Little by Little

First of all Happy New Year and welcome to 2019!

It’s the end of January and I’m sitting in my living room, looking out the window to another 6 inches of snow. And for the next few days I’m bracing for sub-zero temps. Totally makes you want to move to MN right now!  January can be a really rough weather month here, but this year I wanted to find a new perspective in it. Winter isn’t bad, it’s just a different season of living at a slower pace. Most of the time we just fight it because the others seasons are busy and we don’t know how to shift to a slower pace of life.

Saying farewell to 2018 felt really good. It wasn’t a horrible year, it was just a year that brought with it many different challenges for me: loved ones lost, health issues and work transition. I haven’t talked much about being diagnosed with EBV (Epstein-Barr Virus).  It’s been awesome to have answers to why I have felt horrible since January last year but challenging to know day to day how to get better. EBV is a form of mono that causes fatigue, weakness, swollen glands and more. This crazy virus was attacking my thyroid, as well. It’s taken a toll on my overall hormone health. Let’s just say I’ve been a hot mess and was forced health-wise into learning that slower pace in all seasons.

I haven’t been the mom, wife, daughter or friend that I have wanted to be this last year. It really flat out SUCKED! Now, it would be easy in the healing process to stay in such a low place. To tell the truth this virus has brought a ton of perspective that I never knew I needed: You can’t DO or BE it all! Shocker, right?! The other ah-hah was having faith like a mustard seed that things can and will get better. God has been so faithful to meet me in my disappointment of what I thought I should be or do. It’s been a season of letting go of things that I never needed, though I was holding so hard on to them.

Are you holding onto things that you flat out just don’t need in your life?

Just last month I came across this Instagram post about, “Cultivate What Matters (The intentional Goal Planner).” Interested, I looked into it more and really felt like it could help better prioritize what matters and the goals I had in my heart. Lara Casey is the creator of them and you can find them at cultivatewhatmatters.com or LaraCasey.com.  She has an awesome podcast, too. So far it’s been amazing! To get things out on paper and slowly start cultivating each goal has helped. There are two things Lara says all the time that speak to me in this season of change and healing: “Little by little,” … and “It’s okay to grow slow.”

Cultivating each goal little by little has felt really rewarding. I don’t have to accomplish every goal in the month of January. Lara really helps you lay out a plan for the whole year. Plus, you navigate them month to month with mini goals.  You know what, even if I don’t get everything accomplished by December 31 of this year, the feeling of taking action steps feels so good and rewarding. I’m truly excited for this year and what it might bring. I have two words for the year: FAITH and CONNECTION! Faith in the known and unknown. Connection with God, family and friends.

Whatever it may be that you want to grow in this year, don’t feel rushed or that it has to be right now. Maybe it’s not the right timing or season. There might be something else you need to learn in your current season. You just have to be willing to see, feel and hear it. Remember, “little by little,” … “It’s ok to grow slow!”