Scale back the goal, or scale up the effort...










Maybe you can help me figure this one out, friend... I told you from the beginning this was going to be a learning process, and that we would be learning together.

Time... one of the most precious resources that we have been given.

I know that I tend to be a waster of time.
I know that I don't always utilize my time wisely.
I know that I need to become a better steward of it.

(Yikes, that is kinda hard to type out loud.)

What about you?
Are you good about managing your time?

-----//-----

So here's the deal... I am an early to bed, early to rise kinda girl.
I am most productive in the mornings, but I also like to sleep (so the struggle is real).

My alarm goes off at 4:15 am...
then again at 4:25...
then again at 4:35...
then again at 4:45...

See where I'm going with this? The snooze button is my friend, and by the time I get up, lately around 5:00ish, I feel like I have already wasted almost an hour of my day.

So herein lies my dilemma... scale back the goal or scale up the effort?

When you set a goal for yourself that you continually DON'T reach, how does that make you feel?
  • Discouraged
  • Frustrated
  • Angry
  • Ready to throw in the towel
Yeah, me too... it becomes harder and harder to work toward that goal when you have it in your head that you won't reach it anyway, doesn't it?

The flip side of that is if you decide to modify the goal, you then feel lazy, like a failure... and by 'you' I mean me, but also maybe you.

No one ever said being a good steward over all these seeds would be easy...

In my mulling this over trying to come up with a good solution, two words came to my mind... (I also told you I like using those three dots, a lot... maybe it will be my trademark, my signature style... I am getting off topic...)

Two words came to my mind... GRIT & GRACE.

You don't quit on a goal just because it's hard. Sometimes you need to grit your teeth, dig in your heels, gristle up, and just do the dang thing... just get out of bed when the stinkin' alarm goes off! Grit...

But sometimes you may need to take a step back, evaluate the plans you have, figure out what makes sense for you. Does that 45-60 minutes that I allow myself to get all bent out of shape over because I spent it in bed, really effect the entire course of my day? Is it worth it to continue to set a goal for myself that I am continually not reaching, just so I can say I didn't quit? Grace...

And guess what... there is no right or wrong!
You get to be the judge and jury. 
You get to decide what fits you best.
And you also get to change your mind.

This may seem rather trivial to you, but you can apply these same principles (those two words) to whatever it is in your life that you are trying to accomplish.

For me, today... I think I am going to choose grace. 
Tomorrow maybe I'll set the alarm for 4:45. 
Maybe I won't set the alarm at all... 
No, I definitely won't do that. :) 

But friend, if you find yourself always frustrated because you feel like you are never able to hit the mark you've set for yourself... I am giving you permission today to move the mark.

Until next time... Blessings!







1 Comment

  1. Excellent message. One I needed to read and absorb. Thank you!
    Nicole Switala AUTHOR  08/19/2020 09:35 AM Central
    So glad you were blessed!

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