Welcome new and old coachees!
This week, please take an inventory of your life physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally.
Where are you today? Where would you like to be on/by June 30?
1. What do you weight today __________ ? (If you lose 1 pound a week, you'll weigh 12 pounds less at the end of June!)
Please weigh in weekly--on Wednesdays!
2. What little change do you KNOW will have the biggest result in your personal life if you make it? __________________
3. Do you need to make any amends to start this quarter with a clean heart and mind? If so, with whom? ____________
4. What dream in your heart will not go away? ________________________________________
5. What is your greatest gift that you can give away? _________________________________ (time, skill, friendship, art, etc.)
6. How long would it take for you to clean your closet? _______________________________ Are you willing to do that before our first call on 4/7/10? Please give any clothing away that you no longer wear or need.
7. Do your sleep habits need to improve? Are you getting 7 hours of sleep minimum? Will you plan for your sleep this quarter? Circle YES or NO. (Note: Sleep deprivation creates many problems; if you need to watch less TV, do it!)
8. If you struggle to spend time daily with God, would you be willing spend 20 minutes daily with Him this quarter? If so, how and when will you do this? If you need a Bible reading plan, please read 1 CH of Psalms and Romans daily.
9. Do you have anything that you or others might say (or have said) is an addiction? If so, are you willing to go to a support group weekly (includes Weight Watchers, AA, SA, etc.)? If so, please research where groups meet regularly in your church or community and attend one meeting before our first phone call.
10. Do you have a friend who would be your accountability partner during this quarter? (They don't have to be in our group, but they must be willing to check in with you every 24 to 72 hours to ask you these or other predetermined questions every week!) Who might be that person for you? __________________________ Please call and ask them if they are available/willing before our first phonecall.
This is just a start! We are going to get serious about bringing balance into every area of our lives! Okay? You don't have to post all these answers, but it would be great if you did! At best, please print this and fill out during this week and before our first Wednesday noon call on 4/7/10 (Free Conference call info to follow.)
Be encouraged!
Becky
After listening to the call on Wednesday, I logged on, printed out the inventory, and answered every question. Tonight I planned to give a short summary of my answers here, but instead I feel compelled to write about an experience I had today. Maybe you have read Becky’s book entitled Let God Talk to You; I believe He talked to me today through an afternoon in my back yard. . . .
ReplyDeleteAfter an exceptionally cold and snowy winter, we are experiencing an early spring with temperatures in the mid-seventies here in central Maryland. Today was an absolutely perfect day to be outdoors. Late this afternoon, I gathered my gardening tools and set out to do some work. As I knelt beside my flower beds, I felt calm and peaceful and sensed God all around me. Daffodils and hyacinths and other perennials were bursting forth all around, and the air was fresh and sweet. Amid all of the flowers, however, I noticed various kinds of grass and dandelions and other weeds flourishing, too, and as I began to dig and tug and yank them, I was amazed at how quickly they had taken root. Just a few weeks ago the ground was frozen; how could they spread so quickly, I wondered. I knelt there working until almost sunset, and by the time I stood up, I could clearly see what a difference my efforts had made. I’m certainly not finished out there, but if I can continue to work a little bit each day, I can conquer the weeds, and my flowers will have room to grow and flourish. If I don’t keep working, the weeds in the remaining sections of the yard will soon overtake the flowers, choking them and leaving them to die.
As I worked in the garden, I was reminded of some weeds (bad habits that I thought I had conquered) that have crept back into my own life lately. So many times last fall and winter I short-changed my sleep and tried to compensate by drinking lots of diet soda and caffeine; the result was that I was often tired and cranky and easily lost patience with my students. Having faithfully begun the day with prayer, Bible reading, and journaling for a long time, I began to skip my morning devotions--rarely at first and then increasingly often--and tried to handle the day’s stresses on my own; the result was that I was often anxious and frustrated and sometimes lost track of my real priorities. And working part-time as a leader for Weight Watchers for many years, I began to make poor choices and stopped tracking; the result was that my clothes began to feel tighter, I felt less confident in front of my members, and for the first time in ages, I weighed in 2.2 pounds above my goal on Wednesday.
God showed me very clearly today that our own bad habits, if left unchecked, can overtake our lives and choke our dreams. If we pay attention to these “weeds” early and take action to get rid of them before their roots are firmly imbedded in our lives, we can grow into the beautiful creatures God intends us to be, and our dreams can become realities.
I’m so glad Becky reminded us Wednesday of the scriptures from Deuteronomy. If we “love the Lord [...]our God and serve him with all [...]our heart and soul, then he will send the rains in their proper seasons . . . ,” and we will experience “harvests” greater than we can imagine.
May all of you have a wonderful Easter and much success in this second quarter of the series.
God bless!
Wanda
Wanda, Beautiful analogy. Goosebumps came over me as I finished this piece. How right you are about bad habits. I haven't had sugar in my diet for months. Today someone brought me one piece of candy for Easter. In some way I didn't want to eat it and then again it was made with dark chocolate and almonds. I didn't want to disappoint my friend so I ate it. Bad move, all day I have thought about that candy and wished for more. Thank goodness she only brought one piece but I learned that one is one too many for this gal.
