Does anyone not have something in their life they’d like to change? If there is such a person, I suspect they are disillusioned. Because the truth is, we are all a mess somewhere.

What are you wanting to change?

If you’re like me, you look around and see others who don’t seem to struggle with the things you struggle with…and that can be either motivating or depressing. What we often fail to realize is that they struggle with something that comes easy to us.

No one has got it all together. Promise.

That lady you know whose kids always look like they stepped off of a magazine cover? She has zero control over her spending…buying things is where she gets her self-worth. The couple who are fit and beautiful and always smiling? Their marriage is really struggling. The mom next door who seems to do it all without breaking a sweat? Well, she screams at her kids non-stop behind closed doors.

Do you get it? We’re all a mess. It’s not just you! Want some more good news? If you’re looking to make some changes you’re not alone in that either. We’ve got a plan to achieve our goals. Keep reading!!

Create New Habits for Lasting Change

I’m a bit of a rebel, so I’ve always kind of bucked at the idea of making New Year’s resolutions. It’s so cliche. And knowing myself as I do (a giant quitting quitter) why bother, right? Then I realized something—-

I’ve always called Valentines Day an idiot’s reminder holiday. Fellas should be showing their lady she’s the apple of their eye all year long. But if they’re not, Valentine’s Day is there to remind them…Hey, remember her? Buy her some flowers.

New Year’s resolutions are kind of like that. And I’ve realized that in this scenario…I’m the idiot. There’s nothing magical about making a resolution on January 1st. But if you’re not setting goals to better yourself throughout the year, take advantage of the reminder and DO IT NOW.

One Habit at a Time

It sounds so easy to change one small habit at a time, but we all know it’s not. The problem with trying to change a habit is that it’s not enough to muster up the strength to make the better choice once. You have to do it repeatedly…like every day…and that’s hard!

Pretty much across the board, we know what we’re supposed to be doing. We know the better choice. Knowing’s not the hard part. It’s the doing that gets us.

I was talking with a friend of mine recently who has been really successful in attaining some health goals because he found the right tools that worked for him. He was sharing how he’d been talking with his brother, who was kind of discouraging, saying, “Didn’t you already know that you need to be moving more, eating less and drinking more water? Why do you need to pay to do it?”

“Well, Bob,” my friend said, “I guess I did know that. But after 40 years of not doing it, I finally found something that helps me actually do it.”

And there’s the key. Did you catch it??

The Right Tools

We need to find the right tools! What worked for your neighbor might not work for you. We are all different. Motivated differently, discouraged differently, detailed or big picture, quiet or vocal…and there’s no one right way to achieve the goals we have. I have said this for years in regards to herbal remedies and homeschool curriculum, and the same is true for creating better habits: The same things don’t work the same for us all!

So here’s what we’re going to do:

Each of the next three weeks of January, we’re going to dig in to individual habits. We’re going to look at different ways that people have developed and maintained these habits. And we are going to find tools that work for us!

Want to hear something funny? Just as I was working on this post, a gal I know through The iHomeschool Network of bloggers, Melanie, shared that she has just completed a book on living productively. Melanie blogs at PsychoWith6. She’s a PhD turned homeschool mom who experimented with tons (and I mean tons) of methods to increase productivity in her own life. She’s sharing her experiences, along with a condensed description of each method.

Her book is an amazing resource that you’ll flip back to again and again as you figure out what tools might work for you. I love it! Check this affordable ebook out!

So what are some habits we might be looking to instill?

Productivity
Time Management
Daily Scripture Reading
Prayer
Healthy Eating
Exercise
Time with our Spouse
Tone of Voice
Journaling
Serving More
Worrying Less
Budgeting
Being more joyful
Ending any pervasive sin or addiction

…the list is really kind of endless, isn’t it?

I’m picking a few of the most common habits that many of us struggle with to focus on the next few weeks. But regardless of what’s on your list. Let’s work together to share tools that we’ve tried…winners and losers. Because remember…just because something didn’t work for you doesn’t mean it’s not perfect for someone else. And if something did work great for you…share the joy, friend!

Here’s to lasting change!

Be sure to also visit https://thesparrowshome.com