Happy New Year friends! I know a lot of people hate the whole “cliche” of making new years resolutions & all of that, but I like to use the new year as a reset. A time of reflection, a time to see what I improved on in the year before, & what I can improve on in the coming new year. I’ve learned in my short time as an adult that I will never completely change or all of the sudden be this perfectly fit person who always makes healthy choices & is super organized in every area of my life just because it’s a new year. BUT i know that I can work hard at improving myself & the new year is the perfect fresh start & motivation to do that. For the past few years when the new year hits I come up with a word for the upcoming year that I want to use as inspiration. This year is no different. Over dinner on New Years Eve Jose & I did a lot of chatting & came up with the perfect word for me in this upcoming year…
bal·ancenoun1. an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady.
Balance. Why that word? Well, in 2016 that was one thing I couldn’t grasp no matter how hard I tried. We opened the store, we moved in to our 1800’s farmhouse, we got a farm, we struggled through our infertility journey, we found a church finally, we worked, we went to school, we tried having social lives, we did countless projects, & all around we struggled with balance. I was rushed the whole year, behind on everything the whole year, forgetful the whole year, & unbalanced the whole year. I don’t want to live like that. Of course I will never completely be balanced & on top of everything, but I know if I work on balance & find the root of being balanced in all the different areas will help me improve my day to day life. I need schedules, I need lists, I need time off, I need rest, I need to exorcise , I need to eat healthier, I need to sleep more, I need to be more intentional in my work, I need to talk to God more, I need to find balance with all of these things & I’m going to take huge steps to make this happen. One big thing I’m starting with is purging. We spent some time this weekend purging things & getting rid of a lot of stuff from our farmhouse this past weekend & we will be doing a lot more the next few weeks, but I’m also going to be purging unnecessary things from my life like time suckers that don’t need my attention, anxieties about things that are out of my control, & just nonsense things that don’t benefit me in rest, work, or others around me. I want a better sleep schedule, more attention to the ones that I love, & more time to relax & really take the simple moments in. I think you get it, this girl needs balance. I’m craving structure & that feeling of having parts of my life together.
I know I’m not alone in this whole un-balance thing & that a lot of you probably feel the same way. i know a lot of people blame it on me being so busy, but I think I have more control over it than I give myself credit for. & though this post may seem negative towards myself & my life, it’s actually so positive. I’m truly not being hard on myself, but I simply can’t wait to improve on this in my life & to feel balanced & more put together. I laugh off a lot of things I do when I make mistakes when my life becomes out of control, but I’m kind of sick of being the unbalanced one that everyone says “oh bless your heart” to. I want to be that put together business owner that I am & I want to be more on top of things to help benefit me, my family, & others around me. 2017 is that year. After a whirlwind year that was impossible to keep balanced I’m ready to make work towards more balance in all areas of my life. That is once we get the new store up and running of course. You can read more about the new store [HERE]. So do you have a word of the year? I would LOVE to hear what your word is or if you made any resolutions. Let me know in the comments below, find me on Facebook, or chat with me on Instagram. I can’t wait to hear from you! xx
Read my 2016 word of the year [here]
I read your post the other day abut your word for 2016 and loved the idea so much! I struggled all of last year with being my true self and most of the year I felt lost, towards the end of 2016 I had had enough and started to try to be more of who I really am and show the world that so for 2017 I decided to use your word from last year and chose Authentic! I want to spend 2017 being my authentic self and sharing it with the world! Thank you for your posts I love reading them!
I just started reading Present over Perfect by Shauna Niequist – I’m only a few chapters in but – it might give some perspective and help with what you want to achieve this year. Ao far its very good. I love your word for the year and am craving balence as well, as we juggle youth ministry and Children’s ministry at our church, a relationship with our savior, a toddler with a huge personality (whom I love), meal planning, our marriage, social life… and so on… keep on posting, I love reading your about your projects and your thoughts.
Thank you for sharing your word and being authentic in your posts! I struggle with anxiety, and after a sermon New Years Day at Mars Hill my word for 2017 became clear – Peace. Blessings to you as you journey through the new year!
My word is self-control. I need this desperately, financially, emotionally, physically, every way! I love that these words are like building blocks. Balance will feed right into this for me, so just know that you’re not alone in wanting to find balance- our infertility journies require it!