Inspired

Hey friends!  I thought I would share something with you that I have been thinking about a lot lately.  I love to read.  Books, magazines, and of course blogs!  I have recently fallen in love with a new blog, called 71 Toes. Do you ever just read something that makes you stop in your tracks and really THINK?  That's what this woman has done.  She has a beautiful family, and seems to be in such control.  (Even though she constantly reassures her readers that she's not as put together as she seems!)  I just think it is amazing how we can be inspired by someone we have never even met, and know so little about!  She reached me on many levels, and has truly had me thinking about my life and my purpose since I came across her blog.  She is a fantastic wife, mother, and homemaker.  She is an amazing photographer, and just really seems to have her life together in every aspect.  I connected with this woman as I read her blog, and have since decided to adopt one of her yearly habits.  Each year, she comes up with one word that she will have as her word for the year.  She strives to remember that word in everyday occurrences, and has found that it really makes her a better and more purposeful woman.  You can read about her words for the past few years, and how she came to decide on which word she would choose here. 
I instantly loved this idea and started thinking of my perfect word.  It really is a daunting task, to choose just a single word that will serve a purpose for me through the year.  Obviously, I want this word to help me be better.  In every sense.  I started thinking about the places and ways I struggle in life.  Don't take this the wrong way and think I am complaining.  I have an amazing life.  It's everything I ever dreamed it would be.  We are blessed beyond belief and my family truly is the best around.  It's the way I HANDLE things that I feel could use some improvement.  I am an over analyzer.  I think way too much and feel like I have to have a plan for every single thing I am going to do.  Because I spend so much time planning, thinking, writing lists, ordering things by priority, etc, I've realized it is keeping me from actually crossing things OFF my millions of lists.  Don't get me wrong, lists can be helpful, and I'll always be a planner, but thinking about this has brought me to my word of the year. 

DO.

I am a happy person.  I love life, and have a good attitude about things most of the time.  (Until you make me mad. :))  But, lately I have been feeling more....snippy.  I've found myself snapping at people easier and quicker.  The people I love.  The people who really matter to me.  My husband comes home and is barely in the door and I'm snapping at him.  My kids seem to be just too loud and too much to deal with lately.  That's not right, and it's not me.  I lay awake at night wondering how and why I've allowed myself to snap so easily.  I realized quickly it's because I am overwhelmed and stressed.  But what do I really have to be stressed about??  I am living my DREAM.  I get to stay home and raise my babies.  My job consists of keeping up with our household duties, and taking care of my family.  How much better could it get??  Why am I allowing myself to feel so overwhelmed by these things??  It's because I am not staying on top of things, and getting so "far behind" in my eyes that I don't allow myself to stop and enjoy life anymore!!  Taking a 20 minute break from cleaning to play hide and seek with my kids would surely lift my spirits, and the dust will still be there waiting for me when I get back.  So why is it so hard for me??  I have to change this!  

No more spending 2 hours planning how I will get the house cleaned the next day by writing down every room and closet in my house and ordering how I'll clean them by how long it will take.  (Yes, I really have done this.  More than once...)  Just DO it.

No more sitting at the computer drooling over people's gorgeous photos that I wish I could learn to take in manual mode on my wonderful camera my husband got me over a year ago.  Just go DO it.  Learn how to take those photos by DOING it.

No more telling myself I just need cute new work out clothes, or a gym membership, or more time to lose weight.  No more excuses of why it's not worth it when I know we aren't done having babies.  Just get up, throw on a junky tshirt and shorts, and DO it.

No more saying I am going to cook more if I could just find the time to go grocery shopping more regularly and plan my menus better.  Just DO it.

No more feeling guilty at the end of the day because I didn't play with the kids enough.  Why do I tell my 3 year old everyday that mommy has too much to get done, and can't play dollhouse for 10 minutes??  I'm pretty sure I'll still have dirt on the floors and dishes in the sink in 20, 30, 50 years, but my precious little girl will be grown and gone from my house.  Gone from my lap.  Gone from my bed.  Just put the laundry basket down, let the cleaner soak in the toilet, allow the dust to accumulate on the coffee table for just 10 more minutes, and tell her YES, I'll play dollhouse.  Yes, let's go outside.  Yes, I'll have a tea party.  Stop thinking of what will happen if I don't get all the laundry done today, and just DO the things that really matter.

OK, anyone else picturing the Nike commercials?  Just DO it.  Haha....anyway, you get my point.  My word of 2012 is DO.  I'm praying that I'll remind myself of it every single day and do the things I really want to do.  Life is short.  Too short to spend so much time planning and wishing and wondering and figuring things out.  I hope you'll check out 71 Toes, and challenge yourself to think of a word for this year too.  Push yourself to be better. 

P.S.  This does not mean I won't still break out in hives when my husband randomly asks if I want to go to the beach when we are sitting on the couch at 9:30 at night.  I will NEVER be THAT spontaneous!  :)