March Goals.

My goal for February was to simplify. Instead of overwhelming myself with numerous goals, I wanted to focus on the few goals that mattered and that would cultivate purpose + growth. I'm so glad that I chose to do this, because too many goals would have put added stress to a month that didn't always feel so productive towards the end. You see that space with no check marks? It shows a bit less "action" then the beginning of the month. I found myself in a "rut," and struggled staying focused.

Do you ever get in "ruts?" 
I tend to get in them more often then I like. This past month's rut looked a bit like this:

Less Jesus, more screen time
Less healthy eating, more junk food
Less exercise, more naps
Less motivation, more excuses
Less productivity, more laziness

My hope is that those things get reversed in March.

More Jesus, less screen time
More healthy eating, less junk food
More exercise, less naps
More motivation, less excuses
More productivity, less laziness
and a few more...
More cleaning, less mess
More prayer, less forgetfulness to pray
More gratitude, less discontentment
More creativity, less fear
More daily routines, less stress
More writing, less texting
More reading, less scrolling

I'm pushing myself to just do a bit more in March, because I think I'm capable of it. So often I discredit myself, but really, God has given me so much ability to do the things I desire to accomplish. I took time to simplify in February, and now I feel the push to challenge myself in March. 

I read this in Philippians the other day. It gave me the courage to move on from the shortcomings of February, and rely on Jesus for my source of strength as I look ahead to March:

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4: 12-13)

Friend, you can do all things, just not always by your own strength. 
His power is made perfect in your weakness. 

February Goals

1. Be in the word every day. Make it a habit - Incomplete

I started off the month strong, but quickly fell short in making this a habit. I even went a full week without opening my Bible! While I could easily dwell on the failure aspect of this goal, I would much prefer focusing on the positive. I did finish studying the book of Philippians. It was so encouraging and gave me the words that I needed this past month. Crazy how God's word always tells you exactly what you need to hear! ;)

2. Read: Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World bu Joanna Weaver - Complete...almost ;)

I'm about 40 pages away from finishing, and I'm excited to read them sometime today. When I started reading, I was actually a bit disappointed. I felt like I didn't relate to the topic as much as I thought I would, or should. Much of the beginning of the book talks about "doing all the things" over putting our focus on Christ. It made me feel a bit guilty even, showing me that I maybe should do more? That I wasn't serving others enough, or being lazy? I think those were all lies I was telling myself, rather than the truth. I just don't think it was completely applicable to the slower season of life I'm in. I also feel her writing is a bit more choppy. I would get easily distracted while reading, and felt as though she jumped from a short story, to a quote from another author, to a personal life example, to another story, and then back to her main point. It was a little hard for me to follow at times. 

Despite the negatives in the beginning, I quickly started to relate to the topic of "not making time" for Jesus + His word, and learned a lot of useful information and tools that I can apply to my daily worship habits. One of these things being "a half day of prayer." I plan on doing this very soon and sharing my experience!

3. Plan out blog + Instagram posts - Somewhat complete

I did it some weeks, and others I didn't. At times, not planning out posts brought feelings of inadequacy. I began comparing my posts to other well-known accounts, and it didn't benefit me...obviously! Instead of feeling guilt, I must show myself grace. Creating the perfectly worded post on Instagram does not give me worth. Christ already gives me that. I'm working on being okay with more "spur of the moment" posts, and not putting too much pressure on myself to say the most articulate + inspiring things all the time.

4. Implement daily devotions with Josh - Incomplete

We continue to struggle with this. I could list a handful of excuses (a lot of them sound pretty good...) as to why we do not make time for this, but as I was saying them to myself, I realized that excuses are never beneficial. The truth: we must begin making this a priority. Our marriage is not just between us two, it's a relationship between us three. Jesus + Josh + Rachel. This will be carrying over into March :)

March Goals

1. Read: Me Before You by JoJo Moyes

I'm a big personal development reader, but I've been craving some fiction to change up my reading list. I saw a friend post about this book on Instagram, and I was at first intrigued by the cover. Confession: I totally judge books by their covers! I googled what it was actually about, and saw that it was being made into a movie! I watched the trailer, fell in love with the story line (who doesn't like a tragic love story?!) and knew I had to read it. Not to mention, the leading actress in the movie is Emilia Clarke. I absolutely love her in Game of Thrones and am excited to see her in this movie.

2. Implement devotions + prayer with Josh
We are planning on reading through the book of John together. We have scheduled times each day this week to sit down and be in The Word together; whether it's 5 minutes or 20, 1 verse or 1 chapter...as long as we sit down and do it! We also plan on praying together after devotion, before bed, and before and after our marriage meetings each week.

3. Start a prayer binder
This is something I've wanted to start for a while now. Making prayer a daily thing in my life is one of my BIG goals for 2016. I'm currently scouring Pinterest for ideas on how to put my own personal binder together. I also want to incorporate a "gratitude" section. I found a super simple and FREE daily gratitude printable here. 

4. Write 1 letter a week
I did this in the month of January, and the beginning of February. I loved writing them, and want to continue doing it this month.

5. Pray for 1 person a week
Something I also started in January and continued into February. I slacked the last couple weeks in February, however, so here's to starting again this month!

6. Be in the Bible every day + study the book of Ruth
I'm praying to be successful in creating habits this month, and meditation in The Word is a BIG ONE for me. I'm committing to scheduling my time (whatever amount of time I'm able to do it for that day, I usually set my timer for 30 minutes) in The Word, and making it of utmost priority. I'm excited to start the book of Ruth! I asked Josh, "What book of the Bible should I study next?" and he told me to chose one I didn't know anything about. I know a bit about this book, but not as much as I'd like. I also tend to read the Gospels instead of the OT books, so this will be a nice change of pace for me.

7. Implement a morning + evening routine
I have these written down, and started them at the end of January, but like other things fell off the wagon a bit. That snooze alarm in the morning is sooooo tempting!!! I'm also looking forward to sharing my routines in a future post.

8. Practice Calligraphy
Josh bought me paper, ink, and nibs over a year ago for my 23rd birthday and I have yet to try them out. I've always found interest in different types and hand lettering and have desired to be able to do it myself. It was one of my goals for the year to try new things, so March seems like as good a month as any to try out a new potential hobby! Hopefully I'm not too terrible at it...

9. Schedule workouts
Just like being in the Bible, I'm striving to schedule a "non-negotiable" time each day to workout. I've always been a super active person. I actually like to exercise, but can sometimes get into slumps. I'm planning on incorporating Tabata/HIIT/cardio based workouts along with yoga, and attending Zumba on Saturdays.

10. Do one cleaning task every day
I wouldn't consider myself a "messy" person, but I'm not a "neat freak" either. I can easily leave the laundry baskets overflowing, clothes on the floor, lunch box unpacked, and dishes on the counter over night. I know that all these things are 10-20 minute tasks that can be done each day, and save me the 3 hour cleaning session I have on the weekends. Not only do I want to accomplish this goal for myself, but also for Josh. I know that it really bothers him when messes are left  unattended, so to show love and respect for our marriage, I want to get better in the cleaning area.

March is looking good. New + exciting goals, warmer weather (hopefully), Easter break, the Michigan Spring Football game (technically April 1st, but close enough!), a trip back to Wisconsin, and lots of time with family +friends! I. Can't. Wait. Welcome, March. I'm thrilled to have you here.