ReplyDeleteFor anyone new this quarter you have to keep hitting Post Comment even when it says your comment didn't post, it takes 2 times and then the unscramble word. ok here goes my list.
1. Weight:maintain current weight by a lifestyle of healthy eating. No
sugar, no gluten, fresh organic food, exercise daily.
2. Change: write a plan for the day (disorganization is my weakness)
3. Clean heart: Maintain a lifestyle of forgiveness as God reveals to me.
4. Dream? Something that uses my talents to encourage other women
to be all they can be for God.
5. Gift: prayer, encouragement, empathy, worker bee.
6. Cleaning the closet: hours Constant work in progress.
7. Sleep: go to bed early get up early. TV doesn't work for me.
8. Love my time with God every-morning. Gives me refreshment and
direction. I was feeling discouraged and looking at some bad
decisions that I had made in the past. I took this all to the Lord
and in the scriptures for the day, "don't look back". Thank you
Lord, for guiding me.
9. Attending a Al-lon meeting for the first time this week.
The biggest change for me is getting things done and being organized.
This is going to be a great quarter. Blessings, Robbie
Anyone else having this problem?
ReplyDeleteRobbie and Wanda's replies are in the most microscopic print I have ever seen.
Have to enlarge it to read it??
sorry, I must have made the print too small:)...Happy Easter everyone!
ReplyDeleteThank you Becky!
ReplyDeleteHope everyone had a blessed day.
1. What do you weigh today--maintain as is.
ReplyDeleteRemember to eat....
2. What little change do you KNOW will have the biggest result in your personal life if you make it?-- Consistent Listening to God.
4. What dream in your heart will not go away?-- I want to use my gifts of creativity and/or leadership and my love for Bible Study somewhere.
I want to run my business, but not let it run my life so I can pursue my real dreams. Even if I only take better care of my home and family, I will be happy.
_______________________________________
5. What is your greatest gift that you can give away?-- service, and prayer for others.
6. How long would it take for you to clean your closet?-- Ongoing.
7. Do your sleep habits need to improve? Are you getting 7 hours of sleep minimum? Will you plan for your sleep this quarter?-- Have fibromyalgia and do not sleep well at night. Often get six hours only.
8. If you struggle to spend time daily with God, would you be willing spend 20 minutes daily with Him this quarter?--Yes. Continue to read CYL Bible, one Psalm and Proverb nightly. Keeping my CYL Journal as well.
9. Do you have anything that you or others might say (or have said) is an addiction?-- No. Used to be shopping but no longer possible!
10. Do you have a friend who would be your accountability partner during this quarter?-- yes
I had an epiphany about my weight loss goals this week while catching up on the conference calls and blogs. The title of this group is LITTLE changes big results. I spent this last quarter trying to make big changes that I couldn't sustain. I expected to lose 1 pound a day - and I would do that for a while and then crash and put it all back on the next day. I have spent the last quarter gaining and losing the same 4 pounds. I'm 4 pounds up from where I was in January! So I went back into my journal and remembered that I committed to excercising 20 minutes a day. (Not an hour, not fasting for 2-3 days, not cutting out a food group or 3.) So this quarter, my goal is to follow the eating plan on Spartpeople.com (it's free!) and to excercise 30 minutes each day. So far I've done it for 4 days, and it hasn't been that hard to fit it in.
ReplyDelete1. What do you weight today? My goal is to lose 12 pounds by June 30th.
2. What little change do you KNOW will have the biggest result in your personal life if you make it? Excercise 30 minutes a day and make healthy eating choices each day. (keep calories down to 1200-1500 per day)
3. Do you need to make any amends to start this quarter with a clean heart and mind? If so, with whom? I teach 4/5th grade, and there is a teacher I work with who has been driving me crazy for 2 years. I made a list of the things I need to forgive him for and will make an appointment to meet with him to make amends when school starts again on Monday.
4. What dream in your heart will not go away? To do something great in music. Not sure what this is yet. But I feel like I need to step up my efforts in this area and quit saying yes to time wasters.
5. What is your greatest gift that you can give away? As a single mom, I've been on my own since I was pregnant. God totally picked me up and pointed me to some amazing people and an amazing church. I want to volunteer with teen moms and use my story to encourage them to keep going with their lives.
6. How long would it take for you to clean your closet? I gave away 2 bags of clothes on Saturday. I want to be finished organizing my bedroom by Sunday. (A goal I got from Chuck Swindoll's "Growing Strong In The Seasons of Life." Awesome daily devotional!)
7. Do your sleep habits need to improve? Yes. I sometimes get 5-6 hours a night just because I don't go to bed on time. 6:30 for school comes early!
Are you getting 7 hours of sleep minimum? Yes!
8. If you struggle to spend time daily with God, would you be willing spend 20 minutes daily with Him this quarter? If so, how and when will you do this? Yes! This has been that little change I started last quarter with Becky's encouragement and now I can't wait for this time with the Lord.
