Interesting. Maybe it's the demographic of readers here at Nitty.Gritty. But of all the comments left in the previous post, nobody mentioned television or movies as being a positive influence in their life. Not even news media.I'm not going into debate here. Just thought it was worth mentioning....and you can chew on it a bit if you like. Granted. Nobody mentioned fast food as being a positive influence in their life either. So there you go. I'm just saying....
=)
I think it is so good to sometimes stop and take a little 'life check' and think through some of these topics. Like what is influencing things in your life- the purchases you make and how you spend your time, and what type of goals you are setting for yourself, your family, your future. It's one thing to just let life happen. But I find it is so important for my own mind and spirit to be 'in control' of these choices or at least to be aware of what affects those choices in my life. Not all choices are really big decisions of major factors in life. But I find that the smallest decisions add up, and in the end have big impacts overall.
Like fast food. If you eat it on occasion, it's not really a big issue. If you eat it consistently, it can create health concerns or at least isn't probably providing the most well-rounded diet for oneself. The same goes for every choice we make in life. Alone it might not seem like a big deal...but if you start skipping lots of credit card payments you end up in big trouble. Or if you start walking a few minutes each day, it can add up to hours of exercise in a week...and in a month and 6 months it makes a big difference!
Do you see what I'm saying?
I'm not telling anyone what to watch or wear or eat or spend. I'm just making an observation, and it's for me as much as it is for anyone reading this. I have been doing lots of thinking lately and in turn trying to make better choices in my life each day...so in turn I am living a happier, more intentional life. I love that. First that we have choices. Second that we can make changes, because we have bodies and minds and opportunities to do so. I shared in a post on the SIS message board last week, that I think people have lost a sense of this in many ways in life. The idea of making conscious {positive} decisions in life. It takes thought and effort and sometimes you have to have a lot of willpower because the choices you've made for so long have become 'habits'.
But there is always a new day. And a new day brings with it unlimited opportunities to do things differently and therein lies the key to living a more thoughtful, authentic, intentional life. Here's wishing all my Nitty.Gritty. readers the desire to live a more beautiful life! Even on Friday the 13th. =)
9 comments:
yes! The easy way is never usually the right way. Living 'right' and being truthful with ourselves is not easy. it's sooo easy to get caught up in what the world expects and what the world promotes. we have to stop and think. we all have our vices. like drinking too much coffee for example. or getting addicted to blogging instead of living life. or loving ones own words and oneself more than others. I think stopping and thinking about our daily habits is a very important idea. it all starts with the thought though. Good thoughts turn into good actions which turn into good habits which turn into good character. good blog!
Funny you should mention food. I didnt get a chance to comment previously, but I would have said that I was being positively influenced by attempting to cook more from scratch so we could eat more healthy meals. Cooking for me is really like those first attempts at starting to exercise again. You just have to get past the point where it feels like a chore and get to the point where it becomes a habit. It's helping that my four year old is finally starting to have an appetite too. It makes it more rewarding when the food you prepare actually gets eaten!
On a different note, there was an online news article yesterday that talked about how anti-depressants currently are the most prescribed drug in the U.S. I didnt read it in full, but it was pointing out how doctors are so quick to prescribe people pills to fix their problems, when really shouldnt their first attempt be to help these people realize that maybe they need to be making some of those little life changes you just mentioned.
Anyway, thanks for always pointing out the positive things in life!
We're having a revolution at our house in many ways...less food more exercise (as you know five pregnancies can really take a toll on the bod), little to no TV (selling all but one, getting rid of cable), more music (why do we have thousands of CDs when we never play them?), trying to go more "green" (solar panels, gardening) and just trying to set a better example for our kids - a more simple but rewarding life. I read your blog from time to time Jody - I'm a fellow SISter.
thanks for this.
funny you should mention TV.
we have given up our normal TV routine in exchange for just 30 minutes a day. i was just telling herb last night that this choice is really changing the course of how i spend my time and energy during the day. baby steps. good stuff.
i have also been positively influenced this week by reading mariane pearl's book "a mighty heart" (the story about the wife of the Wall Street Journal reporter who was kidnapped & killed by hostages).
it is facsinating and inspiring to read about her life and her constant choice to hope & choose life . . . even in the face of unimaginable tragedy.
How can I read your wonderful blog all the time if my way to live a more intentional life is to limit my computer time?!? That is a conundrum. The computer is my lifeline to the world right now but just for another year. Less than a year. Our half way mark was on July 7! But I do find my son watching more tv then I usually allow because I am busy on the computer. Each day is new and I'm going to work harder on that. If everyone reading this took an extra 15 minutes with their loved ones today, imagine how much lovin' time that would equal!!! You rock, I love your thought process.
Jody,
So cool that you write about this today. Finally (after talking about doing it for the last few years), today, I sat down with my boys (5 & 4) and actually asked THEM what our values are. I explained what the word "values" means, and asked them what is most important to us in our family. (For the express purpose of using the answer to do just what you've said - living intentionally, making choices that are in line with what is truly important to us!!!) The things they came up with humbled me. First answers: The Bible, and God. 5 year old says, "Being missionaries and taking Bibles to people and building churches and houses for people and teaching them to worship." Yeah. Humbling. He's 5. Later, the 4 yo chimes in, "Well, Jesus died on the cross and saved our sins and then He rose again!" The older brother goes into the entire Gospel about how people can get to Heaven, then. ;-) In the end, the entire conversation just blew me away - that even at such young ages (Daddy is away for work), we could come up with a list of many things that truly matter to us. Things we can use when making choices about spending or giving, keeping or tossing, saying yes or saying no.
By the way, we've also been TV-free for three years, and rarely miss it. I miss certain home improvment things and sports. But that's about it! We keep one in our armoire for watching movies. It's been amazing how much more time I've found...I had no idea how that thing was sucking up my minutes, hours, and days!
So for now, we are asking the Lord to help us be more intentional and have the self-control to make better decisions, according to the values my sons and I discussed today, which include: God and His Word, Responsibility (incl. stewardship, health,self-control), Truth (integrity, honesty), Family, Fun, People (loving and caring for them), Grace (forgiveness, patience)...the list has a few more, but you get the idea. What a blessed time that was, and I even took a picture of our dry erase board after our brainstorming session, so I could scrap it to document God's leading in our lives! (Knew you'd appreciate that sentiment!)
Many blessings to you, and thanks for sharing! I was happy to hear that you are seeing the positive results of this, and I can't wait to see the fruit the Lord will bring to bear as we hope to set this in motion in our family, as well. I think hubby will be surprised when he returns from his journey! God is good....
~Jodie R.
I love Fridays 13ths - and I think it's a perfect day for introducing some meaningful changes. Thanks for reminding me how important is to be focused on what we think and do every day and how every little counts.
This post was perfect for me today. I have been thinking that I spend too much time blogging lately. Well, reading blogs that is. I am a fairly new blogger and don't get as much traffic or comments that you do but still the same, it has been very addicting. It's like therapy for me. :)
I am definitely about to scale back on computer time. I am a stay at home mom to one daughter and I usually get on here during her nap time or when she and my husband are asleep. I need to be doing other things though. Thanks for sharing this post.
My prayers are with you during these times.
Smile,
Hilary
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