Progress Not Perfection: A 90-Day Journey

Like many others, I've embraced 2010 with full vigor and delight to see 2009 left behind. Don't get me wrong: Throughout 2009, God blessed in many remarkable ways, and He was faithful as always. But that year was difficult, not just for me but for my closest friends and family. Good riddance, I say. Now to a better 2010.

One of the things I wrote on my Facebook page at the start of the year is "2010 will be different because I'm living differently today." And isn't that really the key? There's so much of the world that we can't change or control, but there's so much of our own lives that we can impact if we choose to. So I've been spending a lot of time thinking about—and putting into action—ways to make my 2010 different than 2009.

Be Kind to Yourself
While I was home with family over the New Year, one of the things my father said to me is that I need to be kinder to myself. In looking back over my journals from the past year, God had spoken those same words over me on several occasions. Hmm...interesting. I suspect that a lot of you reading this need to hear the same thing: Be kind to yourself this year.

So that's the other part of my approach to 2010: I'm being intentional about pursuing progress, not perfection.

Is a Fast in Order?
That said, all of these notions sound great, but where should I start? The first thing God led me to was a 21-day fast. There are all kinds of fasts that one can do—from food, to entertainment, to certain activities. I'm actually participating in this fast as part of a larger group. This time, God has called me to start with abstaining from meats, sweets, and any alcoholic beverages. He's also called me to refrain from watching any TV programming that contains violent content (which means I've had to give up my weekly dose of "The Mentalist" for the time being). So if God calls you to a fast, take some time to figure out what that means specifically for you.

One week into my fast, I can already tell you that I've felt a huge difference in my spiritual and emotional well-being. I'm actually excited to see how this will progress, since I do expect God to switch some things up on me over the 21 days.

Progress Not Perfection: A 90-Day Journey
But here's where it really gets exciting for me. I was watching a sermon that I recorded this past Sunday in which a word was shared about the "unusual glory" that God is pouring out over the next 90 days. (I'll share the content of that word in tomorrow's post.) At last, I felt like I knew the time frame for the first segment of this personal journey that I'm on in 2010. For the next 90 days, I'm going into basic training, so to speak. Again, the goal is progress, not perfection.

I'm sharing this in case anyone else out there wants to join me on your own personal journey. If so, it doesn't matter when your 90 days starts (or different time period if that's what God calls you to), it just matters that you begin.

Daily Goals for This 90 Days
Here are the things that I will do—with God's help—on a daily basis for the next 90 days.

(1) Practice purposeful thanksgiving. I'm doing this by doing 90 days of thanks as my status update on Facebook. You may choose to write your thanksgiving for the day down in a journal or on your own blog. Wherever you write it, the point is to pick something you are thankful for that day and write it down.

(2) Start the day in God's word. Whether I have 5 minutes or 30 minutes, I will spend those minutes in God's word before I allow in any other outside influences: TV, radio, phone, computer, etc. The point: I am intentionally choosing to focus on what God has to say before I listen to any other opinions that day.

(3) Choose one area of the house to organize each day. Some days when I have lots of time, I will take on the big projects, like the garage. Other days when I have 5 minutes, I will take on the stack of mail that piles up on the corner of the kitchen counter. When I've completed the task, I will take the time to feel satisfied by what I've accomplished. Keep this up for 90 days in a row, and those closets and drawers will get cleaned out a little bit at a time.

(4) Invest time each day in some type of exercise. I know, I know. Exercise is such an unhappy word for most of us. Let's call it movement instead. My goal is to spend 30 minutes a day on anything from stretching to walking to TaiBo. Again, if I have more time, I will go to the gym to do the weight circuit. If I only have 5 minutes, I will take that 5 minutes, and stretch or jog in place, etc. But I won't let the fact that I don't have an hour for the day hold me back from physical activity. Another idea is to break the 30 minutes into 5 or 10 minute increments for days that I know are going to be really busy.

Staying on Track
This list is simple, but if I do each of these items consistently over this 90-day journey, I know I will experience spiritual, mental, and physical benefits from them, not to mention significant stress relief.

To help myself stay on track, I've made a very simple chart for myself. I'm including a picture of it here as an example.


On the days I have more time, I may note the types of things I did in each category for that day. If I'm on the run, I'll just put a check in the box. Again, progress not perfection.

So we'll see how it goes. This I know: I want some things to be different in 2010, and that will only happen if I choose to live differently. At the same time, I'm going to be intentional about being kinder to myself and embracing progress rather than perfection.

If you decide to try this out for yourself, I'd love to here how it goes.

Blessings to you all in 2010!