Stay Focused {personal}

Every once in a while, I  have to sit down and talk to myself. My father has always stressed the importance of goals - daily goals, monthly goals, yearly goals, and life goals. Almost every day - one or both of my parents will come and ask me, "So Felicia, what's your goal for today?" {Except my mom would say "Eece" :) instead of Felicia} It is always so fulfilling to put a check mark beside an accomplished task. There are many days, however, that those check marks don't get placed in the right spot.

The biggest priorities in my life right now are as follows: God, Family, School, Saving. And there are days that I skip my Prayer time, or I don't save as much as I planned, or I procrastinate my schoolwork...all those things are little failures. I hate failure. Those little failures are all things I do - but I don't want to do them! It reminds me of Romans 7:

"For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.  (Romans 7:15 ESV)

When my to-do list isn't completed, and I stare at a long list of things I haven't accomplished, I remind myself: "Felicia, You don't want to waste your life."  Yes. The number one life lesson last year {and continuing into this year} is time management. I have to identify my top time wasters: Facebook, my phone, pictures, and so on....all these things distract me from my priorities, and I repeat those words: 'I do not understand my own actions.'  And then comes the hard part. Making the fences around the time wasters so I actually do what I want. :) I need to stay focused!

I also need to remind myself that I am a Christian first. Because of my perfectionism, I can easily wake up in the morning with my mental list of school tasks, meetings, appointments, etc. at the forefront of my mind. The job I work, the clothes I wear, my life isn't wrapped up in those things. If I don't have the right mindset....I can start living for the camera I want to buy, or the education I am looking to get.  

Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."

And that is my verse for the Month.

I refuse to waste my life. Alright, Felicia. Don't waste your life. :)