You can plan the perfect picnic, but you can’t predict the weather.
The “P’s” of mommy-ing continues. The first post in this series explained that as I’m journeying down the mommy-ing road, I’ve thought about several action words for ways that I can become a better mom. (They all start with the letter P because I just love alliterations.) The first P was PRAY. Today, the word is PLAN.
Plan (verb) – decide on and arrange in advance
The process of planning can be a difficult task. With the many tasks and events to fill your lifetime, days can seem overwhelming. If you are a parent, then you know that the above statement regarding the perfect picnic is true, especially if the picnic = a day. However, making a plan and having some direction in advance can help you move in the direction you are wanting to head.
A goal without a plan is just a wish.
So where do you start? That’s a good question. I actually struggle with planning because it’s so variable, but I’ve been practicing making lists over the years, which are my “plans”. This is definitely a work-in-progress for me! There are experts out there on goal setting. (I am not one of them!)
First, there are long-term goals. I say “first” even though they are distant because I feel like in order to accomplish daily plans, you have to know where you’re planning to be.
- Think about and decide where you want to see yourself in 5, 10, and 20 years. You can look at yourself and your own personal goals. Who do you want to be? What do you want to accomplish?
- Using the same measures of time, think about where you see your marriage and decide together where you want to be as a couple and as a family. What are your hopes and desires?
- And again, planning long-term, where do you see your children? Of course most parents would wish for their babies to grow up perfect, responsible adults with perfect spouses, jobs, and homes, but…what can you do to help them be responsible adults? What can you do to help them plan for their future?
Using the long-term goals as something to aim for, make short-term plans. I’d say “short-term” would be any time between now and the next 2-3 years. And again thinking as an individual, as a couple, and as a family there are different trains of thought.
- Are there things you want to see happen in the next year or two? What can you do to start aiming for those goals?
And then there are the daily plans. (And these are the ones that really seem to vary, but more what I’m honing in on.) I think these daily plans are ultimately “the steps” we take on the mommy path which move us toward the final destination. It’s where knowing the direction you are trying to head makes an impact so you’re not walking aimlessly through day after day. If you take a step back one day, but two forward the next, as long as you are on the right path, you can walk with a purpose.
- What are the most important things to accomplish each day? Strive to fit those things in as often as possible. These plans will probably be the daily activities/chores you or your family almost can’t live without.
- What is one thing you can do to better yourself each day?
- One thing you can do to improve your marriage?
- Is there something special you can do as a mom to encourage and show love to each child? We all know they are very different!
If the perfect picnic resembles a day, then there will be some of those perfect picnics when everything goes just as planned. There will also be several of the windy, stormy, bug-filled, or cold ones that don’t turn out so great. Plans change. Life happens. But, when it storms on our picnic, if those more vital plans are accomplished, then I feel like even though the day may have ended in chaos, we have each other and we know where we are journeying.
After all, a goal without a plan is just a wish.
What are your goals as a mom? How do you plan your day or week?
I Will Rejoice 