Monthly Intentions for May: Doing it Scared…or Curiously

I’ve been writing down monthly intentions or goals to help me focus in on what is important. Many of the things listed are daily habits I’m seeking to maintain or grow in. The goal is not to obtain perfection, but to make steady progress…and months when there isn’t any progress, to give myself grace and start again the next month. That is my hope for you too as you strive to implement daily/weekly/monthly habits. Here are my monthly intentions for May.

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Recap of Intentions in April

Intentions that were challenging in April:

Staying within our budget (it was my oldest’s birthday in April), working in the basement with my husband (he’s been working hard in the basement by himself, I didn’t track my time for a week like I wanted to, I haven’t decluttered the closets yet (although I think I can squeeze that in today – the last day of April!)

Things that went well in April:

Getting 1:1 time with all three sons, getting at least 6 hours of sleep at night, making our bed, meal planning, my morning routine, getting movement in on days I’m off, and going out with my friends.

Doing Things Scared…or Curiously

Photo Credit: Tim Becker Photography, @timbeckerphoto

I wrote to my email list about two things that I’ve never done before last weekend – I went to my first blogging conference The Blog Connect and also gave a seminar presentation at the same conference.

It’s unusual for me, an introvert, to put myself out there like that. I’ve had it in my head that I don’t enjoy putting myself in front of people. I tend to be much more of a “work behind the scenes” kind of gal. But my word this year is “sparks joy” and I’m challenging myself to try things that I normally wouldn’t do. My thought is, “how do I know if it sparks joy if I haven’t done it before, or done it in a long time?”

There’s the saying “do it scared” that I’ve been seeing a lot of around the internet. I agree that fear shouldn’t stop us from moving forward or trying new things. I prefer, though, to frame it as “do it curiously”. 

Here’s a common conversation in my house:

Kids: “Oh, I don’t like to (fill in the blank)”

Me: “How do you know? You’ve never (fill in the blank). You never know unless you try.”

So when I found myself saying to myself – “oh, I don’t like to speak in front of people.” I heard myself respond (to myself), “How do you know? You haven’t put yourself in front of people in a long time. You never know unless you try.”

So I applied to give a presentation to share the lessons I learned while writing my first eBook, How to Start When You Feel Stuck.

I applied with curiosity.

I accepted with a little bit of fear.

Photo Credit: Tim Becker Photography, @timbeckerphoto

Here’s what I learned from the experience:

• If you practice something enough times, it feels a lot less scary.
• You know more than you think. You don’t have to be an expert to share what you know. If you’re a few steps ahead of someone else on a journey, you have valuable information to share.
• Speaking takes a lot out of me. It took me a few days to feel back to normal. Having that many conversations in a weekend was more than this introvert is used to!
• Learn how to see the presenter notes in the slide show so you don’t have to hold your notes…probably should have figured that out before the seminar! 🙂

Photo Credit: Tim Becker Photography, @timbeckerphoto

Aprils Top 3 List:

As part of these monthly recaps and goals, I’m sharing the top 3 posts and top 3 things I was grateful for this past month.

TOP 3 POSTS IN APRIL:

1. 10 Lessons Learned After a Year of Decluttering
2. Stress Free Meal Planning for Beginners: Finding what Works for You
3. Decluttering Your Home

TOP 3 THINGS I WAS GRATEFUL FOR IN APRIL:

1. Connecting with so many wonderful bloggers in person at The Blog Connect
2. Connecting with my sons during 1:1 times. I’ve been playing tennis with my oldest son which is fun to share a common interest and be able to coach him a little bit.
3. Perennials! I’m always amazed at how these flowers bloom again and again every Spring.

Top 3 Posts and Top 3 Things I was grateful for in April #gratitude #top3 Click To Tweet

Monthly Intentions for May:

SPIRITUAL:

• Daily bible reading from The Daily Message. 
• Pray for my husband, children, and loved ones daily using the scripture God has given me.
• Take at least 3 slow, deep breaths in the morning. Silent prayer and meditation for 12 minutes.

PERSONAL:

• I set aside Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford in order to read the books I recently checked out from the library. I’m enjoying Notes from a Blue Bike by Tsh Oxenreider who I’ve followed for years now. She also has a new book out that I’m excited to check out – At Home in the World.
• Track my time for the week as suggested in 168 Hours in order to make tweaks to my schedule according to my highest priorities. (this is moved forward from last month)
• Going out with friends at least once a month.
• Intentional movement 5 days of the week (running or HIIT video at least 2 of those days).
  • As the weather warms up I’m hoping to start running again.
• Be in bed by 11pm. Sleep at least 6 hours a night, with 7 hours being ideal.
• Write down 3 things I’m grateful for daily each evening.

HOUSEHOLD:

• Meal Plan dinner for the weeknights (get FREE Meal Planning printables)
• Declutter all three closets again. (Moved from last month)
• Work at least 15 minutes in the basement (with or without) hubby on Sunday evenings when I put in a load of laundry.
• Budget and track daily expenses with the You Need a Budget program. Meet weekly with my husband, and talk about money as well as business and home stuff for the upcoming week.

WRITING & BLOGGING:

Elite Blog Academy  (EBA) has been my main blogging course that I’ve been going through all year. It’s been instrumental in giving me direction and guidance every step of the way.

EBA only goes on sale once a year. If you’re interested in starting or refining your blog, the EBA Blog Structure Blueprint is a must have! You can download it immediately when you sign up for the wait list HERE.

• Post at least once a week (ideally twice) on my blog for May
• Write 500 words at least 3 times a week
• Write one guest post for May, featuring ideas from my eBook
• Figure out FB ads to let more people know about my FREE 7 Day Decluttering eCourse. (still figuring this out!)
• Contribute an old post on Huffington Post. I was so excited to become a contributor to Huffington Post. You can find my entries so far here.

Monthly Goals:

• Date night with hubby.

If you can’t get out of the house for date nights, check out VidAngel . You can stream movies for $1. We used to use Redbox, but the convenience of not having to go out of the house to return the movie, is super convenient.

• One on one outings with each son.

What are some monthly intentions that you have for May?

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