What is Success?

There are so many things I want to do in one day. Be a good teacher who reaches out to kids while delivering stellar curriculum. Be a successful business owner who holds parties and recruits others to become business owners while meeting the Home Office challenges. Write a blog that is engaging and meaningful to my readers as well as giving myself a creative outlet to write. Serve well and do awesome things in my church position and reach the women and girls that are under my care. Be an amazing mom who uplifts her kids and encourages them towards being the best people they can be. Oh, and have home cooked meals, a clean house, and laundry done.

I’m not asking for much . . .

The problem with asking me to define success is that it changes depending on the area of my life. Finding balance while keeping my priorities straight in all I’m doing is the biggest challenge I have. Today we are going to address this challenge!

Enter Audios

One of the audios I listen to on a pretty regular basis is A Disease Called “Busy” by Terri Brady. She starts off telling about her son who people like to be around because he just seems to have fun doing whatever it is they happen to be doing. She asks, “Do people have fun around you?”

Ouch! This struck home — and it does each time I listen to her.

She covers these seven questions in a way that convicts me. What do you learn about yourself just from the questions?

1. Are you trying to do good or look good?

2. Are you trying to do what God doesn’t expect you to do?

3. Are you setting priorities and really living by them?

4. Are you over parenting your children?

5. Are you addicted to technology?

6. Are you not getting the rest you need?

7. Were you expecting there not to be a struggle?

As things in my life are taking a huge turn, I’m realizing that my business has been a big problem. I allow the things that get stuck in my head take over at the expense of my family. I don’t allow myself to be still. “Just because you have a minute doesn’t mean you need to fill it,” Terri cautions.

One of the things I’ve learned being home alone this past week is that I make up things for me to do. Why do I feel so driven to do that? I’m missing my kids, and I realize that I didn’t take advantage of us being home together like I should have. I have been able to finish my “To Do” list by 10:00 most days, and then I’m left with nothing to do for the rest of the day. Had I done that when the kids were around, we could have played or done things together. When they come home, this will change on my part.

What about the reading?

After all, this is a blog about reading, right?

The first chapter in The Magic of Thinking Big is about believing in being successful. People often don’t achieve their definition of success because they doubt themselves. Or they fail at achieving what they wanted and figure that is the way it is — or the way they are. Or they don’t have a clear definition of success, so they are left wandering and not making progress because there isn’t a real road map that lets them know where they are and where they are trying to go!

I realize I gave up my road map years ago for my “busy badges”. The exchange wasn’t a good one.

Page 268 has the outline for a Thirty-Day Improvement Guide. I’m not writing these as SMART goals (yet). I’m going to use it this month as a quick check on how I’m doing at NOT being busy for the sake of being busy. As I see myself struggling, I will write that into a full on SMART goal. Here is the outline:

Between now and (enter your date) I will:

A. Break these habits

B. Acquire these habits

C. Increase my vlaue to my employer in these ways

D. Increase my value at home in these ways

E. Sharpen my mind in these ways

Deep Breath and let’s dive in together!

Your challenge is to post your Thirty-Day Improvement Plan below, and we will all hold each other accountable. Don’t want it to be that public, email it to me at patchettspassions@gmail.com and I’ll do a personal check in each week.

Here is my Improvement Plan:

Between now and May 31, 2020 I will:

A. Break these habits

1. Spending too much time on the computer
2. Eating meals in front of the tv/movies
3. Cleaning rooms not on the job schedule

B. Acquire these habits

1. Make time to play with each of the kids every day
2. Bedtime stories every night
3. Make time to just be/meditate

C. Increase my value to my employer in these ways

1. Set work hours for my home business and practice power hour
2. Put together Ready Kits

D. Increase my value at home in these ways

1. Be present
2. Schedule down time for everyone (myself included)
3. Focus on the needs of the kids before my wants

E. Sharpen my mind in these ways

1. Read 30 minutes each morning and each night
2. Listen to 1 audio each day — aside from the ones the kids listen to

We are off an running! For those of you finishing distance learning/teaching, hang in there — this is the home stretch. I look forward to hearing about you Thirty-Day Improvement Plans!