Have you ever written a contract with yourself?
I have. Twelve years ago, and It changed everything.
Let me set the scene:
Date: 2009
Me: exhausted new mom to two baby boys (born 10 ½ months apart)
Finances: teetering on the edge of bankruptcy (we got nailed when the market crashed in 2008)
Marriage: under intense strain due to above circumstances
Relationship status with God: confused; naïve. “How did I get here? I’m a good Christian. I thought God would protect me from this drama. What did I do wrong?”
I remember collapsing onto my couch one day and thinking, “My life is in chaos. What am I going to do?”
As *luck* would have it, around that time I listened to some teachings on how our inner world creates our outer world and the speaker suggested writing a personal contract as a means of accountability and a commitment to invest in your inner world.
I was up for anything by that point, so I gave it a go.
I got out my journal and wrote my own contract. In a nutshell, I said that for the next 365 days, I would invest in myself daily. Then I signed and dated it, having no idea what would happen.
Unbeknownst to me at the time, I was shifting the entire trajectory of my life.
By putting my own heart back on the agenda (a place she hadn’t been for a long time), I was making a statement about my value and worth, even though it *felt* like I had neither the time nor resources to do so.
What this looked like practically: journaling, listening to great teachings on my identity in God, meditating on scriptures, and noting changes as I recognized them. Sometimes I only had a few minutes to spare on myself but I didn’t care. Five minutes was better than zero minutes.
Gradually, I noticed a shift. As I meditated on truth, began rewriting the scripts I’d been playing in my own head, and took personal ownership of my process, things began changing. As I looked back over the months, I could see significant breakthrough.
Chaos and overwhelm began decreasing as I started taking care of myself. My levels of peace went up. I began hearing the voice of God in my heart in new and exciting ways. I became more emotionally and spiritually healthy as I learned to follow my own heart (the brilliant inner GPS that God has given us all.)
By the time that 365 days was up, I was hooked. I had experienced such massive personal growth that I knew I was on to something. There was no way I was going to quit then, so I kept going. I didn’t always do something every day, but this commitment had become a lifestyle.
Over the next few years, our finances and marriage turned around. It didn’t happen overnight (I’m not gonna lie) but we saw miracles and breakthroughs so frequently that they’ve become a massive part of our story, and honestly, a huge reason for why I write these posts. I want you to experience similar transformation, too!.
“What does this have to do with me?” you might be asking.
Here’s the deal: like I mentioned above, your inner world creates your outer world.
My question for you: “What’s the current status of your inner world?”
We are all hungry to live better lives. There are thousands of personal development books out there. And as great as many of them are (I know, because I love reading them!) so much of what we want can be summed up in this one verse:
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” – Proverbs 4:23 (emphasis mine)
It starts on the inside. And no one else can do it for you. It’s the beautiful privilege of self agency.
Yes, God is there to help and to guide and to lead. But tending to your heart is one of the things you get to do along the way.
I’m curious: would you like me to compile some of my favorite resources that I’ve discovered along the way? I’m super passionate about all things heart-related it so I have a lot, but also want to give you things that are helpful to you.
If so, comment below and I’ll add a new post soon with some of my faves!
