3 in 30 Week 4 Update

Well, here we are. If you like to plan for the week on Sundays like I do, you realize this week we turn the page.

January is almost gone and February waits impatiently for her turn.

As this month closes, I am happy with the progess I made this month. I learned some important lessons through my first 3 in 30 adventure, primarily that choosing three specific monthly goals helped keep my daily tasks in line with those objectives.

1. When I was presented opportunities that did not support those goals, it was easier to say, “No, thank you.”
2. When I started feeling pressure to work on some of my other goals for the year, it was easier to let them wait for another month. I believe this is key to persevering.
3. When I wanted to throw my hands up and say, “This just isn’t going to happen,” my friends rallied around me and encouraged me to finish.

Improve the Blog.

I was ready to give up on my photography challenge on Thursday. The weather has been crummy and I felt I was missing the point: to have photography become more habitual. However, several friends encouraged me to pursue it and the sun broke out bright on Friday. I grabbed the camera, drove to a beautiful town on the Puget Sound and regained my momentum. When I sat down to go through my January photos this weekend, I was surprised to realize how many of the photos I had already taken. I shared a few the first week, here are a few more I love.

Inspiring Person & Seasonal Photo Challenge

Inside My Closet

I have several incomplete lessons in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog book. While I am confident I will make it through by Tuesday, there is so much to learn from it that I plan to go through it at least twice this year. I also read Crystal Paine’s new book, The Money Saving Mom’s Budget. This means I will reach my goal of reading two books per month and implementing at least one idea from each.

Maximize My Mornings.

I am happy to say that this is going well. Despite going to bed late two nights this weekend, I still woke up before my alarm Sunday morning. Almost every single day this month I have started my day with quiet time and worship music. I have also worked out more often than I was when I was in physical therapy. I will continue working on this discipline forever, so it isn’t really done as much as it is re-established. I have also memorized James 1, verses 1 through 8. Only a little over four and a half chapters to go! {wink}

Create Something.

I completed the photo canvas project with my own photos from Italy this week. Since posting them here, I have had several people see them in person who genuinely liked the way they turned out. I did not make separate ones yet for actual gift giving at Christmas, but I am already brainstorming how to adapt this for a particular person on our list. I think more of my Europe photos will transfer from hard drive to canvas this year.

Is there something you are really glad you accomplished in January?