Moving Forward

I found joy in a few moments in 2021. This last year has been a struggle for many but I started the year searching for the meaning of joy. Joy is found through the living practice of gratitude. I found that starting my day with quiet time, focusing on gratitude, greatly aided in finding joy in everyday moments. When evaluating 2020, I realized I had focused primarily on work or the mind and wanted to shift the focus to spiritual wellness in 2021.  While I didn't reach all of my goals, I did make great gains in my spiritual and mental wellness column last year and continue to make great gains in all three targeted areas:  mind, body, and spirit.  This upcoming new year, I would like to place a greater emphasis on body wellness, which I have neglected. I could use more exercise, outdoor time, time away from my computer, less media, which I feel would help me focus on positive messaging. I would like to feel the characteristics of good health through improved flexibility, an...

Often we become stuck in old patterns of thought. This is known as patterned thinking.  We tend to hold onto judgments, beliefs, messed-up principles based on prior experiences, and fail to recognize our unfulfilled needs. This type of thinking can hold us back. In order to move forward, we must confront problems honestly. People often fail to do this. They believe changing jobs, buying that new item, moving to a new geographical location of living, going to another country, changing partners, etc. will finally satisfy their needs. Changing physical circumstances doesn't address the true issue, which is the need to recognize and perhaps shift patterned thinking. What is the pattern causing your unhappiness? This requires us to address problems on a deeper level.  Imagine what would happen if each of us would examine ourselves personally and took responsibility for issues, less judgment, and recognition of our own biased thinking. I am including myself here. I am attempting to ...

A few years ago, working through some health issues, I began creating a Vision Board each new Year. It serves as a visual reminder of goals I set to work on throughout the year to help with a healthy balance or marriage of ideas to mind, body, and spirit. I am far from perfect and need a lot of help and reminders to keep me on track. I tend to escape into my work, seeking a purpose, and have worked through a lot... learning to set boundaries with others, using my voice when appropriate, working on gratitude, healing, etc. I still find myself sometimes out of balance and checklists seem to help.  Last August I was super excited to book a trip to visit a dear friend but was disappointed when for reasons beyond my understanding was canceled last minute. I had wished that she had the courage to communicate honestly but reassured her that I understood.  I was disappointed but decided to use the weekend we had planned to work on myself, wellness, and my spirit. This time my disappoi...

It is really hard for me to take a break. I have always been wired to achieve, and as a contributor, I am learning that REST is so vitally important to your health. After teaching during COVID-19, I have found myself exhausted.  I have decided to take a break this summer and spent much of the last few days outdoors, walking in nature, reading, feeding my spirit, unplugging, and journaling. I have jotted a few items or thoughts down over the weekend and decided it was time to revisit my personal growth blog. I have come a long way since I started on this journey in 2014 of healing. I believe I had a breakthrough over the last year in 2020. Finally, working on childhood patterns that were developed, I made a lot of headway. As I began noticing patterns in my life that kept reappearing, I began to really equip myself by first recognizing the emotional traumas from my youth and began a commitment to recovery. Part of that recovery is self-reflecting on these topics in th...

What I Know at 45... Start each day with gratitudes and spiritual meditation.  Life doesn’t go as planned. By 45, things have happened and you become humbled. Learn to have faith when your going through dark times. The light is near.Truth always prevails. People who you thought would be there for you will disappoint you. Be gracious and forgive them anyway.  Recognize, love and honor your tribe. The people who are the for you during tough times. This is your family. Forgiving someone  doesn't mean you  open the doors to your life. It does  mean  that  you  try to  give  them a clean slate and truly let go. Set a firm boundary and be always be kind. Health matters and physical health relies on spiritual and mental health wellness. Take time to go outside as much as you can. You don’t have to respond immediately.  Work is not everything and your success isn’t dependent on an organization or someone’s approval. God has a p...

Today marks the beginning of advent for Christians, a theme of Hope. I was reminded today how important that message is as it brings themes of patience, love, understanding, and faith. We were reminded by our leader this morning about the story of Zacharias (name meaning “Yahweh remembers”)  and Elisabeth (meaning “God's oath”), both characters in the introduction to the Christmas story and strong examples of this message. It is a story of light appearing in a dark circumstance as Zacharias and Elisabeth were seen as leaders without child, and that was seen, and sometimes still viewed by some, as being a punishment from God.  Late in life they were blessed, prayers answered as they had a child, John, who became a blessing to many people. The message of Christmas begins as a story of hope. As a 42 year old mother of two teenage boys whose parents are divorced, I often feel my family is broken and look around to see so many teenagers from broken homes.  Divo...

During spring break of 2016,  I decided to go on a solo hiking trip to connect with myself in the Big Bend area. The experience was wonderful as I was able to meet new people, conquer a few fears, and mediate on both personal and professional goals. The experience helped me to begin to connect with my authentic self. At that time, I was in dissertation phase. For those who have not experienced dissertation, it involves a lot of pressure. The experience helped me take a break, which inspired me to persevere with data analysis and writing. I made a pact with myself to take it easy and go on a solo trip each year to  celebrate me. Taking it Easy Can Bring Positive Change Taking it easy is a struggle. Females of my generation were told that we could do anything and everything at the same time. I bought into this lie and forgot that we only have 24 hours in a day. How we choose to give of ourselves can really impact our health. In reality, we cannot be everything to everyo...