The journey into the New Year of 2024 has begun & if you’re anything like me, the past few years have picked you up, knocked you around, and even tried to send you 6 feet under a few times.
My normal for this time of year is to try and get motivated for "New"… New Goals, New Projects, New Outlook. So, when I sat down at the end of December with my new planner in hand (which I love and will link below), I started doing my goal setting. Though I tried to come up with new ideas, my mind was just blank. So, I ended up writing down most of the previous years' goals that I had not yet fulfilled. While this is also a great practice to roll those goals forward, I don’t think I really took the time to consider if they were still goals I even wanted to pursue anymore.
We all have plenty of things "to do," I can easily make up goals, tasks, and projects to keep myself busy, as there truly is always something that needs to be done... And as long as we are breathing, there always will be; heck, even after I’m gone, I’ll leave a huge list of daily to-dos if I don’t figure some of these things out.
So, I’m going to be real with you. I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night for a while now, and it finally occurred to me on what to do besides pray myself back to sleep. You may read this and think, “Yeah... why didn’t you do that sooner?” Well, let me tell you…
I have been waking up, sometimes 3 to 4 times a week. My mind races about all that needs to be done, and my flesh tries to tell me all the places I’m failing. So, when I got that wake-up call this week– telling me all the things I was failing at, I finally answered it. I thought about the things that raced through my mind at 3 AM and realized some of those things were not even on my goal or to-do list. Why? Why have I not made those my #1 priority? Maybe it’s because I don’t want to admit I need help. Maybe it’s because I’m afraid I can’t do them. But either way, if there’s anything I do know, it’s this– Be careful what you write down, as it will likely happen.
I have now taken action, rearranged my goals, and put the things I’ve been avoiding at the top of my goal list for 2024. Why? To get them out of my head, onto the paper, and into God’s hands… The truth is, I can’t do all of these things by myself, but I know 100% that if they are in 'God’s Will' for my life, and I put forth the effort to fix or get the task done while ASKING HIM FOR HELP, then 'He Will' show me how.
How many times do we all do this? Avoid something until we must deal with it. Then, after we do the thing, we think, why the heck didn’t I do this sooner? We could have avoided so many negative self-talk conversations and sleepless nights if we had truly just handed the reins over to the one who had it all worked out for our good from the beginning!
So, if you need a little kick in the butt to do what I’m doing, here it is! Put those fears down on paper, pray, LISTEN for that still, small voice on how to take action, and then get moving!
Another thing I do is prioritize my list in a very simple way of 1's, 2's, and 3's. 1's are the first ones I take care of. It's as simple as that! Finish your 1's, and the 2's become 1's, the 3's become 2's, etc. Roll those goals into the next day and just keep going. You will find you are always doing the most important things first. And, like in my case, you may be doing the worst thing first.
So, with that said, the things that have been keeping me up at night (that I can actually do something about) are going onto my list and are becoming my number 1’s. They are going to get dealt with & I will get a peaceful night's sleep! Let's take back our thoughts and see some progression, not perfection, towards those goals and dreams we are trying to reach. Then, our lists will turn into what we truly WANT to do and not what we NEED to do.
And remember, you can’t do it all, but He can! So trust Him, hand over the reins, and let’s give 2024 a run for its money by dealing with the worst first!
Many Blessings, Kris.
Click on the planner below to learn more!
UPDATE!
I know you just read the article, but after I finished writing it, I had to have some follow-through for myself, and I am too excited not to share it with you.
I must confess– one of the main personal things keeping me up at night is a colt who was born last spring. He's a big guy, the biggest one we've raised so far. So, the very long story cut short is that while I spent a lot of time with him at the beginning, life got extremely busy, and unfortunately, I did not get to do all the things I normally do with them at the correct times that work for me and our program. Because he is such a big colt, I've been kicking myself over and over for not doing the things I wanted & needed to. But here's the deal: I said a little prayer, then went out and worked with Stetson (the colt) this afternoon. I was blown away by how far we got. While it wasn't perfect, it was progress. Making great horses takes time. Just like I stated above, I, of course, asked myself why I didn't do this sooner. The truth is, I was afraid I had already failed him and was always too tired to give him what I knew he needed, which was time & patience to learn. "Never start working with a colt if you have a schedule; they are sure to make you late, and you will not be in the right state of mind to do them any good." However, it turns out this colt likely needed a little more time to be a colt, and in this circumstance, it's working out in my favor.
Now, if you have read this far, I'm sure you're curious. So here is a picture of Stetson and our filly, Yeti ❤️. They were born on the same day! While she was just a peanut, he was massive from the start. I am so excited to see what they become! Yeti is absolutely perfect 😘. She is the easiest & sweetest baby to do anything with. We have one more colt from last year for you all to meet, and I promise he deserves his own story! Since day one, he's been
"Steelin' The Show!"
Have a great week knocking out your number 1's. 👊
