Selah & Goals

By Bethany Davies Whitaker

So, it's been a few weeks since I wrote a blog post and I was actually quite frustrated that I couldn't find inspiration, but it ended up giving me a nice break or a "Selah" as the title of this post says. I'm super type-A and so when I first started writing again back in December, I told myself I would blog once a week, but sometimes we all need to pause and recollect our thoughts instead of charging forward.

On that note, I've decided I really want to embrace this summer. I want to thrive. I want to chill out and slow down. I want to grow an intentional life despite the mess that surrounds me on a daily basis. I've decided I don't have to have it all together to live purposefully. That's why I'm going to start writing out monthly goals!

May Goals:

Think before I speak: This is a BIG one for me. I have two tendencies with the voice. Sometimes to fill the silence and space and get rid of awkwardness, I just start rambling and I'm not intentional about what I'm saying. Other times, I get snappy and rude, most often with Blake, and I cut people off with what I want to say instead of listening to the other person and then responding intentionally. I want to try and work on both of these things!

Eat more fruit: Okay, so admittedly I really really love junk food. My absolute favorite are Oreos and I swear I can eat a whole pack of them in one sitting, if I'm not careful. I actually really love fruit, so I'm hoping I can actually stick to this one! Bring on all of the watermelon, bananas, and strawberries!

Eat out at one new restaurant: Charleston is pretty much the food capital of the world, or at least to me, and there are a million and one restaurants we want try that we haven't gotten around to yet! I think this month will be The Burger Company ( over 20 different types of burgers- YES PLEASE!)

Read my bible app or do a devotion before getting onto social media/ no scrolling through Facebook in bed: Both of these are terrible habits that I need to kick. Literally, the first thing I do in the morning is get on Facebook which doesn't always start the day off on the best note, and then even after I say I'm going to bed, I scroll for another 25 minutes, which probably messes up my sleep. I need to stop! Besides, I really want to start my morning off with Jesus, instead of being judgmental like Facebook tends to make people.

Social Media Fast for one week: This is bouncing off the last goal. I've never done a fast from social media before, so this will be very interesting.

Finish Grace, Not Perfection: I've been "trying" to finish this book for 3 months...maybe this is what I'll do when I do my social media fast!

Beginner's Yoga: I don't have money for a gym membership at the moment, but there's plenty of youtube videos that I'm sure will help me learn the beginner's poses! On top of that, I really want to start working out at least 2-3 times a week.

Alright, so there we go. 7 goals for this month, and now it's actually time to start them instead of just brainstorming. While, it might be halfway through the year already, "better late than never". Intentional is one of my words for the year, and I haven't been doing a very good job at it. So, I hope that setting goals like this will help me to simplify and focus on what really matters. I'm probably going to mess up, but this is not about being perfect, it's about the progress, and the little by little steps. I don't want my goal-setting, or my life for that matter to be pressure filled. I want to cultivate good goals that stem from what God has given me. As Lara Casey says "It's time to cultivate what matters."