It's The Little Things

Everything has a purpose and I always wondered what the purpose was in my painful situation. 

I'm sure the full purpose has not yet been realized, but am glad that I was able to use my experience to help another mother-to-be in need. 

For that, I am grateful. 

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: (Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV)

Sow & Reap

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. (2 Corinthians 9:6 KJV)

This is a very powerful scripture to me and can be seen as a roadmap to living life successfully, or not so successfully. 

Where are you in your life? In your marriage, family, spiritual development, education, career, etc. It is a direct reflection of where and how you have sown your seeds. 

Are you just getting by or are you reaping bountifully?  It is a direct reflection of where and how you have sown your seeds. 

Examine yourself and know where your priorities lie. What is most important to you?  Sow your seeds in those areas and if you sow them bountifully, you will reap bountifully. 

Be careful, however, of sowing seeds in areas that are not positive. Bad seeds bear bad fruit. Those bad fruit will grow up and choke those good fruit that are most important, just like weeds choke good crops. You must pull those weeds out, so they do not sneak up and destroy the crops that you really want and need. 

I did a little research on weeds and found the following:

No matter what definition is used, weeds are plants whose undesirable qualities outweigh their good points, according to man. Our human activities create weed problems since no plant is a "weed" in nature. Though we may try to manipulate nature for our own good, nature is persistent. Through the manipulation process, certain weeds are controlled, while, other more serious weeds may thrive because favorable growing conditions for them also have been meet. Weeds are naturally strong competitors and those weeds that can best compete always tend to dominate.

Weeds are troublesome in many ways. Primarily, they reduce crop yield by competing for water, light, soil nutrients, and space. Other problems associated with weeds in agriculture include:

a) reduced crop quality by contaminating the commodity;
b) interference with harvest;
c) serve as hosts for crop diseases or provide shelter for insects to
overwinter;
d) limit the choice of crop rotation sequences and cultural
practices; and
e) production of chemical substances which are toxic to crop plants
(allelopathy), animals, or humans.

It's funny because I also read a text that mentioned the benefit of weeds. Getting rid of weeds takes a lot of effort and work. You have to get out there in the sun and literally rip them from the ground. What a backache! Limiting the amount of weeds also takes a lot of effort and work. It requires you to be selective and making sure that you only sow clean seeds. In some crops, weeds can often help to shield those crops from the blowing wind. However, in the end, if you allow the weeds to stay long enough, they may protect you from the winds in the short-term, but they will eventually do what weeds do. Decrease your crop and lessen, if not destroy, your harvest. 

REPOST: Setting {Realistic} Goals

A bowl full of lemons

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Setting {Realistic} Goals Posted: 05 Feb 2014 09:01 PM PST   For many of you, you took the New Year to look ahead and to set some goals.  I applaud you. I am a huge fan of setting goals.  I really believe that when you are deliberate with the direction you want to go, you are more likely to change what needs changing!     It's been said that if you don't make a plan, set a goal or make a resolution, you are really just wishing for something to happen or change in your life. So what happens to so many of us within the process of setting goals? We start out strong!  We are pumped, enthusiastic, gung-ho, charged, motivated and ready to go.  We dream big, we set our new standards high and we visualize quick success.  We are excited for the fresh start, the clean slate, the new path, you name it. What we are not is realistic. If I asked you to list the top goals that people make as New Year Resolutions, what would you guess? Were you surprised by the list? According to the source, 45% of Americans make New Year's Resolutions.  And the percentage of people who successfully achieve their goals is only 8%. We know that making goals can really make a difference in our lives.  That without goals we won't tend to make the changes we so long to make.  We need to stop and ask ourselves;  "How do we connect the dots between setting a goal and actually reaching a goal?  How do we bridge the gap and truly set realistic, achievable goals?" I want to be in that 8%!! One way to start is by taking a smarter approach. How does the S.M.A.R.T Approach look in real life? I'll explain with an example.  Let's say I want to make a goal to "lose weight."  Here is how I would use the S.M.A.R.T Approach to more realistically plan my goal. Morgan's New Year's Goal – Lose Weight Specific: I want to lose 10 pounds and be within my normal weight range for my age and height. Measurable: I will weekly document my weight loss and share with my accountability partner. Attainable: I will schedule my workouts, plan my meals and make better, healthier choices daily. Realistic: I will be more disciplined and choose to make the tough choices to exercise and eat well. Timely: Short term I want to lose one-two pounds per week, long-term I want to lose all 10 pounds by the end of 12 weeks. If I had just said that I wanted to lose weight, chances are good that I would have started out strong and then within a few days or weeks would have fallen back into previous habits and patterns.  Without a realistic plan I would just be wishing to lose weight! When you take a more objective approach to goal setting you will automatically be more realistic.  It is better to start with smaller manageable goals and then as you complete them you can add more to the list.  Some optimism within goal setting is great, but you need to remember to sprinkle in a large dose of reality too! Make today your "someday."  Choose one small goal, implement the SMART Approach and let reality be your guide.  Like I've said before, it's not about perfection but rather progress! Share with me, do you set goals?  Are you in the 8%? My name is Morgan.  I'm the energetic and motivated, but also realistic girl, behind Morganize with Me.  My mission is to share tried and true techniques that I hope will encourage my readers and clients as they focus on their health and homes.  I believe in simplifying, prioritizing, and measuring progress one day at a time.  When I'm not blogging, organizing, or exercising, I can be found cooking a simple dinner or spending time with my sweet family.  My life is full and fun and somewhat messy too.  A motto that I hold near and dear to my heart, is that less IS more.  Unless, of course, there is an opportunity for another Chai Tea Latte or I'm shopping at Target.