Intentional

Once again this year I took on the "One Word" project. My word for this year was "Intentional." I wanted to be more intentional in how I spent my time so that I could better understand how my actions support (or contradict) my purpose. I am a people-pleaser which often leads to me trying to do too many tasks at once. By trying to do a little bit to please everyone, I never fully please anyone, myself included. If my intention was to spend time with my kids, then I said yes to uninterrupted playtime. If my intention was to make dinner, I didn't give them false hope that I would build Legos with them 'in a little bit.' If I sat down with the intention of sorting through Will's paperwork, I carried through with it without the guilt of having to tell someone 'no' because I knew that this focus would lead to more time to carry out those other requests.

By communicating my intent I was able to focus on one thing at a time. If I needed 30 minutes to grade a stack of papers, in the past I would grade a few, deal with a few interruptions, make a false promise or two that I would "be done in a minute" and get frustrated that my 30 minute task now took over an hour to complete. By communicating to people that my intent was to grade for 30 minutes and then I would be ready for their needs, I was getting more accomplished and giving more people the attention they deserved. I often set a timer on my phone to keep me to my limits also so I didn't find myself unintentionally making promises I couldn't keep.

By focusing on only one thing at a time, I found I was far more productive, relaxed, and aware. It was a wonderful word to help me get through 2016 as there were numerous times that I felt like I was stretched too thin. By focusing on the intent of my actions, it allowed me to remember my purpose, prioritize those who were most in need of my time and most importantly helped me realize when I needed to ask for help. I have always struggled with this, so being intentional in asking for help from people was hard, but considering our intent was to give Will the best life possible, this little word helped us understand that he needed far more than what we alone could provide. Many thanks to those who were intentional in their actions in helping us thrive this year.