“The trees tremble with delirious joy as the breeze greets them, one by one—now the oak, now the great sycamore, now the elm.” —From the poem “In August,” by Hamlin Garland
Hello, August!
A new season is around the corner.
A season for new rhythms.
A season to choose rest.
A season for aligning our lives with the big picture.
A season for getting back to what matters.
Maybe you’re feeling this right now, too: so much has changed since the start of the year and you need a little time to catch up with yourself. I’m right there with you. This month, we’re going to do just that together.
New seasons give us opportunities to do things differently. To live more simply and refocus on the things that last. To number our days and gain a heart of wisdom.
This month, we’re going to focus on getting back to what matters together!
How was your July? What goals did you inch forward on? I’d love to hear! A quick progress update from my July PowerSheets goals and what I learned is below. I hope this encourages you to celebrate even the tiny victories!
July Monthly Goals:
— #GoalSettingIsFUN! — Moving forward on the things that matter feels great and it can be a lot simpler than you think! / Progress and it was fun to spend time on what matters!
— Write the book with JOY! — Yes, I’m writing a book this month! After two years, it’s finally happening. Sometimes, you just have to wait and wait and wait some more for the Lord’s timing. I’m so grateful for the waiting that got me ready for this month! Any guesses what book this is??? ☺️/ You all had some great guesses on my last post! Yes, progress here and continuing into August.
— Summer fun with the kids. — We’re working through our summer bucket list from the Cultivate shop and it has been so simple and fun. Next on our list: picking blueberries today at a farm we love! / Such a sweet month with the kids. We picked peaches, played in the sprinklers, saw fireflies, and had fun with my mom who came to visit for a week.
— Be a generous host. My mom AND Gina are coming to visit this month for big chunks of time and I want to love them so well! (Gina is coming to photograph our 2020 PowerSheets Collection that launches in October! Yahoo!!!) / It was the best visit with my mom, complete with lots of gardening and pulling weeds together—which doubled as a great time to talk together. We really had the most lovely time. These are days I won’t forget.
— Finish The Out of Sync Child. We have a sweet kiddo with Sensory Processing Disorder and this book has been incredibly helpful so far. / I am almost done with this book. Highly recommend.
— Release the NEW Cultivated Homeschool Planner. SO MANY OF YOU have asked about this and emailed me wondering if there’s a new one coming. We are only days away from releasing the new one and it’s so good! Stay posted—it’s coming so soon! / YES!!! UPDATE: The NEW Homeschool Planner is HERE!!
— Make our fall homeschool plans. / I didn’t complete this one. Moving to August!
— Work heartily for Q4. I’m working ahead so I can do work with excellence and clear out my time around the holidays. / Yes, we had many conversations about how to do things differently this year and I think you are going to love it, too!
July Weekly Goals:
— Sabbath: surrender and be renewed / There was one Saturday I had to take my mom to the mall and Target. In the dictionary, under Sabbath antonyms is “the mall.” Enough said! 🙂
— Lead the kids to the Word. / Yes, Grace loves her NEW Write the Word for Kids Journal!
— Spread joy around like manure—encouraging young things to grow! : ) / I have proof on this one! Listen to the first 10 minutes of this. I love surprises!
July Daily Goals: / Progress on all of them below!
— Bible reading
— Run! Praise!
— Slow down and soak in the summer
— Write the Word at night.
You can still catch the replay here!
Don’t miss these from July:
—You LOVE the new Write the Word journals—this bundle is going fast!
—Learn 3 ways to refresh your faith with the amazing Ruth Chou Simons. I was so inspired by this free class!
—Have you ever made plans—and they didn’t go as planned? Listen in to my story here and get 3 steps to move past frustration and disappointment. A must-listen (and my last podcast episode for a few weeks—you’ll get that story in this episode, too!).
—Join me and Shunta Grant to learn how to cultivate your calendar! You’ll get the formula for going into this next season with intention, planning ahead, and making space for what matters most! Register here.
Onto August! It’s a new month with new rhythms on the horizon. I’m excited to get intentional and dig into these August PowerSheet goals.
August Monthly Goals:
— Do the Fresh Faith Challenge! Join me!
— Number my days and gain a heart of wisdom
— Prepare for fall homeschool
— Finish the first draft of the book
— Take a month of rest from the podcast. Hear that story here.
— Teach the How to Cultivate Your Calendar class with Shunta!
August Weekly Goals:
— Prepare for Q4
— Enjoy the garden right where I am (listen in here for more!)
— Delight in our home
August Daily Goals:
— Cultivate my days
— Bible reading
— Run! Praise!
— Write the Word
Your turn! Do you have goals for August? Comment below and I’ll pick one of you to send a special surprise box of goodies to from the Cultivate What Matters Shop! I love sending real mail, and I love hearing your thoughts!
P.S. We’re almost completely SOLD OUT of 6-month PowerSheets. Now is the perfect time to set yourself up for clarity and intention for this next season. Buy yours today for 30% off—no code needed!
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6 Comments
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on August 2, 2019 at 6:44 pm
I don’t have August goals yet…we moved across country this summer and I still feel ‘crunched’….but I just signed up for your Freshness faith Challenge…because I have a barely started Journal the Word I found while unpacking and dusted off my barely used PowerSheets. Thank you for the encouragement.
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on August 2, 2019 at 9:46 pm
I love this, and always look forward to your monthly progress posts! I have monthly goals that settle around preparing for fall. I work for my church, and fall usually means lots of new university students, so we do a kind of yearly relaunch/kickoff. Lots to look forward to!
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on August 3, 2019 at 11:28 am
Thank you SO much for sharing your goals each month, Miss Lara! It may sound funny, but it’s a highlight of the start of a new month for me! 🙂
So, a few of my August goals are:
-Trust, Seek, and Walk Humbly with God (I have some specifics here)
-Read “Crazy Love”
-God’s Word in my ♥
-Keep going on our room-by-room house cleaning/refresh project
-Specific work goals
-Complete a lesson in the reflexology course I’m taking!
Today, I was reminded of the power of our words – for building up and tearing down, so I’m going back and adding an additional daily action to my tending list: Make Someone’s Heart Sing! I want to use my words to encourage and bless others!
May our Heavenly Father bless you in Jesus’ name! -
on August 3, 2019 at 1:38 pm
This summer was supposed to be my summer of fun with my three kiddos…and then one week into it I got a severe concussion that has left me unable to drive or so much of anything. And then….a few weeks after that we found out we are pregnant with baby number four- Yay- and that has brought on such bad morning sickness I am bedridden most days. But I read AbbyWombach’s book- Wolfpack- and it made me think about “leading from the bench”. Sometimes, life makes you sit on the sidelines but a good leader can still lead with encouragement, enthusiasm, and cheer. That is my one August Goal- daily, weekly, monthly- I want to find ways to “lead from the bench” as a mother, wife, and friend…I am not sure what it will look like each day, but it has motivated me to find ways to lead with joy and enthusiasm during a very difficult time.
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on August 3, 2019 at 2:50 pm
Bless you, Sondra! May God make this a very special month for you, even in the uncertainty! Congratulations on your new baby! ♥
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