9. Do you have anything that you or others might say (or have said) is an addiction? If so, are you willing to go to a support group weekly? Yes, either ACA, Al Anon or CODA.
10. Do you have a friend who would be your accountability partner during this quarter? Yes.
I have been out - and have lots of homework to catch up on :-)
ReplyDelete1. What do you weight today - lose 2 lb a week through the end of May. Learn to maintain during month of June.
2. What little change do you KNOW will have the biggest result in your personal life if you make it? Getting up at 5:00 am
3. Do you need to make any amends to start this quarter with a clean heart and mind? If so, with whom? Yes, With my husband.
4. What dream in your heart will not go away? Writing a book / speaking
5. What is your greatest gift that you can give away? Friendship
6. How long would it take for you to clean your closet? 5 min. :-) I will do a sweep through for giveaways at the end of April.
7. Do your sleep habits need to improve? Are you getting 7 hours of sleep minimum? Will you plan for your sleep this quarter? YES
8. I spend time with God daily.
9. Do you have anything that you or others might say (or have said) is an addiction? Yes. I am in therapy and pastoral counseling.
10. Do you have a friend who would be your accountability partner during this quarter? (They don't have to be in our group, but they must be willing to check in with you every 24 to 72 hours to ask you these or other predetermined questions every week!) Who might be that person for you? Carissa.
Hi, I'm new to blogging and to CYL.
ReplyDeleteBecky's comment that of all the excuses we use, it might just boil down to being afraid of having to do the hard work to make even the littliest changes. I feel that that finger may have been pointed at me.
For all the time, emotion and guilt I spend (or waste) on wishing I could change, wishing I could make the time to exercise, asking forgiveness for not spending time with God on a given day, it would have been less effort and much better for me to have just done the work and been done with it.
Right now, I am giving myself a little grace as I continue to recover from the loss of my most wonderful husband. But I will not let myself off the hook completely.
1. What do you weight today _need to lose over 30 lbs._________ ? (If you lose 1 pound a week, you'll weigh 12 pounds less at the end of June!)
Please weigh in weekly--on Wednesdays!
2. What little change do you KNOW will have the biggest result in your personal life if you make it? _To be in the Word daily_________________
3. Do you need to make any amends to start this quarter with a clean heart and mind? If so, with whom? __I can’t think of any__________
4. What dream in your heart will not go away? ____To record a cd_____________________
5. What is your greatest gift that you can give away? ___time & friendship______________________ (time, skill, friendship, art, etc.)
6. How long would it take for you to clean your closet? _______1 hour________________________ Are you willing to do that before our first call on 4/7/10? I’m beginning this late but yes, I will do that . Please give any clothing away that you no longer wear or need. YES
7. Do your sleep habits need to improve? Yes, since my husband’s death my sleep patterns have been totally messed up. Are you getting 7 hours of sleep minimum? No Will you plan for your sleep this quarter? Circle YES or NO. (Note: Sleep deprivation creates many problems; if you need to watch less TV, do it!) I will try to do my part in improving my nighttime routines and trying to sleep.
8. If you struggle to spend time daily with God, would you be willing spend 20 minutes daily with Him this quarter? If so, how and when will you do this? In the morning before work. If you need a Bible reading plan, please read 1 CH of Psalms and Romans daily.
9. Do you have anything that you or others might say (or have said) is an addiction? If so, are you willing to go to a support group weekly (includes Weight Watchers, AA, SA, etc.)? If so, please research where groups meet regularly in your church or community and attend one meeting before our first phone call. Food
10. Do you have a friend who would be your accountability partner during this quarter? (They don't have to be in our group, but they must be willing to check in with you every 24 to 72 hours to ask you these or other predetermined questions every week!) Who might be that person for you? ___Yes
All 10 questions have been emailed to Becky. However, besides wanting to save space here, I want to ask each of you to keep me accountable.
ReplyDeleteBeginning the conferences in 2009 and through the first quarter I will give you a summary:
Physical and Spiritual Improvements have been great. My eating habits, exercising, and sleeping have improved. Additionally, the time I spend reading and studying the word of God is great and daily. For each of these, I simply need to continue on a similar track and keep a close monitor on all.
Emotional and Mental Improvements are the focus of my next few quarters. Amends are in order with my daughter and a colleague. With these amends, I need to slow down and be more of a mother and a friend. Reductions are necessary for the shopping and wasting money. And, it is important that I stop biting my nails and using alcohol as a crutch.
With God's help and your support improvments are expected in the near future. Thanks!
1. Weight-My "must" is to give up out of control and binge eating. I want to lose a total of 25 pounds, but this is really secondary to the goal of eating in a controlled manner.
ReplyDelete2. Detailing my days, scheduling a time for e-mails and other computer things
3. No amends, at this point.
4. Dream? Not sure right now.
5. Greatest gifts to give-time and friendship
6. Need to deal with some other organizational things before my closet
7. YES to 7 hours
8. 30 minutes+ with God each day
9. Food is a problem for me. I started an accountability group at my son's school. We meet once a week for weigh-in, encouragement, and accountability.
10. I don't have a specific accountability partner yet.