New Year's Challenge: Week 1: The Office

This year is about being good enough. I don't know about you, but this is a real struggle for me. To start this year's theme on the right foot, I am participating in an organizing challenge hosted by one of my favorite organizational blogs: A Bowl Full of Lemons.

I am participating in ABFOL's: 

Week One, of course, starts with the one room I was hoping I wouldn't have to think about for a while: the office!

Keeping this year's Good Enough theme in mind, rather than trying to overwhelm myself to the point of tears and trying to actually organize my abyss of an office, I focused on 1 section of some wall shelves for my essential oil business. Guess what? It worked! I had to fight myself quite a few times to stay focused on just do that section and no more. It took half an hour here, fifteen minutes there, and an hour or so when I could throughout the last several days, but I have completed Week One's challenge!

Is it huge? No.
Is it life-changing? Not really.
Did I say I would complete the challenge? Yes.
Did I complete the challenge? Yes!

Do you know how it feels? It feels GREAT!

New Year, New Start, Right?

Well, new year, new start, right? 

I must be honest....I want to love that idea, but the perfectionist in me feels like I am setting myself up for failure. I know in my heart that I will not live up to the level I expect from my resolutions.

This year my main resolution is to start letting go of some of my perfectionist self and just be me. That sounds so simple, doesn't it? If only it really were. My whole life I have struggled to be the best at everything and I find that I am rally not the best at anything. I am not the best mother, the best wife, the best friend, the best sister, daughter, niece, granddaughter.... Shall I continue? I am not the best at any of those things. I have wanted to be an artist (but I am not), a writer (I can't even get started), a wife (I fail daily)...What I am the best at? Trying! I try everyday in so many ways. That is what matters and that is going to be this year's focus. Forget being perfect, try just being. Being good enough. Trying my best and accepting that all I can do is my best. I can't ask more of myself than that.

So...Here's to making 2013 the year of Good Enough! I will be good enough. I am not perfect. I never was perfect. I will never be perfect. Only God is perfect, and I am NOT Him! (Thank goodness!)

How do you plan to embrace and take charge of 2013? Do you have a resolution? A goal? Do you refuse resolutions? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Prayers for our Children

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Sometimes all we can do is just pray that we are doing right for our children and that God is in their lives and they know that. One of the blogs I follow had a post called A Praying Momma, that reminded me that while we may not always see God guiding our children, he is always there in the background. He loves our children even more than we do. Sometimes it is hard to remember that, but it is true. This is the prayer that A Praying Momma offered with her post:

Dear Father, thank You that You love my child even more than I. I am not alone. You are with me. Walk with me today. Give me Your strength. Give me renewed hope and eyes of faith. In Jesus’ powerful, precious Name, Amen.

A Humorous Compilation of English Phrases

A few weeks ago, while attending a green cleaning workshop that featured doTERRA essential oils, I came across this amusing little piece that uses English phrases in a different way. Perhaps it is my quirky sense of humor, but I really enjoyed, so I thought I'd share it with you.

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I have been many places, but I've never been in Cahoots. 


Apparently, you can't go there alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone. 


I have also never been in Cognito.
I hear no one recognizes you there. 


I have, however, been in Sane. 
They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there. 
I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and work.


I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump.
I'm not too much on physical activity anymore.


I have also been in Doubt.
That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often. I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.


Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older. 


One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense!
It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart!
At my age I need all the stimuli I can get!


~Author Unknown~

Clutter-Free Challenge: Starting with the Most Important Part

What is the most important part when trying to conquer anything, clutter included?

Your Mind!

In the Clutter-Free Challenge post for Day 2, Glynnis talks about how to conquer your mind and get into the right place to prepare to clear the physical clutter. Here is her prayer to help you prepare:

Lord, You know how hard it is for me to focus sometimes.  It’s hard to figure out what needs to be done.  I just feel overwhelmed and discouraged.  I know You aren’t a God of confusion, so I ask for Your wisdom and clarity to help bring order to my chaotic mind.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Clutter-Free Challenge

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I am following a blog that is hosting a Clutter-Free 15 Day challenge. It sounds like it is up my ally, though I am not tying myself down to accomplishing it all in 15 days, because, for me, that is not realistic.

This is the prayer she suggests starting with. I have added my name with her's.

Heavenly Father, You alone know my heart as I start this challenge.  You know the depth of my discouragement and the loss of my hope that I’ll ever be free of the clutter in my life.  So today, as I take this step with Glynnis, Trailmixy Melanie, and other many others, I’m asking for Your help.  Help me have Your perspective on the areas of my life that feel overwhelming.  Clear my mind of the negative chatter.  Protect me from an enemy who wants to confuse and defeat me.  Reveal his lies and replace them with Your truth about my worth and potential.  With Your help I believe I can make progress.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Won't you join in this Clutter-Free adventure?

New Year, New Goals

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Resolutions....
Hmmm...I always feel like the *right* thing to do is make them each year. Then I get caught up in how important that word seems and how I can't possibly perfectly live up to those resolutions, and they start slipping fast. Once life steps in, those resolutions are history.

Goals...
To me, goals are much more attainable and open to revamping whenever I feel that I am straying and need to reevaluate. I am making a few new goals for this new year. I plan on reevaluating them on a quarterly basis to see how I am progressing, then reworking those goals as the need may be.

These are my new goals for the year:

PERSONAL

• Blog at least once per week = 52 posts for the year
• Work towards my weight loss and exercise goals 
• lower BMI by a minimum of 2.4 points
• lower my weight by 15 pounds
• lower my waist measurement by 5 inches
• lower my body fat percentage (according to my scale) by at least 2%
• Complete the doTERRA Slim & Sassy Challenge

SPIRITUAL

• Complete the 60 day reading plan (not necessarily in the 60 days, as long as it is completed)
• Choose another reading plan to complete

PROFESSIONAL

• Find at least 1 more business to create and manage a website for
• Increase my doTERRA team
• Hold a minimum of 1 essential oil class each quarter
• Teach 2 cloth diapering/ green mama classes this year
• Teach 2 green living DIY classes this year
•  Teach 1 mystery shopping class this year
• Attend at least 2 professional workshops/ conferences this year
• Attend at least 4 professional classes this year

FAMILY

• Continue to pay down debt and stay on track to be debt free (aside from mortgage) by the end of 2013
• Organize entire basement
• Reduce "stuff" by 10%

Splitting up my goals into categories seems like it will be easier for me to accomplish, and to not be overwhelmed. I will work on these and check in on these in 3 months. 

What are your goals for the new year?