Bridget A. Thomas
Every day is a gift!
Set Yourself Up for Success
Are you the type of person who cringes at the thought of making resolutions at the beginning of the year? Some people love them, while others steer clear. But I think it’s safe to say that we all would like to see changes in our lives. We all have areas in which we want to grow or learn or improve. One key that will help you in this area is to make small changes in your life which will set yourself up for success. Here are some examples.
I have a problem with books. I love books and I love to read. But I don’t always have the time to read all the books that I want to read. At times I will try listening to the audio version of a book, in order to help shrink my TBR (to be read) pile. This especially works well with fiction books. Unfortunately, though, if it is a non-fiction book, I feel as though I don’t always get everything out of the book that I could if I read it for myself. So I am trying not to make a habit of that.
But I did make a change recently that helped increase my reading time. I wanted to start reading a little each evening before going to sleep. The light switch is across the room. I didn’t want to have to get up to turn off the light after I was done reading. As you would expect to see in many homes, my husband and I have nightstands on each side of the bed. Well, I didn’t want to put a lamp on my nightstand because it would leave little room for other things, like my alarm clock. So I put another table, which I was not using otherwise, beside the nightstand and put the lamp on it. However, I still had a problem of reaching the lamp without risking falling on the floor! Haha! So on Amazon I purchased something that I could plug into the outlet, plug my lamp into the new gadget, and then I could turn the new gadget (and the lamp) on and off with a remote control. This might sound trivial, but it helped increase my reading time each evening. (I am also trying to not read quite as many different books at once, but that’s another story.)
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. – Proverbs 16:3
Around this time of year, you hear a lot of people saying they want to lose weight. I am in that boat as well. I have not been exercising much lately because I feel it takes time away from my husband. It seems like I only get to see him for a short window each evening between work and bedtime. If you are having trouble squeezing in exercising as well, some suggestions could be to take a walk during your lunch break at work. Or if you sit at a desk all day, you could buy inexpensive bicycle pedals to put under your desk. As for me, I began exercising when I got home from work, but only for twenty minutes. I feel as though a little time is better than no time. The point here is that sometimes when we want to lose weight, we take on too big of a task, like running for an hour a day. If this is something that we are not used to or something that we hate, we will easily get burnt out and quit before long.
I can do all this through him who gives me strength. – Philippians 4:13
I will share one more example. In the mornings before I head to work, I wanted to spend more time reading my Bible and praying. But I wasn’t keen on the idea of getting up earlier (I already get up around 4:20). So I made changes to my morning routine so that I would not have to spend as much time getting ready in the morning. The ladies can probably relate to this one better than the men, since ladies tend to take longer getting ready. By tweaking my routine a little, I was able to increase my time with the Lord by 200%.
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. – Psalm 37:4
What changes do you want to make in your life? Take some time to think it over and write down your goals. Next consider what small changes you can make in your life or your routine to set yourself up for success. It doesn’t have to be something monumental. Often times when we make too many changes or too big of changes, we will not last. Small changes can pave the path to seeing your goals and dreams come to fruition.
© 2020 Bridget A. Thomas
Photo by Bridget A. Thomas
Bridget A. Thomas 
I have a motto for my life: If I cannot do great things, let me do small things in a great way. I love how you added an unused table (and it is so cute!!!) with a lamp (equally adorable!) To solve your problem! I think you did something small in a GREAT way! Bravo, Bridget!
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Oh I love that! “If I cannot do great things, let me do small things in a great way.” Sometimes we feel helpless to make a big impact. But if we keep this motto in mind, I think we could see amazing results. Thank you for sharing that! 💚
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I love this Bridget. Small changes are easier to make, and it can spur you to be consistent with those changes. I love all the little changes you mentioned. With regards to spending time with my hubby, we go for a walk together whenever possible so we can exercise and spend time too. We really enjoy that. I can so relate to having a big reading list and not getting through it because of time. Love the cute lamp.
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Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed the post. My husband and I do have bicycles that ideally we would like to ride together. Sad to say we have not done so often. Hopefully we can start doing that more… About the lamp, we have a lot of bear decor in our home. We fell in love with bears because we love to visit the mountains where we see bears. And in this case, the lamp had been collecting dust for many months until I put it to use here in the table…. I know it sounds a little silly, but I really was quite happy with these small changes, because it showed me that just a little effort can go a long way. Thank you for commenting 💚
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Haha, we have bicycles too and I can count on one hand the number of times I took it out of the shed. We have a dog and that is how we got into the habit of walking, even if we don’t feel like it the little rascal keeps staring at me with those puppy dog eyes silently asking if it is time to go for a walk.
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Sounds like you have a smart dog!! That’s great! Whatever it takes to get us moving! 🐶❤️
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Yeah…small changes. I think I try to change too much at once. I am definitely over eager to grow and get somewhere. It always comes back to my patience, so I guess that is what I really need to focus on…growing in patience. Slow it down. We call it a race, but we also have to watch our pace. I think I covered this in my “Get Set” post…but it’s a really good reiteration. ☺ Small.. small steps will keep us from tripping over ourselves. Thanks for the thought provoking post, Bridget. ❤
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I know what you mean about trying to change too much at once. I am the same way. I am trying to do better and be more intentional about each moment. I am glad you enjoyed the post. Thank you for commenting! ❣️
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I love the book table and the bear lamp! For me the best and most lasting changes are the ones I make a little bit at a time.
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Thank you! I tend to be impatient and want results yesterday. But too often when I do too much at once, I stress myself out, and it backfires. I am learning slow and small changes will have a bigger impact than grand and elaborate changes. Thank you for commenting! 🤗
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I love that table! So cute! I have the same problem with books. I also feel like I don’t get enough out of an audiobook. I’d rather be able to read if for myself because otherwise, my mind wanders. I think small changes made a big difference!
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Thank you! The table was a gift. I wasn’t using the it before because I was afraid it could accidentally get broken with the glass top. But I feel safe now since it is stuck in a corner. LOL. I am glad that I am not the only one who feels that way with the audiobooks. My mind wanders too! 🙊
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