As I promised in my last post, I've returned to expound on the idea
of writing and living a life "program." Here are some ideas that I've developed and live by.
To program your life means to protect and cultivate yourself.
This is one of my favorite forms of self-care. Kristy from daybook.blog says it this way:
"A well-lived life lies somewhere between keeping a ledger of prosperous daily activity and a journal of thoughts, emotions, and observations."
A ledger/journal, or a daybook, helps you identify what gives you life, seek it, and protect it. Did you get the chance to draft up a personal mission statement?
Use that as a foundation for the next steps:
- What makes you feel alive, brings you joy, fills your cup? Keep a running list of those things and give to yourself from it regularly. Appreciate yourself for these simple joys!
- What comforts your aching heart? Do you have rousing scripture verses, warm mentors, or affirming mottoes that carry you through adversity? Make a collection and store them for days when despair clouds your mind.
- In what ways do your weaknesses bar your progression? Prayerfully pick one thing to study and improve about yourself, and begin an honest pursuit of that. Some weaknesses imply a lifelong struggle, but one that is worth engaging in! In time, there are other weaknesses which we simply outgrow. Remember you have the potential to overcome! Keep track of what you learn and work it into your daily schedule until, at least in that realm, you become "new" (2 Cor 5:17).
- What scripture verses or quotes resound with you or sing to your heart? Make a collection as a way to savor those words.
- What questions haunt your mind, as if they need to be settled or managed by you alone? Write them down, and tell them you'll get back to them in time. Sometimes, answers to "pressing" questions present themselves as you go about life, counsel with loved ones,* or reach up in prayer. Other times, their irrelevance and triviality become apparent. The deepest questions often require a lifelong pursuit. Carry them with you, and the quest for their answers will be a defining feature of your life. Never rush to answer questions! Time is on your side. *Because informed love is the purest motivator, I value advice from admirable loved ones over any other option.
2017--perusing my old journals for patterns of growth
Though this has been years in the making, I currently organize these lists in an A5 binder, divided with tabs. You can buy paper or fill it with printer paper, cut in half (they're basically the same size), and hole-punched. I have also designed some of my own printable inserts.
I find this to be the perfect size for carrying with me. Thus, when inspiration strikes, I am always ready to save it, track it, and try its virtue. I can also easily share it (forgot you were responsible for your meeting's spiritual thought? No problem!). Plus...look how well they organize! As pages fill up, they are readily moved from the hardier "in-use binder" to these labeled ones for the shelf (an issue we'll encounter in a future post).
Everything I've presented so far goes under a tab I label "self." I'll go more in-depth with other tabs later. By way of example, I'll share what this looks like for me (try to look past my sentimentality 😝). But don't forget--this structure is organic and ever growing and changing! Yours will likely put on quite a different face.
If you use some of these methods, I'd love to see what you create!
Follow links for examples:
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