My Rule of Life
I recently became aware of this idea of a “rule of life.” Though I encourage you to research it more, it’s your habits and practices that guide and impact your life, and we all have one, whether knowingly or unknowingly.
They’re not a list of rules to follow, but habits that help you be the best version of yourself. Something important I learned with this as well, is that if you don’t hit the mark every day, that’s okay.
As I processed this idea, I realized I had things I was doing that were both positively and negatively impacting who I want to be and how I want to go about life. So, I spent some time processing what I want my “rule of life” to be for this season.
Some of these things come easy to me, but I still list them because I think they’re crucial to my life, and others are still very much a struggle to do consistently, but I want to grow in them.
I am sharing these for a couple of reasons. First, if you’re someone that’s close to me and you don’t see me living this out, you have permission to call me out. Second, I think this is something essential to have written down. Because I’ve written these down, it means I’ve considered them at a different level and will more easily recall them during busy times, and need to recalibrate.
They’re in two parts. The first part is personal. These are about habits that have a direct impact on me. The second part is digital. I’ve realized I can have an unhealthy connection to my phone and can lose sight of things, and people, directly in front of me. So, these are things I’m working on to stay more present to the moment and limit the noise.
I think of this as a living document, so it will get updated from time-to-time as I see a need to focus on different areas.
Personal #
- I will sleep 8 hours most nights
- I will be physically active five days a week
- I will share what God is teaching me and doing in my life with my community one day a week
- I read the Bible first thing every day
- I choose to be present in every conversation
- I give generously to something that I see bringing about positive change
- I spend at least 30 minutes a day in silence and prayer
- I set aside Sunday’s to rest and disconnect, and practice embracing my identity in Christ
Digital #
- I limit my social media usage to 30 minutes a day
- I stop using my phone & computer at least one hour before going to bed
- I turn off most notifications and have set times to check for updates
- No phone at meals with friends