Weekly Check-In: Feeling stressed...

My goal for this period had been to walk 10,000 steps a day. I have not done well. Surprise. My school semester is almost over and I'm feeling kind of like a salmon swimming upstream. Projects. Reports. Papers. Presentations. Every spare minute at home is spent on schoolwork and what is left is spent taking care of my family, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, doing bills, laundry, housework, etc.

My husband has been super busy working two jobs and traveling for business, so guess what? I got the yard ready for winter (kids helped too) and even better, I put the Christmas lights up. Phew--that one was hard. Blood, sweat, and tears! But I figured it out, and if I need to do it again next year, it will be a piece of cake.

I know, I know, it's not horribly impressive, but I did it!!!

I've been thinking a lot about priorities. My sweet sister-in-law had a death in her family and it has got me thinking about life, relationships, and what is really important to focus on. I think I spend a lot of time and energy on things that don't really matter in the long run, like keeping a spotless home. I know that I need to do the drudge work like cleaning and laundry, but sometimes I wonder if I spend TOO much time doing it, or if I don't delegate it to my kids as much as I should. Also, I know I need to fit exercise in my day. I need to, but it is so hard. Where do I fit it? Maybe after I drop the kids off...

I think what it boils down to is self-control. I need to learn to have power over ME! I curl up in bed while my kids get ready for school instead of getting out of bed and getting things done (I rationalize that mornings are just NOT my thing!) I rarely say no when offered a yummy dessert. If I'm hungry late at night, I eat. I need to work on my self-control.

And mostly, I need to make sure I'm fitting my priorities into my day--family, health, education. Perhaps my daily routine needs to reflect that.

I need to master self-control. Do things that are uncomfortable, like get up early in the morning, exercise, resist unhealthy foods most of the time, and go to bed without a full stomach.

Here are my thoughts for the week:

• Discipline is remembering what you want (David Campbell)
• Everyone must choose one of two pains: The pain of discipline or the pain of regret (Jim Rohn)
• You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage--pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically -to say 'no' to other things. And the way to do that is by having a bigger 'yes' burning inside. The enemy of 'best' is often the 'good.' (Stephen Covey)

For other great quotes on self-discipline, check out this site:

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/discipline.html