Another month of 2013 has passed, the seventh month where I have tried to focus my thoughts on my yearlong goal to ACT-- a year of intentional action, a year of controlling my reactions, a year of prayerfully finding 365 ways to serve others.
While I must admit that I didn't make as much progress this month as I had hoped, I can say that July brought a few new approaches and attempts at being better, acting better. I recognized how difficult it is for me to focus on my goals while our family is surviving through vacations, camps, and school preparations. I realized that what I had always dubbed failure to accomplish is actually just called room for improvement. That realization led to fewer days where I beat myself up for falling short of what I had hoped to accomplish goal-wise. This was a big step for a goal-oriented gal like me. I wouldn't say that I've reached a point where this falling short is acceptable, but recognizing that it is okay is the first step.
I also spent the entire week we were on vacation trying to focus on serving those around me. I discovered that although my intentions were good, those I served sometimes misunderstood my intentions, especially if I neglected to be patient and kind while serving them. My biggest mistake was failing to serve prayerfully. I know that if I had added prayer to my efforts, it would have been better.
I also admitted to myself this month that this goal to act is more than just a goal--it is an attempt to develop talents with which I was not plentifully blessed. This process will have ups and downs. It will have setbacks and achievements. And I may never be as good at intentional action, controlling my reactions, and serving others as I had imagined in January, and that's okay.
But I fully intend to keep working on it, and I hope that I will emerge from 2013 better than I was in 2012.
Every single time I see one of your update posts with "ACT" in the title I immediately think you are talking about the College Entrance Exam kind of "ACT" ....guess you can see where my mind is & what stage of life we are in over here :)
ReplyDeleteI love that you are thinking of it as developing a new talent. Just putting it in that frame of reference changes the expectations, and the way you work on it. And it is absolutely true, it may not be a talent show talent, but it is a talent.
Looking forward to your back to school/yearly updates. Love those!
Sounds to me like you are developing a spiritual gift. And that is always a process, right?
ReplyDelete(I, too, thought you were talking about the entrance exams at first...)
;)
I think your end goals are not easy ones, so be patient with yourself while you try and try (and TRY) again. And I agree - somehow when you put prayer with it, the results come a little easier. Or faster. Or both. One day at a time, my friend. We'll all in this together.
ReplyDelete