No, I’m not touching on the topic of disciplining your child today! We’re talking about a whole different kind of discipline for the whole family!
I’m over at the Tommy Nelson blog today, reflecting on the changes that come with fall and the impact of little changes in our own lives!
I’ve been thinking about little changes and big changes and life changes in general a lot lately.
I am not naturally a very disciplined person. I am a scatter-brained, big picture thinker who often forgets little details that are actually really important. And I’m terrible at follow-through.
I consider it a major victory that I now workout at least five times a week, but it was hard work getting there and it is hard work sticking with it!
I want to set a good example of self-discipline for our boys so they are able to pick a task to complete or a habit they want to start, make a plan, and make it happen!
I have lots of other areas of my life in which I want to become more disciplined, but sometimes I don’t even know where to start! Anybody else ever feel that way? Once I know what I want to do, I know what I need to keep going.
Discipline and accountability are directly related for me. Working out has stuck because I check in with my hubby and best friend every day. Reading my Bible every morning works because I check in on Twitter with others who are having their quiet time.
Your family could be just the accountability one another needs to become more disciplined – your own accountability group right there in your own home! Imagine the encouragement and motivation that could happen in your family as you all work on goals and good habits together!
To give you an extra boost, my friend Crystal {Money Saving Mom} has a brand new book {just released TODAY!} that is helping me take my discipline one step further!
21 Days to a More Disciplined Life is one of the most practical guides to becoming more disciplined I have ever read. And even better, it is not overwhelming in any way!
Crystal shares in the book that she is not a naturally disciplined person either, but has learned to be by taking small steps every day to reach her goals.
Seriously, just reading through this book has me excited to tackle my “mega-project” broken down into smaller pieces! A long list of small projects is much less paralyzing to me than a short list of big projects!
Wait – what’s a mega-project?
That’s what Crystal calls a project that has just seemed too big to take on in the past. But with Crystal’s steps, you and I will be finishing it – or at least putting a major dent in it – in just 21 days! Your mega-project could be de-cluttering your house, losing weight, creating a new morning routine, even breaking a bad habit.
Do you have a project like this you’ve been putting off because it was overwhelming?
I do. I have a few of them {and some you’ll really like!}, so I’m taking this 21-day challenge and I hope you’ll join me!
First of all, you need to buy 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life, and for the next three days, it is only 99 CENTS! Both the PDF and Kindle versions are 99 cents through Thursday, after which the price goes up to $4.99.
Now that you have the book, you’re going to want someone – or several someones – to help keep you accountable. I suggest sharing your goals with your family, but outside accountability is a major motivator as well. I have good news for you in this area!
Crystal from Serving Joyfully and Laura from Super Sweet Life will be blogging their way through 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life starting November 1st and they will be encouraging you as you work through it as well! Check out their post today for more details!
And to go along with their challenge, I will be leading the accountability during this time on Twitter, using the hashtag #disciplined21! Just follow me at @homewiththeboys and check in daily starting November 1st as we all work on being more disciplined!
Let’s join together to work towards a more disciplined life for ourselves and our families!
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Want to win one of FIVE copies of 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life?
Just leave a comment here with a mega-project you need to make happen to be entered!
This giveaway is only open until 9:00 p.m. CST TONIGHT! Five winners will be chosen at random and notified by email.
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Family Tie #23: Help each person in your family pick one project or goal to focus on for the next three weeks. Yep, even the kids can do this one! Choose a reward for the whole family to enjoy at the end of those three weeks as you meet these goals!
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To keep up with this 31 Days series, you can sign up to get each post sent right to your inbox for FREE! I will also link to them at the bottom of this post as they go live!
*I was given a copy of this book to review. I was not compensated in any other way for this post and all opinions are 100% my own!
**This post contains affiliate links.
I need this!
Oh boy, I need to read this!! I’m definitely a big picture thinker who lacks follow through. Thanks for doing this giveaway 🙂
I have too many mega projects to mention – but first and foremost is to be a better husband and dad. I know that sounds vague, but practicing patience and gentle correction is a difficult habit to acquire. I’d change the definition of Mega Project to something that we know we need to do, but that it challenges our character, which is the foremost reason it doesn’t get done.
-Paurian
Oh dear, which one do I pick?! Can I name a few and mull on which one I’ll actually pick? I really want to get a hold on the overflow of stuff in our basement. My ultimate goal is to start pairing down on stuff b/c we don’t need it all and to make selling this house easier whenever that time comes. (And I wouldn’t mind having space in the basement for a freezer either 😉 ). Maybe I should just pick that since I have so much to say about it.
Many mega projects on my horizon from getting healthy, tweaking and re-clarifying our home systems, and getting to work on a writing project that is my big dream. I am in!
Hi Erin! I could definitely use a copy. Probably my biggest mega project is working on my health (mind/body/spirit) and my laundry. …and then there’s always everything else…..
I always talk about how disciplining your children (even just following through with timeout), takes a lot more parental discipline than anything else. Self-control and self-discipline in other areas is SO important too. I would LOVE to grow in so many areas, as I am a SAHM and have so much that requires self-motivation and organization. I tend to do well and then slack…I’d like to be more consistent.
My husband and I have been talking about this very topic often lately. He’s the pastor of a rural church plant and we have 3 small boys. We desire to make a change in our health incorporating exercise as we’ve already begun making changes in our food choices for our entire family. However, we’ve lacked the discipline and accountability. We want to make exercise a regular part of our family routine so that our boys will see the importance as they get older. This is just one of MANY mega-projects on the map for us.
Oh goodness do I need to read this! 🙂 I need to finish/clean/organize my studio!!
oh mega projects.. my hubby and i would LOVE to work on our discipline of the children and ourselves in reading and doing devotions alone and as a family.. there are a lot of ways we all need to grow
My hubby and I have a mega project planned for the winter…we need to clear out a spot in our yard for our chickens! They’re currently roaming the fenced in back yard but need a space of their own so our boys can play in the yard without disrupting the chickens or getting poo all over themselves!
Of course, it is one thing to say it needs to be done and another thing to do it…
Oh winning a copy of this would be fabulous for the hubby and I. It is definitely an area in life we both could work to improve.
This is definitely a challenge I need to embrace. I’d love to win a free copy too!
P.S. I didn’t add a project because there are a few big ingres I need to tackle and I would have to take some thought to chose one.