Mind & Day Five!

Even less pain today! I'm kicking my Fibro to the curb!!! My back is still aching but my hips don't feel like I need hip replacement surgery. Getting all of my daily disciplines done is feeling more like daily routine than a chore. Even "reaching one more", amazingly the people just are popping up. Yesterday, as I was helping my 16 year old train on a street in our neighborhood, I met a new neighbor AND I saw (and talked to) another neighbor, that I haven't talked to in at least a couple of years. Today I traded emails with two different people that I haven't talked to in about a year, one in Wichita, KS and one in Apache Junction, AZ.

The final area "Mind - Mental - Personal Development" ... Again we have the issue of measurement. How do you know if you're a better person? I even put the word daily in this goal because the end result is so immeasurable and we're never done. I hope to be improving personally, every day of my life. So the goal is: Stay on track with my personal development DAILY!

These are the easiest disciplines for me. If I am exercising, I'm listening to an audio. Through our business I have access to many wonderful MP3s, so I will never run out! Yesterday I walked with John Maxwell as he told me what books impacted his life and today I learned about forgiveness from Paul & Billie Tsieka. Wow, what powerful mentors. I also have been an avid reader for many years. I used to read Danielle Steel novels but then I realized they didn't impact my life (for the positive that is). Around 15 years ago I changed to reading books that I could get something good out of. Now I read every night before I go to sleep, actually I can't get to sleep without reading first. I am finding it challenging to read 10 pages. Before I was only reading until I got "drowsy" eyes, (sometimes after one sentence) turned off the light and went to sleep. So I feel that I am getting much more out of the reading now.

Finally, blog checklist!!! This of course is the newest habit for me, all of the others have been in my life off and on (more off than should have been) but this is a brand spankin' new discipline. Of course, I have used various forms of checklists in the past. Electronic on my PDA (remember those?), now on my phone, outlook tasks, and scribbled on scraps of paper in my purse (still the most common in my life). I still use these for different "to do" lists but I haven't ever blogged about my daily life. I have to say it has already helped tremendously. These daily disciplines aren't just New Year’s resolutions I made to myself, I publicly declared them!

Just in these five days, there are more times than I would like to admit, I didn't want to do one discipline or another and the thought occurred, "I would have to put on my blog that I didn't do it!" I know some of you are thinking, "Just SAY you did it." That would be people who don't know me. I CAN'T lie, not just that I DON'T lie, I CAN'T lie. Even as a child, my sister used to say, "Let me talk, not saying anything is not lying." Then mom would ask, "What are you girls up to?" and I would blurt out EVERYTHING my sister didn't want me to. Never been able to lie, I don't know why but I figure that's a good flaw to have so I never tried to change it. This trait is also a bonus in declaring my affirmation...

I'm living on the eighth day, right now!

Heart
check 30 Minute Exercise
check ate fruits or veggies
check followed payoff plan
Soul
check Prayed with prayer partner
check Talked to Jeff
check Reached out to one more
Mind
check listened to audio
check read 10 pages
check blog checklist

The Three-Legged Stool

Anyone who knows me has heard me talk about my "list".  That is my list of questions that I have for when I get to heaven.  Several of those have to do with numbers.  "What is so significant about specific numbers?"  I'm sure that when I ask, "What's significant about the number 3?" The answer will probably be, "Because without 3 legs a stool would fall over. DUH"  As I have studied the significance of three, I have been struck by Matthew 22:37 - 40, Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two comandments.  I have come to believe that ALL of life "hang on these two".  The second, of course, is commonly referred to as the golden rule.  The first, is about our personal relationship with God. 
So I have come to believe that all important aspects of life can be melded down to three catagories or areas: heart, soul and mind or physical, spiritual, and mental.  Since the book The Slight Edge has inspired this blog, the author lists 5: Health, Personal Development, Relationships, Finances, and Life. Well, as I see it, Health and Finances are "Physical", Personal Development is "Mental" and Relationships is "Spiritual". Finally, Life is the overall big picture, isn't it?
So here are my goals and daily disciplines organized into 3 areas:
Heart - Physical - health/finances
Goal: Lose 30 pounds in six months.  Get debt free in 2 years.
--> 30 Minute Exercise
--> ate fruits or vegies
--> followed payoff plan
Soul - Spiritual - relationships
Goal: Deepen my relationships with God & my husband.  Expand the number of people I impact this year.
--> Prayed with prayer partner
--> Talked to Jeff
--> Reached out to one more
Mind - Mental - personal development
Goal: Stay on track with my personal development DAILY!
--> listened to audio
--> read 10 pages
--> blog checklist
Did you notice there were 3 items in each area?  That wasn't on purpose, it just happened!!!  There's that number again.  In the coming days I will discuss how I came up with each one of these in my life.