Oh, I am so thrilled to share a NEW series here on Domestic!  But first, a little history…

After a blogging brainstorm recently, many topics I wanted to share came to mind.  Being a ‘how do I organize this?’ type of personality, my ideas were a little overwhelming and disjointed.  Feeling stuck, I didn’t move forward.

I truly admire those who can jump into a project and figure things out as they go!  Not at all my strongest trait.

After praying and thinking some more, I still didn’t have a sense of direction, and nearly gave up.  I know, I know — not good, but those thoughts went through my head.

I needed a plan.  I needed inspiration on how to move forward.

And last week, it came to me.  Motivated by Crystal’s money-saving series for the year, I decided to test out my brainstorming ideas in a similar format.  Voila!

Over the weekend a list was formed, many posts were written, and I’m moving forward!  For you this means a NEW series: 

Each Monday (some weeks will be combined) I’ll bring you ‘one way’ – one lifestyle practice or intentional habit to encourage more calm, more peace within and around you.  They’ll be in no particular order and all over the map:  spiritual, mental, physical ways of intentionally living.

My passion is for wellness on many levels, and I attempt to live by grace each of these ways I’ll share.  I’m in the boat learning too!

Since we’re on the second Monday of 2013 already, today you’ll receive two encouragements. 🙂

Ways For More Serenity

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Week #1  Move Slower than You Do.  I’m sure most of us have a habit of rushing in some aspect of our lives.  Moving quickly, doing quickly, accomplishing our tasks in less time.

Chronic racing about is stressful to us and those around us.  Consider your daily tasks…how fast do you move?

How fast do you drive, eat, get dressed, go to bed, get up, work, clean, cook, communicate — and more?  How fast do you expect others to get these things done?

Our society is obsessed with speed.  I’m guilty, and you might be too.  Let’s change this, okay?  

I’m not speaking of promoting procrastination, but of simply taking time to accomplish our tasks instead of rushing unnecessarily.

Action Plan:  This week, choose one way/one area to practice moving slower.  Tell someone about it.

More to Read:  Slow Cooking, Slow Living

Week #2  Start Small – but Start!   This point is definitely for me….

So it’s January and whether we adopt resolutions or not, there’s a sense of a fresh starts.  Because it’s true – the old year is gone and a new, unearthed number of days awaits us.

As you approach a goal or vision, I strongly encourage the practice of small steps in place of big leaps.

Are huge leaps and bounds wrong?  Well, no – I don’t think so.  But they do take a ton of energy.  Many times, we’re simply not equipped with or have the luxury of excess energy, time, money or other resource needed to bring about our idea or project.

It’s not impossible, and yes…sometimes God ordains a big leap — NOW!  Yet, I truly believe if closer attention is given, we’ll see He’s moved in small steps along the way, perhaps unknown to us until He thinks we’re ready.

Start small, but start.

“Take the first step in faith.  You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Action Plan:  In one goal you’re aiming for, identify the next small step to complete this week.  Write it down & put in a visible place.

More to Read:  The Practice of {Small Beginnings}

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I’m having lots of fun writing & scheduling posts for this series!

Next Monday, we’ll pick up again; subscribe to receive posts via email.

Feel free to share one way you plan to move slowly, or your one small step!

{photo credits to Creative Commons}