Goodbye, 2020! Hello New Year and New Me, right? I know we all wish that is how it really works but not much changed when the clock struck midnight.... most of us woke up to much of the same.
Thanks to all who joined the 21-day jumpstart challenge, it was a great response! Here is a short and sweet recap. All the resources and full details can be found here.
As I began to craft my 2021 goals and ambitions in December, I decided to add a heaping dose of nursing attributes to my goal list. No better way to celebrate a trusted profession and what a great way to highlight the superheroes to many in 2020.
I still remember getting to wear that RN badge as a new nurse. It was exhilarating. What an honor to finally put the hard work to the test and to fully embody the calling and oath I had taken to heart.
But you're...
I'm Amy. Nurse, wife, mom, sister, friend... I am no different than you. I face the same struggles, live the same realities, and get knocked over from life's tough blows. However, I have found peace in the panic and a cushion in the chaos using my nursing mindset in my everyday life. I started this blog as a way to interweave my calling as a nurse with my faith and to inspire others to trust in the goodness of God.
As I began my 21-day challenge to regroup and refocus on January 2, I felt like my word for this year would be "good / God's goodness." Everywhere I turned as I spent the last few weeks pouring into new year prep, the same theme kept returning... God's goodness.
I trust Him to turn my "human" into good.
Good isn't easy. In fact, good often comes disguised as heavy. But once those layers peel back, the heart is left raw and open. There in the midst of the heartache, God's goodness seeps in barrier-free and fills the hurt. As the healing takes place, scar tissue and all, you find His goodness tucked safely inside of you.
Here's your 21-day challenge recap. Full version link here.
Day 1: Attention to detail.
What distinguishes the good from the great is definitely attention to detail. If you have not already done so, take the time to begin to analyze your 2019. Write down the highs and lows, the things that worked, and the things you need to bury. A successful jumpstart takes a bit of detail and planning in the beginning.
Essentials for the journey... full details here.
Read the entire Bible in one year.
I have committed to reading the entire Bible each year for many, many years. It is a daily habit I watched my Dad model my entire life and it is one that I value. When crazy hits, my time with Him gives me a vacation from life's crazy.
Here are a few of my top 5 resources to Bible in one-year choices.
Bible in One Year App on iPhone.
Gratitude Journal
Dietary Changes, Addictions.
I have done several different variations each year. This one is completely personal and must be catered to match you. Be realistic, keep it simple yet intentional. It really does clear your mind!
21 Names to Pray for Every Day in 2021
*This one is my favorite. I really felt the urging to pray for some specific individuals this year. My success is directly related to a praying family. The power of prayer within my immediate family is truly one of a kind. Seeing is believing, but trust me once you feel the prayers... it changes everything!
Click below for a PDF - feel free to print. You can add your 21 names for 2021.
Devote at least 21+ minutes to a sermon, podcast, or continuing education. There are 21 choices here on the full post.
Added Extra: 21+ minutes of Worship Music a day. Many options on the full post.
Great for the ride to or from work or while getting ready in the morning.
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Day 2: Let generosity do the talking.
Tithe.
As a Christian, I understand my job to give just as unconditionally. What is mine, is really His, and it is only mine to manage. Find a local church, find a global community (especially one you have utilized during the pandemic), find a local charity, and give back to God His goodness.
So, since day 2 of the 21-day challenge falls on a Sunday for me, tithe is my added to-do item for today.
Remember...
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Day 3: Create a Healing Environment.
Worship becomes essential.
Worship to God is your much-needed healing environment from real life. I placed 21 minutes of worship music as an added extra on Day 1 and 2. However, on Day 3 as you begin to decrease extra external demands and really focus more on Him, worship becomes essential. You start to long for it.
It is a time when His words penetrate those deep hurting places and healing begins. Goodness becomes the overflow.
Another great New Year Read:
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Day 4: Never Stop Learning.
More.
(today I let my Bible reading day and challenge day catch up to one another - was confusing the other way!)
In our personal life, somehow we think very little has to be fed into our mind daily. We read snippets and suddenly find ourselves the expert. Just like continuing education hours are required in many professions to maintain safety and exceptional care, each of us must see the requirements needed to maintain heart health.
21+ minutes of learning quickly become a habit as you begin to hunger for more. More attention to detail, more generosity, more healing environments of worship, and more of His words made simple.
