Sculpting Project 21: Drop It Again: Annual Review Week 1

I’m celebrating improvement. Not perfection, but improvement. A year of sculpting has reshaped me. These tiny, simple projects like water drops onto sandstone are remaking me drip by drip. 20 Sculpting Projects carving my life. Let’s take some time to remember and refine projects from the year. This week projects 1-10

A Quick Summary to help you remember and choose.

Project 1:Three Things: List things you love.

Project 2: Here and Now for 2-10: Spend 2-10 minutes being fully here. With your surroundings, yourself and God. (This can be done on a walk, in the shower, on a porch swing, sitting in Church. . .)

Project 3: Jesus Prayer: Spend time saying (singing) the Jesus Prayer. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”

Project 4: Slow Bites: Pay full attention to eating.

Project 5: Day of Kindness:Do out of the ordinary acts of kindness.

Project 6:The Gift of Breath: Pay attention to your breath. Breath Prayers.

Project 7:Flash Prayers: Flash a prayer for others you see or think of.

Project 8: Talking Back: Dispute unhelpful thoughts

Project 9: Mono-tasking: Do one thing at a time.

Project 10: 4 Minute Mile, 4 Hour Mile: Spend time intentionally moving slowly and quickly.

Sculpting Project 21: Drop It Again

This week pick 1 or more of the first 10 projects to work on. Your choice.

Pick your favorite project and dive in for two or more minutes each day.

Or

Select a different project each day and spend 2-5 minutes sculpting.

This year I forgot or neglected more than one day of sculpting. I’m guessing that is also true for most of our group. Self-discipline comes hard and life can get way too busy, yet I still found projects to be effective when I did them.

Tips from the psychologists can help. 1. Keep projects simple so you don’t need much motivation to keep at them. None of us are good at constant motivation. 2. Make your sculpting a habit by doing it the same time each day or connecting it with another activity you do. The Tiny Habit developer increased his # of push-ups by doing a couple after each bathroom visit. We could think of something we love, say the Jesus prayer, or Flash a prayer after our bathroom trips. 3. Use the If /Then principle “IF I’m going to bed, THEN I am doing a sculpting project.” 4. Communicate with other sculptors. Knowing others are with us helps keep us going.

Another Pitfall: Trying to do the sculpting project perfectly each day. Say, thinking of the things I love the very most, rather than just settling for things I sort of like. Some days will be less amazing, just doing the project (listing 3 things I sort of like) is good enough for today.

Self-discipline is hard. Even when it only takes 2 minutes a day.

When you fall off the horse don’t kick yourself. Just get back on and give her the kick.

Communication is golden. Let us know how sculpting is going for you!