Halftime Pep Talk

Happy July, gang!  I decided to do another mid-year update and then give myself a nice fresh start as the second half of 2019 begins today! =)

The word I chose for this year was PERSEVERANCE.  As usual, it has come to mean something different and larger than I originally expected.  I figured it was about working out and achieving some big goals I had in mind there.  It has become more about not losing heart, persevering in hope, and pressing into Christ in the midst of an unexpectedly tough summer.  (The even-numbered years do tend to be better for me across the board, but I believe the next half of this year will have some great moments, as well!)

I am thankful that we are only halfway through the year... there is still lots of time to set new goals and keep working toward those I already set.

I started this year with seven goals:

1. Read through the Bible (NIV this time).  -- I am on track with this one.  Yay!
2. Get connected in a church that loves and honors Christ.  -- I found a new church quickly, and I joined Evergreen in March and have done my best to step out and be friendly at Sunday school and Bible studies and such, but I still feel somewhat disconnected, and I am looking forward to their small groups starting back up in August!
3. Complete the daily workout calendar I made. -- I got off track on the Saturday workouts in June, but I was very consistent the first five months and through the weeks in June, and I plan to get fully back on track now!
4. Track all my food and stay in a certain calorie range. -- I fell off track right around the Vegas trip and never fully jumped back on board.  So I need to "wake up" in that area, to remind myself that it really does matter because my life and future really do matter, and to take responsibility for improving my physical health and strength.
5. Set aside an hour a week for concentrated prayer.  -- I've done pretty well on this one.  I started using the Ransomed Heart App where there are prayers you can listen to and pray along with and praying while I'm at the gym, but I'd like to make it more of a personal prayer journaling thing, maybe broken into three 20-minute segments a week, because there are things I need to work through with God's help, so I want to change what this looks like in the second half of this year!
6. Read one book a month about adoption to prepare myself. -- I read books on adoption and one on pregnancy (a brief consideration), and I've realized I need to reassess a few things and have some important conversations before I really pursue this further.  So it is helping me prepare, but not in the way I had expected.
7. Fill out the one-sentence a day Happiness Project journal. -- I'm on track with that one, as well! =)

I listened to an audiobook recently called "Learned Optimism."  I had to laugh as they described Biblical principles as if they were brilliant new psychological findings.  The author clarified that we all have the ability to choose our thoughts and change the negative patterns... that we can write down the anxious, fearful, or angry thoughts and stop them in their tracks, choosing to argue against them and begin thinking in a healthier way.  Sounded a lot like taking our thoughts captive and breaking agreements with the lies we've begun to believe.  And that is something I want to focus on as the year moves forward.  To pray about and write down the lies I've been telling myself, allowing God to transform my mind and strengthen me.  I do need His strength.  I want my life to reflect more and more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control! ❤

I've learned that this is part of my personality type's weakness that we believe our own life and personal needs don't matter quite as much as everyone around us... but then we feel irritated but unsure how to confront it when others gradually begin to agree with us and overlook us or treat us poorly.  So as we start the second half of this year, I want to take full responsibility for my own joy - not blaming others or playing the victim when I have the full power to politely speak up and confront anything that consistently bothers me.  (Or to choose not to and to stop complaining or being angry about any of it.)  #myresponsibility #changetheclass #truthinlove

That's all I've got for now.  If you set any resolutions for 2019, I hope they are going well for you.  But if they are not, think of this as the halftime break where you can reassess, regroup, and start again determined to finish strong!  Fresh starts are always good, and the grace of a clean slate is sometimes exactly what we need to keep persevering.

As Lady Mary says, "Let's try and do better in future!" ;-)