Today, I urge you to stretch your goals just a little more.
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Day 5: Problem Solving.
Remember.
Take the time to remember today. Write down at least 3 things that God has brought you through in 2019 and what you learned. Keep them close to your daily journal or Bible so you can reference them quickly in life's next hardship.
You will eventually face another struggle and you will need yesterday's gratitude and wisdom to trust Him today.
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Day 6: Miracle Workers.
Believing in the impossible.
If you've ever had a medical emergency, you've shown up to a hospital in a hopeless state. You are in panic and your body is beyond your control. You arrive at a destination where you hope miracles exist.
Our relationship with Christ is much the same. Today, I am focusing on that one thing that feels impossible. That one heavy area that I am carrying and it really hurts. I know in healing it will be a story that will inspire; however, until that miracle fully takes place, I keep it tucked tight in His care.
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Day 7: Know your limits.
Rest and Reflect.
As Christians, we must remember to take time to rest and reflect. It is impossible for us to be fully present in our relationship with Christ when we are running on fumes. Today, as I reach the first full week of my 21-day challenge, I am replacing my 21 minutes of learning and music with rest and reflection. I really want to spend very dedicated minutes to reflect on this week's hard work and dedication and then rest to refuel for the days ahead!
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Day 8: Communication Skills.
Plan a date to practice.
So many just need to be heard. Pray before you meet a dear friend for lunch or head out on a date with your spouse (like I did today): "Lord, help me not to just be "me" centered. Help me to remember to say how can I better help, you? I can really see that this upsets you."
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Day 9: Dependable.
God will provide.
As you look towards your New Year Goals, let dependability be a top priority. People need you to be reliable and show up in your home and work life. However, remember to be dependable to God in your relationship with Him. He always provides for you. No lunch breaks, no time away to rest.
It is easy to get negatively minded in your already way too busy life. You start feeling your budget stretched to the max and you miss seeing His many provisions. Take the time today to stop and revisit His goodness.
Life is definitely not an easy path, but all things work together for good as you step into His purpose. The first step requires being dependable in the small things and faithful to always give back.
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Day 10: Life's Greatest Cheerleaders.
Celebrate small steps towards success and the NEW taking place in your life!
Pray for God to send you friends who do much of the same. Friends who see your inward hurt and pain and care that you succeed and heal. Friends who enable you are no friends at all. Pick the friends who notice those silent tears and who join you in the tedious work of pulling yourself out of the muck and mire. You need friends who keep you from returning to places, things, and people that God told you to leave alone!
Here at the halfway mark of my 21-day journey, I want to take the time to celebrate the NEW work that has begun inside of me. New habits, new goals, new friendships, new paths... I've experienced so many answers to prayers in the first 11 days of this year, I have felt peace in uncertainties, I have been amazed at His daily provisions, and have renewed vigor for the remaining days.
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Day 11: Know your scope.
Make your To Don't Do list!
We are called to be the best version of what we've studied and trained to be each and every day. Knowing what we can not do (what is outside of our scope) helps form guidelines, boundaries, and partnerships within a team.
Today, make your To Don't Do list. Eliminate the things that are outside of your scope and the distractions that keep you from doing the items necessary to achieve your goals. Dream big and be intentional with the things you can control and do more of what matters most!
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Day 12: Mentor, Empower and Equip.
Pray for more workers.
"Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few."
Matthew 9:37
We need more people to answer the call. More individuals who are working for their why. Pray daily that God will use you to mentor, empower, and equip future generations to be world changers. Jobs that rarely include ideal situations, provide little to no sense of normalcy and are not immune to pain.
Nurses and other healthcare workers provide care: the most valuable and trusted commodity in today's hard times. Life is not easy. However, my deepest desire for future generations to realize you've already carried heavy loads. You've shown up to the front-lines on painful, ugly days and you've still shown love and grace. That IS calling and the front-lines need more just like YOU!
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Day 13: Daily discipline builds endurance.
Building endurance for the future requires a daily mindset to adopt new habits and ways of living. It is easy to become focused on the end goal and forget the small daily disciplines needed to build your better tomorrow. As James Clear talks about in his book, Atomic Habits, start with adopting the 2-minute rule: scale your goal down at first to 2 minutes. Instead of focusing on the end result, which can seem insurmountable, meet those small progress goals daily and then motivation will greet you as you push just a bit further each day!
