Don't live your life on "autopilot"
... take the steering wheel and consciously decide where you want your attention to focus on in the month of May.
If you want to stick with a habit, one simple and effective thing you can do is keep a habit tracker.
Commit to a "Mindful May" by tracking your daily habits.
Daily Habit Tracker
Identify the habits you would like to focus on this month and write them on the left side. You can have three, five, all ten or just one habit you want to focus on. No right or wrong!
And... no need to be perfect! I am on day 3 and you can see I didn't complete all my intentions... but I was aware of them! Do not get discouraged and keep striving to meet your intentions.
Prayer List
The hearts on the prayer list are for you to shade in after you pray for that person/family.
Growing up, my mom would light a candle for the people who we were praying for. Whenever we would see her candle lit, we would know who it was lit for and then keep them in our thoughts during the day. Our little family has included her prayer candle idea in our home and have enjoyed lighting the candle for people on our prayer list.
Here’s how my family and I are going to have a Mindful May:
1. Setting daily intentions. Instead of waking up to a buzzing alarm, rolling out of bed and just unconsciously beginning the day, I am dedicating the first 5 minutes of my morning to set an intention for the day.
2. Create a Prayer list. Inspired by marathon runner and Cedar Rapidian, Barb Sullivan, who dedicates each mile of her 26 mile races to a person to pray for, my husband and I are praying for a different person/family each day in the month of May.
3. Daily habit tracker. Habit trackers prove to be extremely beneficial when beginning new habits. Some habits I will be tracking: yoga in the morning, 5 minute meditation, gratitude journal, spending “unplugged time” with my kids and making a habit to connect with my hubby once a week with a dinner date. Other habit examples could include: flossing your teeth, bed time routine, washing your face, eating one fruit a day, 15 minutes of walking, phone call to a parent, sending a letter, the list goes on…
We are an accumulation of our daily habits.