Do you ever just stand in the shower and think "Will I ever just have it all together?" I probably have that thought about every couple of months or so. I seem to get in a grove and then all of a sudden I feel like I am back at square one. It is like I am on a roller coaster. The moments like that usually happen when my routine is broken up or things just keep going wrong right after one another (hence the broken ceramic bowl a couple weeks ago). I try not to get to what I call the boiling point. The point where I just can't handle it anymore and I explode. It isn't good and it usually ends up with me either breaking something or me yelling at my family =(
I have come to appreciate the "square one" or the beginning (for the most part). Fresh starts are so "refreshing" in a way. I like being able to start with a clean slate. Each time I end up starting new, I feel slightly better about myself. Weird, huh? I know! It would be nice if I could just keep it together and not get to my boiling point but that just isn't reality. Even when you are on a diet, diets have "cheat days" cuz who can keep it together all the time? Sometimes a "fresh" look at things can be a good thing. I've come up with new ideas or better ways to organize. It has even helped me to get rid of some things. It doesn't have to be bad.
When considering a "fresh" start, do yourself a favor.
1. Make small goals. When I say small, I mean tiny, manageable, no problem getting this goal done type of small goals. 20 minutes a day in a problem area is such a great, small goal. 20 minutes, that is all it takes. Even if you skip a day or two, it is in the forethought of your mind and if you try to stick with it, it will eventually stick.
2. Make lists. Make tons and tons of lists. I have lists everywhere. I mean everywhere. In my phone, in a million notebooks, on a million sheets of paper. I have also put dry erase boards on the wall of every room. For me, if it is not written down, I forget it. End of Story. Do not pass Go and collect $200 because I am not remembering what I wanted to do. Don't worry if you don't cross everything off the list right away or even at all. I have a journal that has about 3 pages worth of a list. Sometimes I cross something off of it, sometimes I don't. Don't harp over the list. Just have a list or two or a hundred. Who cares, just have one. It will serve as a reminder and eventually you will learn how to prioritize and fulfill the things on the lists. But you have to start somewhere.
3. Start somewhere. Anywhere. Don't let yourself sit in a rut of unhappiness or frustration. Don't do it. I know its hard. I have been there several times. Just don't do it. Ask for help, research, read blogs. Do something to help you get started. I am afraid to fail but that doesn't mean I won't try something. I even get upset when I fail but you have to start somewhere and you can't let the failures keep you from trying. I hate the saying "don't be afraid to fail" because being afraid and not doing something are two different things. I am afraid most of the time but I don't let that fear tell me what to do.
4. Take things slow. Realize that you are human and have your limits. Do not push yourself too hard or too fast. You most likely will not be successful and that will just cause you to be more frustrated. Plan, pray about it, write it down, discuss it with someone, or whatever it is that you need to do to make sure that you are taking it slow and making manageable goals. A friend posted a blog post that I found interesting. It was a post about 33 things that the author did everyday. Before I starting reading it, I was like "33 things, that seems easy". I then started reading it and immediately became overwhelmed. The amount (or maybe the extent) of tasks she did just made me feel instantly stressed. As I thought about it, I realized that I probably do more than 33 tasks in one day but to have them all written down like that made it seem so overwhelming. One day I might decide to count how many tasks I do. I am curious to know the number because if it is more than 33 (like I think) then I will know that I am capable of doing 33 tasks in one day. I think I might even start with doing one task per day and start adding tasks as I feel I can achieve them. See...taking things slow.
http://moneysavingmom.com/2015/06/33-things-i-do-almost-every-day-that-make-my-day-so-much-better.html
5. Don't for one minute think that I have it all put together. Come to my house and I will show you how "put together" I am...lol. I haven't been as successful with the 30 day cleaning challenge (at least following what room I had assigned for that day) as I have been with my 30 day oil challenge but I have gotten more cleaned in my house. Most days I have actually probably cleaned more than 20 minutes. I don't call that a failure. I call that progress because I am being intentional with my time and my goals. They just aren't following the exact format I have set in place but something is getting done!
I hope that no one gets to the their boiling point. It is no fun. I hope that I can provide some motivation and encouragement. This is something that I have struggled with what is probably my whole life. I will probably continue to struggle with it but I hope that I am starting to create good, productive habits that will turn into normal, functioning life. Now to go yell at my husband to "For the love of God get whatever that is off the ceiling."
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