How to make intentional SMART Rhythms
Be intentional with setting your mind towards the care it needs in your journey towards health and wellness in body, mind and spirit.
As we step into the New Year, it’s a perfect time to pause and reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re headed. Take a moment to ask yourself: Are you satisfied with the direction your life is taking? With the person you are becoming? With the daily rhythms you've established? Often, we have a vision of how we want things to look—whether it's our health, relationships, work, or faith—but we either don’t know how to begin, or we lack the commitment to follow through.
If you want to make progress in any area of life, it starts today. Small, intentional steps are the key. As John C. Maxwell wisely puts it, “You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”
Getting Started: Making Your Goals SMART
Many people begin the year with strong intentions but struggle with goals that are too vague or unrealistic. This often leads to burnout or forgetfulness by February. A powerful framework, I learned when completing my certification through IIN (Integrative Institute of Nutrition) is the SMART goal system. This system will help set you up for success:
Specific: Clearly define what you want. Avoid being too general. (Ex. I want to be healthy, instead I want to eat 3-4 home cooked meals with my family during the week)
Measurable: Make it quantifiable and realistic—How much? How often? (Ex. I will try two new in season vegetables each month this year)
Attainable: Ensure it’s within your ability to achieve.
Relevant: Align your goal with your core values and vision.
Time-bound: Set a reasonable timeframe to evaluate progress.
When crafting your goals, think about your deeper why. Why do you want to achieve this? What’s the purpose behind the goal? Allowing yourself time to be still and reflect, dream, pray and plan is the hardest part. Write it down. Create a roadmap. But most importantly, be gentle with yourself. This isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress on a journey toward wellness, with small, steady steps in the right direction.
Focusing on the “Why”
As I reflect on my own goals for 2025, I turn my attention to my deeper purpose—what is essential for me to become the person I aspire to be? A person defined by love—love for God, others, and myself. As 1 Corinthians 14:1 says, “Let love be your highest goal…” Love is the essential ingredient in all relationships. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says “Love is patient and kind. It is not boastful, proud or rude. It does not demand its own way and is not irritable. It does not keep record of wrongs…love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through all circumstances.”
For me, staying connected to Jesus is essential for living this out. He is my strength, my guide, and my counselor. As 1 John 4:19 reminds us, “We love because He first loved us.”
John Mark Comer describes this lifestyle as The Rule of Life—the non-negotiables that help us live into what truly matters. It’s a blueprint for thriving.
My 2025 SMART Rhythms
Here’s a glimpse into the daily rhythms I want to implement for a more intentional and meaningful year ahead:
Morning Rhythm: Start each day with 15-20 minutes of solitude and scripture reading, sipping on hot lemon water. I’ll be using Everyday Gospel by Paul Tripp as a guide.
Mindful Social Media: No Instagram on Sundays. On other days, check social media intentionally three times for 5-10 minutes—whether to post content, engage with friends, or find meal ideas. No mindless scrolling at stoplights!
Daily Prayer: Set aside 5-10 minutes before picking up the kids from school to pause, and be still with the Lord and listen. I’ll use a journal and a cup of tea to help center myself, focusing on one or two specific prayer points: family, friends, community, church, world/nation, etc…
Fridays Are for Friends: Reach out to a friend once a week for a walk, tea, or lunch. Step out of my comfort zone and connect with new or long-lost friends. Who has been on my mind, a neighbor? A new friend? Someone at church?
Family Connection: Game night with the kids on Sundays—making it a fun competition where the winners get to decide dinner or the movie.
Quarterly Dinner with New People: Invite a new couple over for dinner each quarter to foster deeper community connections.
Physical Health: Prioritize strength training 3-4 times a week, aiming for 10,000+ steps on non-strength training days.
Family Meals: Aim for family dinners at least 4 times a week, incorporating a devotional or conversation starters to connect over the meal.
Service Project: Plan one family service project this year to give back to the community.
Time with My Husband: Have intentional check-ins with my husband 4 days a week—10 minutes without devices, either over a cup of tea, wine, or during a walk after dinner when the weather is nice.
Lifelong Learning: Explore new recipes, listen to podcasts, and post content that encourages others—at least once a week.
Girls’ Time: Plan one girls' night a month and a girls' trip once a year.
Embrace the Journey
Change isn’t easy. You’ll have days where you succeed and others where you fall short. That’s okay. Don’t give up, keep going! As you establish new SMART rhythms, remember to be patient with yourself. Don’t make it a set of rules, but rather a way of life that brings out the best version of yourself and the person you are becoming. Keep taking small steps forward, knowing each day is a new day, a fresh opportunity.
Isaiah 43:19 encourages us, “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”
Here’s to a fresh, intentional start in 2025—may it be a year of growth, love, and wellness.
