The other night we sat up with the teens and talked through some questions. I asked:
- What’s working in your life that you want to continue?
- Where’s an area that’s not where you’d like it to be, where you hope to move forward, take ground–and what would that look like?
It’s been six years since I’ve considered any sort of New Year’s goals sort of things. I wrote this about habits six years ago. Six years ago was the last time the world felt normal to me.
Since that it’s been a blur of world shutting-down, having a baby at 40, mom passing away, moving into a travel-trailer, dad getting cancer diagnosis, building a house, moving into the house, dad passing away, settling his estate situations, son graduating, and adopting a baby(!).
what-in-the-actual-world
But although it’s been a bit of survival around here, one awesome thing is that it’s allowed me to see the fruit of those years of habit-building.
Those years of habits carried us through the crazy.
God, by His grace, worked habits into our lives that enabled us to stay intact. And I am so so grateful.
So here’s the 2025 version, a bit updated:
6 habits that have made a difference in my life:
1. Read Scripture
“Without God’s Word as a lens the world warps.” -Ann Voskamp
I’m just about to start my 28th time reading through the Bible, and it still is THE most life-changing habit, hands down. Just 4 chapters a day: 3 OT & 1 NT, takes about 15-20 minutes/day. Impossible to overstate how much this has impacted my life.
Sample goal: Read 1 chapter a day and complete the NT this year.
2. Walk
“Everyday, I walk myself into a state of well-being & walk away from every illness.” -Soren Kierkegaard
Every single day, I go for a walk and it is life to my soul. No music, no podcasts. Just nature and God and movement and fresh air and the sacred opportunity to think deeply and pray. Try it!
Sample goal: Take a 30-minute silent walk outside each day.
3. Eat Protein
About 13 years ago I began focusing in on adequate protein and it’s made such a stabilizing difference in my life! I don’t actually track but I mentally aim for 100 grams a day.
Sample goal: Eat one high-protein food first at each meal
4. Pursue Simplicity
This could take a lot of forms, but for me it’s just a habit, a discipline, of trying to intentionally live on less. Rarely eating out, limiting purchases, decluttering. I know everyone’s different, but I’ve come to realize that too much is a major mental stressor for me. Too much visual clutter, too many choices, too much stuff. Attempting to keep things simple!
Sample goal: Pick one area/item and try to drastically reduce how much you have.
5. Give
Again, this differs for each person, but I also find that the quickest path to joy is usually to give away or do something for others. I sometimes get sucked into discontent and the quickest way to break its back is to go on the offense with a counter-attack of generosity.
Sample goal: Pick a charity or cause you love and commit to a monthly gift (on auto-pay so you can’t forget!)
6. Avoid the Experience Blocker
In The Anxious Generation Jonathan Haidt calls phones “experience blockers.” I love that. Of course phones are helpful, I personally love social media (helps me keep up with you!), mobile check deposits (hello no more trips to the bank!), my Amazon prime app (overnight delivery to my home in Timbuktu!). And for humor? Nothing better than some reels and memes saved up to share with the kids each night. In the 80s we had sitcoms but iamjonathanpeter is so much better.
But it’s just SO EASY to pick it up, it does put us in danger of missing out on so much else of life. Jeff and I don’t take our phones into our room. This is one small way we keep screens from taking over. It could be screen-free Sunday, or limited screen-hours, or deleting all time-sucking apps. I recently read a great post (on my phone 😉 that had 50 things to do instead of looking at your phone. They were written for a guy but they’d apply to anyone:
One thing I love about my big kids is that they are fascinated by life. They delight in things. Nothing is beneath them. They aren’t bored. They aren’t trying to keep up on whatever the latest trend is. Not saying they’re perfect, but I love that they are interesting. They read. They create. They go outside a lot. They engage with people, kids and adults alike.They like life. I love that. I feel like phones dull us a bit. Engaging in the real world sharpens our senses and helps us delight in the world around us.
This leads me to the things I want to grow in this year. For me, I’ve let several life-giving habits slip by the wayside during these six years of surivival. So I’m resolving to:
- Read a good book every day
- Play guitar every day
- Write once a week
Nothing too lofty or earth-shattering but these are the lost habits that have helped my soul, and I’m praying God gives me the grace to get them back in my life.
How about you? What habits have been most helpful to you? And which ones are you hoping to add, for the health of your soul?
{Thanks for reading.}