september goals + a kindness challenge

i hope your day is going well and happy holiday weekend to you. today is day two of the blogtember challenge, thanks to the adorable bailey jean. the prompt today is to share my september goals with you. i have a few personal | family goals; however, my main goal this month is to accomplish my own ‘kindness challenge.’ i recently took a personality test because i have not taken one since i moved to charlotte nine years ago. i actually wasn’t that surprised but i went from being slightly more introverted back then to being 65% extroverted and 35% introverted now. honestly, i know that i have changed and grown so much; as most people do from their twenties to their thirties. i was so much more anxious, shy, and dependent on other people when i moved here (i moved over five hundred miles away, only knowing two people- and not well at all- one is still a very dear friend) but i am so grateful for all of this. my twenties included traveling and living abroad, a lot of partying (no regrets over here- i loved being young and free and am thankful for all of those fun memories!), heartbreak (the worst, right? don’t miss that. yet i am convinced that it makes you a better person.), living on my own in a new city, yoga and zen entered my life, i think i gradually became a better teacher, and most of all, i became more confident in myself. during the personality test i took last night, this question stood out to me the most… ‘do you want your kids to be kinder over smarter when they are older.’ for me, that was a huge “strongly agree.” and that’s the truth. kindness over having strong intellectual skills is way more important to me, even as an educator. my main goal in life is to instill this in my children through my actions so i came up with a monthly challenge for myself; acts of kindness i hope to accomplish as often as possible. 



my kindness challenge 
+ show patience with someone
+ see a situation through another person’s eyes 
+ forgive someone who has wronged me 
+ give ten minutes to really listen to someone 
+ offer a genuine compliment to a stranger 
+ focus on what you have in common with everyone you meet
+ write a ‘thank you’ card ‘just because’
+ donate to a charity
+ make a kit for a homeless person (small toiletries and snacks)
+ make sure everyone feels included 
+ be kinder to myself
+ see everybody you talk to through God’s eyes 

my september goals: 
+ incorporate coconut oil into my life more
+ continue to master skills on my nikon camera
+ plan out a mom and baby daily schedule 
+ meal plan (has anyone tried blue apron? thoughts?) 
+ yoga + working out at least four times a week 
+ morning prayer devotionals 
+ read at least one book 
+ save more money 
+ plan a few dates with mr. monaco 


also, i wrote this post awhile ago if you are interested: 
22 things to do when you have nothing to do! 


“my mission in life is not to merely survive but to thrive, and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” – maya angelou