Bible verse to inspire healthy habits for stress relief & work-life balance
"Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?"
Zechariah 4:10 (NIV)
I get understand what you are saying. You barely have enough time to do everything expected of you at work and home. Even though you want to make changes to improve work-life balance and reduce stress, you feel a bit stuck and unsure.
When you are exhausted and drained from long work days and too much stress, how do you find the time or energy to make changes?
A few thoughts...
First a brief sidebar... As I was preparing to write today's post, I had to look up who Zerubbabel was, because I could not remember. Here's a great perspective if you need a reminder. Getting back to today's topic ...
Small Action
You've gotten to the point where you determined that changes in lifestyle or food choice need to be made to help you revitalize. The part of you that is always rushing wants to make big and fast changes. The inner voice that always says YES is ready to take it on. Yet, your life is already so busy, how on earth is anything new going to fit into your schedule?! Significantly shifting priorities may be difficult at this moment. At the same time, you feel that you can no longer put off self-care.
This is the time not to despise small action or to be fixed on the image of placing the capstone on the completed temple. What is important is to find that smallest of actions that moves you forward. Find that small increment of time you can repurpose to make more energizing choices. Make the decision to end the paralysis because you are unable to place the capstone on the temple tomorrow. God's eyes are on you and when it is His will, the transformation will occur and in its due time.
Momentum will build from this smallest action. Think about your energy as a fuel tank.
- Right now, by the end of your harried, busy and hectic week you are running on fumes.
- Each small change is one more drop of fuel in your tank that isn't there now.
- Enough of these changes will lead to slightly more fuel in your tank by the end of the week.
- As you get to running with a partially filled tank instead of fumes, you'll start finding it easier to prioritize the resources needed.
- In time, you'll be able to top off your fuel tank on a regular basis!
These smallest drops of fuel will lead to the transformation you and God desire!
Prayer and Journal
What is the smallest impactful action that I feel I can take today to put one drop of energy in my fuel tank today? If something does not immediately come to mind (or there are too many), pray on it for a moment. Pick just one!
How do I ensure I get this action done before I go to sleep tonight?
So that I can repeat this action tomorrow, what else do I need to do? And the day after? Keep practicing until it becomes a habit.
A week from now, how will you rejoice that you were able to take this smallest of action and other ones?
- Don't forget this part! Put it in your calendar or put a post-it note reminder a few pages down in your journal. This is key to help you keep adding drops of fuel in your proverbial tank. God sees you taking action, yet you will need to remind all parts of yourself that you positively grew and changed. It is too easy to lose track of these personal wins within the craze and noise of clown world.
My hope for you...
I hope that these words (or what you experience through doing this as a journaling exercise) can serve to inspire and energize small changes in lifestyle and food choices. Exploring your habits and using this approach to challenge yourself to always find one smallest action or the strategic use of tiny habits can lead to significant transformation in level of stress and work-life balance. Every day it could be something different that you do or your could pick something that you repeat to build into a habit.
When you feel like you have no energy or time, change needs to occur with small actions and takes time. What I shared here is just one technique. A more strategic approach is through implementation of tiny habits. Learn more about building tiny habits, by downloading this free guide. This guide and worksheet can get you started in just a few minutes.
