20 Things I Invested in This Year That Paid Off
It’s about that time of year — the time when we all start to make decisions about what “program” we’re going to invest in next year. What goal setting system, what nutrition plan, what Bible reading plan, what journal, what skincare regimen, what podcast? Where will we spend our time, our money, our energy? Where will we invest our attention and our trust?
In 12+ years of business (and 38+ years of life!) I’ve tried a LOT of things that made a LOT of promises. Few are worth sharing. But the ones that are – oh, friends! I could talk your ear off about each one of them!
Last year, I shared 20 things that made a difference in my life and our business (and I still stand by all of them—go read the list if you haven’t yet!). I’m back with another 20, and I’m equally as excited about each of these investments. Here’s this year’s list, with some notes on how I invested my time. No matter where you are in life or business, I hope you find something that will help you cultivate what matters!
10 things I invested in personally that paid off:
1. The garden. The lessons we learn in the garden are endless and our time there is never wasted! This year, we were overjoyed to finally grow a pumpkin. Do you know how many years we tried to grow a giant pumpkin—or any pumpkin at all for that matter? Seven. Seven years, people! Year one: squirrels. Year two: yep, Nutty the Squirrel does it again. Year three: our baby pumpkin was run over by a car. Year four: too much rain. Year five: too much heat. Year six: I just don’t even know. Year seven: We switched seed varieties, and I got some advice from a wise farmer friend.
Over these seven years of waiting and patience and waiting some more, the Lord was teaching us a beautiful lesson: all things (and life change) come in His perfect timing. We didn’t grow a giant pumpkin overnight—it grew us over the last seven years. Rita came right on time. (I even took her to Making Things Happen!)
2. My homeschool planner + (Pam Barnhill’s Autopilot course) Moving into our second year of homeschooling, I have learned a few things, but I’m still—and likely always will be—a student, too. Taking the time to develop The Cultivated Homeschool Planner helped me get organized and focus on what matters most in our time together. It’s a simple system that helps me keep sight of our big picture goals while getting the day-to-day learning done, too. It’s a free download — I hope you find it helpful!
3. Cultivating my calendar. A little forethought goes a long way. You’ve heard it here before and you’ll hear it again
