When I look around my house, or in the mirror, all I can see is the big picture.
I get so busy stressing over every little detail of housework that needs to be done (desperately) and every single pound I need to lose that I can’t focus on what needs to be done right now to get things under control.
- The dogs are shedding so much that as soon as I finish cleaning up dog hair off the kitchen floor, there are piles of it on the living room floor.
- There are six people in the house who insist on wearing clothes every day (actually 7, but one does her own laundry) and dirty clothes pile up quickly.
- I’m beginning to think the dishes dirty themselves because there is no way we could be using so many!
- Oh, and to top it off, I’m still obese.
The silly thing is that I have already taken the time to break down the important cleaning projects and split them up throughout the week so I won’t get overwhelmed. I’ve already chosen an exercise program that tells me exactly what to do every single day to get the best results. Here’s the tricky part…If I stand around thinking about all the little details, I don’t get anything done.
So, that’s where I am. I’m surrounded, bogged down, and overwhelmed.
My husband always asks how you’d eat an elephant. The answer? One bite at a time. Today I will make a conscious effort to change the way I look at things. Instead of seeing an entire house in shambles, I will look at my list and just do what it says for the day. Instead of being ashamed of my weight, I will pop in that DVD and just push play. Instead of feeling unappreciated and overwhelmed, I will be thankful for my beautiful, loving family and the home we have to live in.
I have a couple of tools I’m using (besides my cleaning list and workout DVDs) to help me focus on the positives in my life. The first is an e-book called “The 21 Days of Gratitude Challenge” by Shelley Hitz. It gives just an easy little exercise each day to help turn negative feelings into feelings of gratitude. You can buy it for 99 cents on Amazon Kindle right now. The next is a free application I acquired for my phone called Attitudes of Gratitude Journal. All you do is type in what you are grateful for and push the little button and it saves each entry for you with the date and time. When life gets to be too much, I can just open the app and have a list of things to be thankful for.
When it comes down to it, no one is getting the attention from me they deserve (this includes the dirty socks and ceiling fans). I need to slow down, take a deep breath, and remember that “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 (New International Version)
Yes, even scrub baseboards and 3 sets of power squats. Everything.
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About Cassie E
I love it when you post pictures of my house. (just kidding, mine doesn’t look that good and we all know I can’t have a cat)
But occasionally, I see you try again – and I try again.
I think, once again, you have either read my mind or we are twins. I hit a wall and had to start my low dose anxiety meds again. Just to stop the crying and yelling. This season we are in, the one will all the little people, will pass. Some days I have to remember that blocks on the floor does not equal filth and let it go.
I still can’t exercise.
Lisa B…TheTadey recently posted..I’m not a control freak.
It’s not my house either. Mine has no cat, but enough dog hair on the ground to make a cat. I think maybe we share a heart, and that makes it easier for me to keep trying. Someday we’ll get what we are supposed to get, and I think we should get together for coffee that day.
Cassie E recently posted..A New Appreciation for Humans
I love it!! I’m really trying to bring it all in focus over at my blog…our health is so important…love the idea of seeing cleaning baseboards as squats (and oh, we’re supposed to clean those:))
Kristi recently posted..What I Wore Wednesday – A New Shirt
I’ve actually found that cleaning baseboards is a good team-building project for kids who can’t seem to get along. That’s not cheating, right? LOL
Cassie E recently posted..God Makes Beautiful Things
I love this verse:
“And see that all things are done in wisdom and order, for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.”
– Mosiah 4:27
Don’t run faster than you have strength, just take it step by step. You can do it! I’ll be cheering for you today
Jean Vogler recently posted..SAST Weekly Link Up
Thank you, Jean! I love that verse. I also love the idea that God always gives us enough. We may not have an abundance of something, but we always have enough. Thank you so much for your encouragement and prayers.
Cassie E recently posted..Writing Love
I think that is Satan’s pleasure — look at the whole thing, haha – you can’t do ANY thing. I noticed my counter was a wreck so I put everything into a basket and managed to clean out the basket. But when I stood back looking at the kitchen and the sink and the stove and the …. it was overwhelming.
my friend has a site the-next-thing.net – she just wants to do the next thing God tells her to do rather than get overwhelmed by “the big picture”.
I’m with you on weight loss. 25lbs seems like a ridiculous amount, but 1lb this week 2lbs next week doesn’t !!! Praying we both keep our eyes on Him (Colossians 3:2) and try to take smaller bites of our projects but have the diligence to see it to the end !!
I think you’re exactly right, Stef. Satan loves to whisper in my ear, and too often, I’m prone to listening. We can absolutely do this!
Cassie E recently posted..The perfect gift (for my perfect gift)
Yep Cassie I do believe that Satan has a plan to make us feel useless and overwhelmed. I have learned just start one little chore at a time… before I know it instead of cleaning out one drawer, I have done two. I put on my Christian music and just go to town. That way I focus on GOD, instead of myself!! One drawer at a time, one day at a time! AMEN! YOU can do it!
Maxine Gonzalez recently posted..SEEING HIS GLORY THROUGH MY TEARS