I think I need to comment on my “What kind of Woman” post. PIC said I sounded really overwhelmed. I didn’t mean to sound that way. I think I am doing great as a mom and wife. I do think there is always room for improvement and betterment. We need to always be looking for the small little things we can do to make ourselves better. It can be overwhelming when you look at EVERYTHING you need to do to be “better” and that just creates discouragement, and that is never good. I think we need to do things a little at a time. On days when the kids are fighting, dinner is burning, I have a headache, and PIC will be walking in the door any minute I try to find one little thing to make life calmer. I turn the TV off, or try to get the kids busy doing something, I might call PIC and ask him to bring dinner home, or bribe the kids with something if they will just be quiet! My house still isn’t perfect, but I have done something, one little thing to make like easier, I don’t let myself worry about all that isn’t perfect, I take comfort in the one good, clam thing going on, and congratulate myself on making the house a little better at that moment.
I am a big believer in looking at the good things you are doing. This last week I have been thinking a lot about where we have been and where I would like us to go. Compared to where my family was 6 months ago, we are doing wonderfully! I won’t get into any details, but 6 months ago we were falling apart in many, many ways. It took some tough love, many prayers and a lot of fasting and the Lord has directed us, and blessed us in so many different ways! Our family is so strong, and there is so much more love here now. We are doing great! Now, are there things we could do better, of course, there are many. Am I going to dismiss all the good because of the things we aren’t doing? No, that is never helpful, and I don’t think the Lord wants us to work that way. I like to take things in small steps, and ask the question “what is one thing I can do this month to help me become a better person?” sometime I do it, sometimes I don’t, and sometimes it take a lot longer than a month to actually get around to doing what I would like to be doing. As long as improvements are being made, I am headed in the right direction.
I think that’s the hardest part. Satan knows he has you if he can make you feel overwhelmed and doubt yourself. I’m impressed that you can take it one step at a time, because everytime I try to think of which step to take now I worry about if the 14 others I still need to make can wait. lol Keep up the trying. Love ya,
I have found that when I gut overwhelmed I just give up on everything! It is like the scripture says: “line upon line…”
I do the SAME thing.
You know, I read a fantastic concept that Benjamin Franklin presented as a good way to work on goals. You think of the 13 things you want to improve on the most, and put them in priority order. Then you work on each one for a week at a time, and just one at a time. Then by the end of the year, you have been able to focus on your most important goals for 4 weeks each year without being overwhelmed! Brilliant!
Another time, I heard a woman who said that one problem today is that women think they have to keep adding things to their lives to improve on. But we only have so much time in the day. So if we want to ADD an improvement, we have to drop something else. You can’t just say, “I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing AND read scriptures more AND pray more AND exercise more AND add Family Home Evening…” You can exercise more, but you have to watch less TV. You can read scriptures more and play less solitaire…
…or blog less….lol!
Those are great ideas!
You are too funny! The tough part is there are so many FUN ways you can spend your time!