Every Single Thing You Do

Have you ever thought about all the things you do each day? I really mean every single little thing you do each day?
As I look over my notes from our weekend at the Women of Faith one day event,  one of the things that stands out to me the most are the words:

Are we even aware of every single thing we do?  I would bet that the majority of us are extremely naive about how we really spend our time.

You know that I'm a planner, and a I'm big on being intentional with the time we spend daily, but I have to admit that I'm pretty sure I've been too laid back lately about how the hours are slipping away each day.

So, today we headed outside. How could you not? It was a beautiful 75 degrees here in Oklahoma, and the sun and near perfect weather was more than a beckoning. It was a command.....come outside! Play!

So we did. And you know what? It mattered.

Just like it always does.

It all matters. Everything we watch, everything we listen to, everything we read.

I believe that there is more that each of us can do and be. How we spend our time and energy is what greatly effects what we do and who we become.

Do you really know how you're spending your time? Do I?

Today we were given a gift of time. A moment as a family with our kids. Our dear friends the Stewarts came over this afternoon to offer us an afternoon/evening with just our kiddos. They stayed here with the babies so we could spend the afternoon with just the four of us.

The weather was too beautiful to do anything except head outside. We made our way to a local park that backs up to a substantial amount of woods. We decided to stray from the park and go on an adventure. Oh, don't you wish you could go on an adventure?!

So, we went to the woods. You may remember how very, very much I love the woods. I spent two weeks there this Christmas break. We hiked through the woods following a trail made by deer. We even found a few deer tracks on the way.

And although many people may say that spending a couple hours in the woods is a waste of time, I would argue that time spent away in the woods is incredibly important. It's vital really.

The time we spend refreshing and renewing intentionally (and I don't mean in front of the TV) is vital to lowering our stress levels and creating happiness that goes deep into our souls.

It's a constant work in my life....to be more intentional with my time. Andy Andrews is the speaker who said those words:

Every single thing we do matters. 

He also said:

Change doesn't have to be a huge event. Change can be made through very small shifts in the way we spend our time. 

Do you know where this one is going? Are you scared yet? Yes, I'm going to ask you to be more intentional with your time. I've done it before. But possibly before we can be more intentional with our time, we need to know how we're spending our time.

Luke was collecting wood for a fire. (No, we did not make a fire, but he sure did collect some wood.) 

So what if we all did this......what if we all wrote down every single thing we did for an entire week. I'm serious. Every single thing. For an entire week. I know that sounds absolutely crazy, but I think we may all be a little shocked to see how we're spending our time.

Have you ever heard this:

It's true. How do we ever expect to get different results if we keep doing the same things over and over again. 

So, are you game? Do you know you need a change? Do you want to be more intentional with your time? Do you believe that every single thing you do matters?

It does! So let's see what it is that we're really doing. I've got a blank notebook that I am going to carry around for the next week to write down every single thing I do. What about you? Do you want to join me? I'll make it worth your while......what about this?  If you decide you want to see how you're spending your time, then join me for the next week by writing down every single thing you do for one week. 

Every day for the next week, I'll have a question for you regarding your time tracking. If you post a comment today and every day for seven days, your name will go into a drawing for $200 cash. Yep, cash. 

It won't be easy. It will be work. But it will be worth it. 

Do you believe that you can do more and be more, but you don't know where to start? Then start here.

Every single thing you do matters. 

Let's spend the next week finding out how we really spend our time. If you're up for the challenge and want the chance to win some cash, comment below. 

.....day 198 of a year of writing.....