We are in the final month of 2019. That. Is. Crazy. Looking back at November, there were so many unexpected challenges that presented themselves, yet despite every single one of them good things still grew.

If you are new to Powersheets and want to see how I use them for goal setting click here!

First lets talk about the good and the imperfect progress that was made:

• Joanne’s Fall Print Hospital Mask Collection came out! (There are still a few left and once they sell out they will not be restocked so if you are interested check it out here!
• I completed the 2020 prep work for the Celebrations Binder
• We joyfully celebrated Maura and Tim’s Engagement on a double date
• Jared got to spend time with his family in Florida and I got to spend a couple days at home with my family
• Finished our Christmas Shopping Plan, still trying to find gifts? Check out this gift guide!
• Hosted friends almost every week
• Recorded 3 podcasts that I CANNOT wait for you to hear
• After waiting a decade Maura and I attended the Jonas Brothers Concert that was SO worth the wait (and worth 3 days recovering in bed after!)
• Came to a wonderful revelation on the 5 year anniversary of my second chance at life (read about it here)
• We had a wonderful Thanksgiving

Out of all these things though, the greatest part of my month was seeing the results of my lofty “no tv before 6” daily goal. In the 11 days of this month that I was able to accomplish not watching tv I read four books, became closer to the Lord than I could have imagined, and it gave me time to communicate well, and more often, with my family and close friends. Even on the days that were blank I often only watched an hour or two of TV for a break. That is imperfect progress my friend, and I am SO proud of how this goal grew my discipline and mindset.

Then the challenges came where I had to choose grace over guilt:

• Dislocations
• Not having Jared around for the time he was away- while it was nice for us both to spend time with our families and also my family took fantastic care of me- he and I have a routine and it was hard being apart
• dislocations, did I say that already?
• Couldn’t meet up with my mentor because of health issues
• We were not consistent in attending our church on Sunday’s this month (so thankful for all the sermons being uploaded as podcasts so I could catch up)
• I wasn’t able to attend to my plants well

Out of all these the biggest challenge were in (surprise, surprise) all the dislocations. I have subluxations all the time and those do not phase me but I had 2 shoulder dislocations and 5 knee dislocations. They were all back to back so I couldn’t even fully recover from one before another one came about. I am praying December will be different.

Now that we have reflected on November, let’s talk about the most wonderful time of the year! The gold was hard to photograph but it looks so pretty in person! I was so excited to do make my color-coded goal dots into ornaments!

My top Priority is to Be Merry + Bright!

Monthly Goals:

• Review our finances: We want to make sure we are stewarding our money well
• Record 4 episodes of the Chronically Cultivating Podcast
• Give Cheerfully: This isn’t just about presents but also how we give our time
• PSP Celebration!
• Write 3 Blog Posts
• Time with my Mentor
• Christmas Cards: take the picture, print the cards, and mail them!
• Date Night
• Powersheet Prep for January
• Spoonie Study Prep- Yes it is true we will be doing another study in Winter 2020!!!!!!

Weekly Goals:

• Joyfully host a friend
• All the (medical) Things: med cart inventory, organizing pills, self care, etc.
• Love Jared Well: Spend intentional time together without our phones
• Water Plants: gotta keep those succulents healthy!
• Attend/Watch Church: Our church broadcast’s both their services online through live streaming (and all of the services are also kept on youtube so you can watch them at anytime), to check out Grace Chapel’s online ministry click here We are so grateful for this ministry as I am not always well enough to physically go to church
• Be Merry: Do one Christmas activity a week such as decorating, making gingerbread houses, Christmas movie marathons, appreciating all the Christmas lights, bake Christmas cookies, etc.
• Appreciate Advent: I am sad to say that I have not really taken time to understand advent so this year I want to intentionally study it weekly

Daily Goals:

• No TV until after 6 pm: Now because my body is not predictable I am putting X’s on any days where I am not well, am taking a rest day or have a dislocation, etc. I did not want this goal to hurt me, but I want it to grow me. In order to keep me from blending what was laziness and what was intentional, the only days that are truly lack of discipline will be blank. Everyday with a check will be a victory I will be proud of, and for every X …even for every blank space… I will choose grace over guilt.
• Read: I cannot wait to see how many books I read by not watching TV during the day
• Delight in Him: I don’t want to just spend time with God everyday, I want to spend my days delighting in Him (for an in depth look at my daily time with Him click here)
• Downtime @ 11 pm: This means that after 11 pm I go to bed and am not watching tv, scrolling on social media, or playing games on my phone. The only thing I can do after 11 pm is listen to music, use my Bible app, or read on my kindle. (Pro Tip- if you are like me and struggle to stay accountable to a screen related goal, I suggest going into your settings to the screen time, set your downtime limits, and have your spouse make the passcode. That way you can’t cheat even if you want to!)

Want to get your Powersheets for 2020? Click here! I am team #blooms!

Cassie Nolin is a married spoonie who lives the chronic illness life with EDS + Co. (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and it’s comorbid conditions.) She challenges others to choose grace over guilt in goal setting, and is in ministry part time serving the online community through The Spoonie Study. She loves planting, hand lettering, and sharing the hope she has found in Jesus. Her blog, Living the Chronic Illness Life, is in the top 100 chronic illness blogs and her podcast, Chronically Cultivating, is produced by Speaking to the Heart Network. Cassie encourages women to live authentic and intentional lives through their diagnosis’ not in spite of them. You can learn more about her at www.livingthechronicillnesslife.com

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