When you need a new beginning!
While this time of year brings so much excitement & joy - it can also bring feelings of discontentment or disappointment as you see the end of another year - looking back realizing maybe 2023 didn't go the way you had envisioned.
It is so important to know, it is okay to feel those things and you are not alone if you do! 2024 can be a fresh slate for you and I hope this read gives you some encouragement of how that's possible without hitting a 'dead end' yet again!
SMALL TASKS YOU CAN DO TODAY TO SET YOU UP FOR SUCCESS!
Preparing is the key to success! Here are 3 practical ideas you can do in your home today, to make your journey to your best self just a little bit easier!
Clean out your closets, drawers, dressers to get rid of extra clutter. Donate! If someone else can get use out of something that has set and collected dust in your home, it is worth letting go of. *This will make grabbing those exercise or quick outfits easier and less stressful. TIP: Work on a capsule wardrobe if you want to minimize - base colors and pieces that you can layer. Use smaller items like hats or jewelry to add a pop of color!
Start throwing out any expired pantry or fridge items. This is a great time to restock, and maybe even with something more nutrient dense? If you threw out your regular soy sauce... look up healthier soy sauce alternatives (I use BRAGG's Liquid Aminos) and use your grocery app to search that item and find exactly what item it is on. My boot camp pages are filled with all of my favorite grocery items so you don't have to do the research work! Get on the boot camp page by signing up HERE!
Set aside a small space in your home that will be your go-to! Whether it will be for Bible study, your workout corner, a place where you sit & doodle -- whatever you need for self-care, make sure you have a spot that is either already set up, or quick to change if needed. For instance, maybe you need to rearrange your living area to a set up where the coffee table can easily be scooted to throw your yoga mat down! Or maybe you have a chair in your guest bedroom that you want to relocate to a corner of your bedroom to create the reading nook you have always wanted. You can see my workout space isn't always 'picture perfect', but it doesn't have to be!
WHEN YOU ARE READY TO 'GO'!
So now you've done the 'prep' work, you've had enough days wishing for some type of change in your life! You are ready to START that new chapter.
HABIT STACKING - Making a lot of drastic changes at once will be overwhelming, tiring, and leave you feeling discouraged when you can't keep them up all at once. Instead, stack your habits! Start a habit (drinking water instead of soda) and follow that habit for 1-2 weeks. Then, when you feel that is now a normal part of your routine, spend 1-2 weeks committing to a walk a couple days of the week. You can do this with ANY habit - maybe it is waking up earlier in the day, reading your Bible each morning, or finding time for self-care 1 night per week. Trying to do it all at once is not realistic... pick one at a time and build from there!
FOCUS ON THE STEPS NOT THE STAIRCASE - With an 'end goal' or 'dream vision' of life, you will feel like you are NEVER going to achieve it if you don't take practical steps to getting there! Celebrate and be aware of the small things that will help you get there. Example: If your goal for 2024 is to lose a certain amount of weight or maybe make a certain amount of money -- either will likely take longer than just the month of January to complete! SO, give yourself a smaller goal, a smaller step, to achieve in the month of January. Before you know it, it will be December 2024 and you will look back at each step you celebrated to get you to the 'top' of the staircase!
If you need a little caffiene boost to get through those lists, grab one of my favorite 100 calorie VENTI (that is the 'big size' in their lingo) Starbucks drinks!
I personally spent years cycling in setting unrealistic expectations for myself each 'New Years' and it left me feeling defeated and discouraged when I 'fell off' yet again. Through all of my experience, and most of all - my satisfaction found in the Lord, not what I am capable of accomplishing by myself - I have so much peace in seeing the beauty of balance and knowing that I have no need and there is no pressure to go from '0 to 100'. Give yourself grace as you navigate the woman you want to be and make small choices each day to keep showing up as her!
As you make decisions in the day, make them based off of what FUTURE you would. How does she speak to others? What does her morning routine look like? How does she spend her free time? What does she wear?
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