong, starting today, October 1st, you can join in on reading the New Testament, once a day for the rest of the year. I’m doing The Bible Recap and they have a plan in the Youversion Bible app for just the New Testament. One of the great things about the Bible Recap is that Tara Leigh Cobble does a short recap of the day’s reading on her podcast. I love to listen to it when I’m driving or doing the dishes. The extra content really helps with understanding.
Along with that, it’s even better if you can get a few friends to join you and they don’t even have to live near you. We did it a few years ago with our friends when they lived in Texas, and we were in Minnesota. It was a great way to stay connected and also have some accountability. Our neighborhood bible study has been reading through the bible together this year and I can’t wait to celebrate at the end of the year!
Finally, one thing I wanted to improve this year is the use of my time. This ebbs and flows for me. Sometimes I am on it, getting stuff done all day long. Other days, I feel like I wander my house and accomplish a whole lot of nothing. I use my planner for probably 3/4 of the year but during the summer, I don’t really touch it. I’ve loved using the Faithful Life Planner this year, but I’ll be looking at a different type of planner for next year as the one I use won’t be available. If you have a planner that you love, that has space for sermon notes, word of the year and goal setting along with weekly calendar space, please let me know.
I had a few other small goals on my list this year. One being to read more books instead of being on my phone. Our neighborhood started a book club in February which was great timing! I’ve loved finding some new to me authors but more importantly it’s been fun to meet new neighbors and connect that way. Our local library has been a go to of mine for books along with using the Goodreads App. Happy to say I’ve read quite a few books this year.
Another goal I’ve recently added is to try and watch more sunrises/sunsets and get out into nature. Our current home offers beautiful sunrise views and I love them!
Unfortunately, the sunset views are completely blocked at our home so I’ve been walking about 5 minutes from my house to the top of the nearby hill to catch the sunset.
This will definitely be a bigger goal for next year. I can’t get enough of the beauty God displays every morning and evening.
Along with capturing God’s handiwork, I’ve been trying to walk on nature trails once a week. It’s improved my mood so much and made me realize how much I missed having those moments of quiet and beauty in my day.
All in all, if I had to give myself a grade for this year, I think a solid B would be where I put myself. With three months to go, there’s room for improvement but also, I’m giving myself a pat on the back today for how far I’ve come this year. Did you do a word for 2022 or set some goals? How’s it going friend? It’s not too late to finish strong!
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