A Word to Live By

Last January I blogged about my word of the year for 2010. I chose the word purge because I thought it best reflected my goals for that year. Looking back over that post I realize that I was successful in some of the areas I was trying to change. Our move to a new home helped me to purge a lot of my stuff. In fact, at this moment I can say that everything we had in our old home has been sorted through and either has been given away or put away in our new home. I have never felt so light and free from stuff. I still am working on purging excess weight. That was one area that was not as successful for me. I actually gained 10 pounds last year instead of losing the 30 pounds I needed to shed.

That brings me to my word of the year for 2011 – discipline. When I think of discipline, the word self-control comes to mind. I have many areas in my life that need me to exercise self-control so that my life will glorify God. I have chosen the following areas to work on when it comes to discipline:

• Weight – I am at a point with my weight that if I do not do something about it soon, I will be putting myself in a serious health risk. I already feel the effects of too much weight. But, I am afraid I will begin to suffer many other negative health effects if I do not shed this weight. I have committed to logging everything I eat into a food journal. I have determined a certain number of calories to stay under. My next step is to get back into the gym. I’m working on my time schedule to make that happen. But, I also need to discipline myself to get to the gym on a regular basis. It is so easy to make excuses for not going. I know that if I don’t start working out, I will not see the results I need to lose this weight.
• Time – Talking about scheduling a time to go to the gym brings me to my next area of discipline – time. I have many things for which I am responsible that I need to make sure I am giving adequate time to make those things successful. I am working on a schedule for the next few months to make sure I meet all of my deadlines and that my family is taken care of. I sometimes get frustrated and overwhelmed by the many tasks I need to accomplish. I am going back to my original time management plan and listing all the things that need to be done. Then I am scheduling those things on my calendar so I make sure those tasks get done.

• Spending – Spending is another area in which I need to exercise discipline. As one who has an accounting background, you would think that I would be able to keep up with what I spend and stick to a budget. Not so! I’m really good about keeping up with other people’s money. I just don’t have the discipline to keep up with my own. So, my plan of attack this year is to log all of my receipts so that I can have a better handle on how much I’m spending. I have a certain amount I want to stay under each month, so hopefully my log will help me keep on track with that. As the family manager for our home, I feel that I have a responsibility to make wise purchases for our family. Clipping coupons, waiting for sales and evaluating what we really need are all actions I will take to become more responsible with my spending.

So, what does this all mean for me? Well, I must be willing to stay in God’s Word and in constant contact with Him so that I can draw from His strength and power to exercise discipline in these areas.

What about you? In what areas of your life do you need to exercise discipline?