My Daily Checklist

….Come to Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest... Matthew 11:28 (KJV)

The above scripture is an invitation (and promise) of God. He will give us rest if we simply turn to Him with all of our problems, insecurities, concerns, etc. (All things that causes us stress, not rest). Rest is not simply ceasing from activities or work and sitting down with our feet up; or lying down in the bed and going to sleep, true rest is when you can totally relax your body, mind and spirit. Let’s go into the New Year following this checklist.

PRIORITIZING AND MAINTAINING REST

 Make your bed every morning. That’s an awesome start of your day.

 Spend 15 minutes in total solitude and silence meditating.

 Eat a good breakfast. (With your family, if applicable)

 Hug and kiss everyone, wish them well, and remember to say, “I love you.”

 Plan and organize your day.

 Never take on more than you can do productively and efficiently.

 Do not set unattainable expectations for yourself. Do one thing at a time and be successful and productive at that.

 Know, that it is okay to say, “No.”

 When there are too many irons in the fire. Take some out. We all know, ‘play with fire, you will get burned.’

 Don’t put yourself in a situation to where you will complain, rather attain.

 When there is too much on your plate…share. (Share or delegate workloads). Team efforts are equally important than working by yourself.

 Do not be too proud to ask for help.

 Ask questions if you are not sure. Do not pretend to know the answers.

 Smile (even through the difficult time)

 Step away and count to ten when you feel overwhelmed.

 Compliment someone.

 Find a silver lining: A testimony in the test, a message in the mess, a triumph in the tragedy.

 Be part of the solution, not the problem.

 Work smart, not hard

 Smile…Oops, did I say that already? This is very important. You will be surprise how wonderfully relaxed you will feel when it’s returned back to you.

This checklist may seem like simple words of encouragement instead of how to rest. But, the funny thing is, if/when you do them your body, mind and spirit will be happy and joyful. And, when you are happy and joyful, guess what, you are at rest. Again, resting does not simply mean lying down and ceasing activities, it’s being at peace within yourself. Stay connected to positive energy, positive relationships, and positive people. Laugh and have fun as much as you can.

UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF REST

Rest is important for your mental health and well-being.

The less that is on your mind, the better. When your mind is cluttered with all you have to do, all the places you have to be; all the things your family need, etc. It is almost impossible to function successfully. Write a ‘Task List’. Do not try to carry your ‘things to do’ list inside your head. Once you have completed a task, strike it off, or put a check beside it. This will help you feel productive and accomplished. Stop, putting too much on your [mind] plate. Without ample amount of rest, this can result in health issues, excessive (and unnecessary) fatigue and stress.

Rest is a vital part to having a healthy and positive attitude.

It was the late Zig Ziglar who wrote, “It’s your attitude, not your aptitude that will determine your altitude.” Day in and day out activities and schedules are stressful. We often are pulled left and right to solve this, fix that, meet deadlines, etc. None of what we know, or what we can do, is efficient if we have an agitated attitude. If you have gotten plenty of physical rest, and your mind is calm and relaxed, regardless of what you face, you can have good results and soar to high altitudes because of maintaining a positive attitude.

Rest is a crucial part of how you treat others.

Have you ever been around people who appear successful and on top of their game? They have the potential to be good role models, mentors, wonderful community leaders? I’m sure your answer is, yes. And, unfortunately, every time you are around them they barely take time to acknowledge you because they seem uptight, high-strung; overwhelmed? Is your answer still, yes? They make you feel unimportant, insignificant, irrelevant, and placed on the back burner? Yes? Sure, that could just be their makeup. Sure, they could just be having a bad day, but every day? Sure, they could be dealing with some personal issues. There a lots of reasons (excuses) to why; they behave like that. But, more probable than not, they are not getting enough rest. They are self-absorbed and image driven. They view rest and relaxation as a waste of their time. Which in turn makes them treat others disrespectfully or unfairly. So, they often take their frustrations out on you. When this happens, ask; “Can I help?” You will be surprised how your relaxed, peaceful, demeanor will help them enter rest.

Check your Checklist daily, and have a happy, joyful, peaceful rest in 2022!