Striving for Less

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We’ve all seen the images – I want less tv, more reading; less work, more play… images like this:

Less of this, More of that FREE PRINTABLE - Striving for less to live more. Part of a monthly series of establishing family values to create a family culture that you love by setting monthly challenge

The popularity of images like this isn’t just the 8 or 10 ideas that it conveys. I think the more we reflect and connect with what really matters, the more we realize that Less is More.

But, getting to that point is hard. Saying no to all of those things, changing those habits, and reconstructing our lives to give us less of what we don’t want (or feel like we shouldn’t) and more of what we do want, it’s work beyond what that cute image conveys.

STRIVING FOR LESS TO LIVE MORE. Striving for less to live more. Part of a monthly series of establishing family values to create a family culture that you love by setting monthly challenge

So, how are we going to do this? How are we going to strive for less and get more out of 2015?

Every month, I’m going to share one thing I am trying to change or reduce which isn’t serving my family, so that we can have more of the good stuff. The laughs, the quality time, the delicious and healthy food, and even the vacations.

Part of the journey will be budgeting, purging, learning to stick up for myself, saying “no” to amazing opportunities that don’t quite fit, and becoming more disciplined as a person.

But the first step in that journey is setting values, not goals.

What is it that I want more of?

What core values do I want to see guide my family this year?

What values do I want to see my actions and lifestyle come more in line with?

I am committed to positive change in 2015. To continuing our family values and creating an even strong family culture that reflects those values. To achieving what we set out to do, no holds barred, no excuses.

My goal for the month of January is to set out our family values and be really honest in what those are.

There are a lot of values that I think are wonderful and would love to include on that list, but the fact is that I can’t make 50 different awesome-sound values work for me. Not at this time, anyways.

I also think that there is a difference between what we sometimes think our values are, and what the underlying value is. Homeschooling is not a value of mine, and neither is being a great teacher to my child. I have spent a lot of time planning (and defending my decision) to homeschool, but the underlying value is giving my daughter the educational opportunities that she needs and that work best with her personality, and I need to be willing to adjust that as her needs potentially change.

Maybe that will look like striving to provide extra-curricular opportunities, maybe that will look like working with a public school to figure out an individualized education plan that works for her, or maybe that will look like figuring out how to afford private school education.

So, please share — what are your goals for 2015? What family values do you want to emphasize this year?

 

 

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4 Comments

  1. Love this! “Set values, not goals”…that is great advice. I have been wanting to work with my family on a “family mission statement: for a while…what do we stand for, what are our core values, who are we as a family? I want my kids to grow up knowing that our family is a family that loves eachother and others deeply, takes fun seriously, and seeks God above all things. Glad I found your blog! 🙂

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