Intentional October Update: Week 3.

This picture above is the view through my kitchen window at 5:30 am. Amazing, how it looks so much brighter in the photo than in real life. I think that's how I need to approach my Intentional October goals - they are brighter and more illuminating than they seem with the naked eye. If you're unfamiliar with what Intentional October is all about, you should check out what it means for me, and how I am attempting change this month.

Update.
The thing is, last week I stated that the central focus of the week would be on community; friends and family. And I had so many rich experiences with my people this week! I had the opportunity to celebrate a dear friend's bachelorette party and wedding shower, AND I threw my little sister a surprise wedding shower! Oh, that was really good stuff - she was legitimately surprised. Mission accomplished. Also, my house looks like the set of The Wedding Planner - anyone need to throw a wedding-themed anything? Because I've got you covered. But in all seriousness, I must admit - the interesting thing is that spending time with my loved ones this week often caused me to bend my core values for Intentional October. You can't go out for a fun bachelorette party and still get tucked into bed at 9:30pm. Not possible. You can't go to the gym and exercise when your son has a broken leg and is out of school for the week. And you really can't wake up early if you've been up all night, sick with a fever, only to discover in the morning that your son has one too. Well, that last scenario was a fluke, and had very little to do with my community. But it's been quite a week!

Let's be honest though. That's life, folks. Life just happens. And I want to talk about that a little.

Beating myself up about skipped goals and bent ideals is only a downward spiral. It's not super productive. So I've been learning to start fresh each day, with margins of grace. Grace for scenarios that aren't as rigid as my goals. That's the only way I will continue to stay motivated and find Intentional October continuously fun and inspired. I'm starting to think of Intentional October as my home-base discipline. It's the marathon of life, not a sprint. Sometimes I won't hit every goal of the day. But then tomorrow, I have a fresh start all over again. It's empowering.

Has anyone else run into this on their Intentional October journey? I'd love to hear about how you've been troubleshooting!

Invest in WORK.
The first few weeks of Intentional October were self-focused. Determining a few goals, creating a sustainable calendar for achievement, and getting into the habit of those chosen disciplines. If you're anything like me, those disciplines are still in flex. Continuing to find their place in my hours each day. This past week we focused on our immediate community - how to positively affect our friends and family. This coming week I want to build upon these principles and see how we can make a positive impact in the work place. What does that look like to you? For each of us, that will look different, because the range of "work place" varies significantly. I just want to encourage you to seek out someone at work that could use encouragement, affirmation, or a little extra attention. Take specific time to think through some work place bottle necks - do you have an idea that would better the environment for everyone involved? Gifting just a little special attention to these things could make a positive impact in your work place, so why not try it? Let's.

You've Got This!
I hope you are all still feeling motivated. My thing is, I want to do know that I did my absolute best at the end of this month-long journey. But I also want to know that I lived life to the fullest and enjoyed the vibrant once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Like watching my sweet modest friend don a silly tiara and veil in public at her bachelorette party. Like watching the shocked look on my sister's face as we all screamed "SURPRISE!!!" at her wickedly fun surprise shower. Like watching my son overcome his broken leg and, STILL, try to walk on it. Smiling at me the whole time. What a little bear. Oh my.

This is the stuff of life. The great moments that I'm not going to miss. And even though there have been moments this week where I've missed a goal here and there, the whole purpose of my goals is to fully embrace THESE moments. And have more of them. And celebrate them. And celebrate me. And celebrate YOU.

Life is beautiful, friends! I believe in your week! Let's make it COUNT!

PS - Did I mention my baby sister is getting married this coming weekend? I'm excited and a mess all at once. Advice for the sister of the bride?! I'm all ears. Or all tears. One of those. :)

Intentional October Update: Week 2

Happy Monday, friends! It's always nice to have a fresh start on Monday, and we are entering our third cycle of the Intentional October journey today! I wrote this update last week, but to be fully transparent with you, my Intentional October goals were the furthest thing from my mind in the days after my son broke his little leg. It has been a whirlwind of figuring out what he needs and wants, since he still can't really tell us everything he's feeling. I could go into details about his break and our emotional journey, but I will save that for another day. Or never. Because it is still just emotional. Today I want to focus on Intentional October, because it's still on! In fact, I am feeling more motivated than ever, and I'll tell you why.

Life Happens. That's what Grace is for.
As you know, the purpose of Intentional October is to create healthier, more productive habits that can be continued onward, past the end of this month. If you're unfamiliar with what Intentional October is all about, you should check out what it means for me, and how I am attempting change this month. The hope is that we all are able to continue to implement these positive tactical changes, whether it's to drink more water, exercise in the morning or tackle the biggest item on the to-do list first thing in the morning.

All that being said, these goals should stretch us past our comfortable zone, but still exist in the realm of REAL LIFE. Because you know what? Real life happened to me this week. My son broke his leg, we were up in the ER until 2am, then he got a cold (probably from staying up in the ER until 2am) and we have all been trying to recover since then. I could easily take this awful circumstance and become consumed by the enormity of it. Or - not.

Intentional October isn't supposed to disqualify me from normal life, it's supposed to help me do my normal life better. It's supposed to help me get stronger, healthier, and be more productive, so that I can have even more love and joy to give to my family. And my family really needs me right now. So I have to cling to my goals even more than ever! It's not a matter of being militant or hard on myself - it's actually about believing in myself and being extra good to me. Real life requires us to have so much grace for ourselves. I'll admit, I've done some dramatic reacting since last week. And because of it, I needed to sleep in. I needed to not exercise for a few days. I needed to cry.

But then something amazing happened. My body almost started shouting at me -  it was craving some of the habits I have been working so hard to cultivate for the past few weeks! I had to go for a run because I felt like my legs were twitching. And look at that picture above - how pretty it was out there! And I was so thirsty and I realized I had been blasting my brains with coffee, but not enough water. And even though I needed to sleep, my eyes have been popping open early the past few mornings. Maybe not 5:30am early, but still early.

I've been learning a lot, friends.

Intentional October is still on. We are halfway (okay a bit more than halfway) through the month, which means we still have a few weeks more for growth. Today is a brand new day, and I am thrilled for the opportunity to live another day so fully.

Focus on the Family.
The first few weeks, the central focus of the month was on our own personal positive change. Keeping all those same tactics going, I want to pivot focus and concentrate on purposely pouring into friends and family. Our community is such a rich, integral part of our lives. It's the ecosystem we exist in and the litmus test for our choices and decisions. These beautiful people are the ones we lean on for support and encouragement, and I feel compelled to focus special effort on them this week. Intentional October should benefit everyone around us. What does that look like to you? It could be writing an encouraging letter to your out-of-town best friend. It could be cleaning your parents' house when they're not at home. It could be taking a little extra time to figure out how to love your spouse best. Figuring out my husband and family's Love Languages has helped me find the best ways to serve them. If you have other tactics for purposely pouring into your loved ones, please post it in the comments below!

I'm sharing this to encourage you - what you're doing this month matters. It's making a difference in your personal life and creating a rippling effect all around you. People will be impacted by those ripples. People will be inspired by your devotion, your discipline, your passion. You are a powerful person! And I know it because I believe it, too. We are powerful people and we are taking a hold of our lives. We are having grace on ourselves and continuing to seek challenge. It's a big deal. It's not cheesy. It's awesome, actually. YOU are awesome.

Talk to me! What's going on with your Intentional October? Give me updates, encouragement, rants, everything! Need some troubleshooting? Don't be afraid to chime in, friends!