Today, take a look back at the last 13 days of the 21-day challenge. You've created new habits, kept them attainable each day, and then you have continued to build upon them. Your daily discipline and increasing endurance are building a solid foundation for a successful New Year!
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Day 14: Know when to ask for help.
Team Building is essential.
As you continue on this 21-day journey, you may be finding areas that are a bit beyond your capabilities. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Things like depression, addiction, or other areas in your work or home may very well need you to call in a higher power. Or, you may be finding that in order to achieve the next step in your goal, you need advice in areas that are new to you as you grow. Consulting and outsourcing become essential.
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Day 15: Testing is Good for you.
Not too many people like to be tested. However, testing is essential to learning. It is never fun, to begin with, but it soon becomes the norm as you begin to climb to each new level in your schooling or profession. Difficult seasons in life are testing times for all of us.
New seasons and more testing will forever be in our future, stay focused on Him and embrace the powerful lessons as you step into your real purpose.
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Day 16: Gently Restore.
Don't take advantage of the vulnerable.
Today, focus on carrying other's burdens without judgment. Use the same grace that you would like shown to you. We are all imperfect and rely on forgiveness and gentle restoration as we find our way back to Him.
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Day 17: Help others prosper.
Don't follow false "good news." There are no easy fixes.
There are many people promoting false good news - a quick fix to prosperity. A life devoted to Christ is no walk in the park. There will be hard days, persecution, conflict, and unfair circumstances. And yet, we trust that we serve a good God who works all things for His purpose.
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Day 18: Small Acts of Obedience.
Let go of what you are clinging to...
Today, I felt a strong urge to focus on God's promises and to dream big. Through this 21-day jumpstart, I have been faithful to put the time into reading His word, really trying to understand His promises and to listen to those tiny small nudges. Today, all the pieces started coming together for me.
Could it really be as simple as small acts of obedience that lead to some of life's greatest moments and miracles? Was I just overwhelming myself most days with the magnitude of an outcome I could never really fully control?
I realize it was time to let go of my strategy and plan so I can cling fully to Him.
Today, I wrote down something I was clinging to and trying to map out my own plan and strategy. Something that feels BIG. On a separate sheet of paper, I wrote down one of God's promises:
Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
Then, I physically tore up the paper with what I was clinging to and replaced it with His promises.
I will let go of my strategy. I will let Him completely take the reins and I will obey as He prompts.
I will let go of my strategy and I will obey as He prompts.
I will let go of my strategy and I will obey as He prompts.
On repeat.
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Day 19: Be a Good Citizen. God Bless America.
Today is Inauguration Day 2021... Pray for our new officials and for America. Land of the free because of the brave.
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Day 20: Be authentic.
Stop people-pleasing.
I love to be in the presence of a good friend just being real. Really crazy usually... but none the less, real. How much better would we all be if we gave each other the real life-changing truth?
As I look towards 2021 with the word "good" and "God's goodness" as my focus, it is easy for me to get bogged down with saying: "But God, I am not good enough." I have good intentions, a good heart most of the time, but my weaknesses try to scream out at me and keep me silent. I have learned humility over the last 20 days and tried to dig deep to find my real, authentic voice. The voice He put inside me to be used for His good. All I need is to say is: Here I am, you can have it all - the good, the bad, and the ugly ready to be used for His good, His purpose.
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Day 21: Vision Matters.
Pray to be a calm, confident leader in all your roles. Don't ignore present reality but remember to balance and adjust your strategy in life's uncertainties.
Here's to using life's distractions as opportunities, to execute things that align with your vision, to develop a support team, and to keep asking good questions. You do not need to have all the answers but you will forever need to "triage" so you know what to do or ask next.
If you have watched nothing on my 21-day journey resource guide, this is the ONE. Michael Hyatt is an incredible resource, his books are amazing, and he will help you craft vision and find a better tomorrow but excelling today!
Here's to success together!
P.S. Don't miss out. Join me here!
Welcome to Absolutely Amyable. Here you will find your calm cushion in life's chaos.
I have renewed resolve to use my story to help shape your story. To pass on to the next generation the power of meaningful connection and care for others.
May each of us who swore by oaths in our professions recite them daily and vow to uphold them. May each of us help guide others to find and fulfill their inner calling.
But You're ___________ *insert your name here
Welcome to the front lines!
