It’s New Year’s Eve and also the day I have made 34 trips around the sun. I never really thought of my birthday on New Year’s Eve as very special until I got older. What is most people’s end of a year is my beginning. And it is such a self reflective day. I’m not sure there has been any other year that I have had this much personal growth.
Last year, I started a new tradition of picking a word for the upcoming years. These words act as affirmations and can be a motivation to resolutions. It is something to come back to when you find yourself off track. My word was DHARMA. Dharma is a sanskrit spiritual word for your personal truth or duty, life purpose. I have dedicated this year to that and it has been a year full of digging deep within myself to focus in on the energy I put into the world. I have found the more you give the more you receive.
My year consisted of…
-Quitting my corporate job to be a stay at home working for myself Mom
-Lots of yoga training-RYT200 Yoga Certification
-Pre/Postnatal Yoga Certification
-Pelvic floor Yoga Certification
-Teaching my first yoga classes/workshops
-Went on 2 vacations
– One sans Maddux and the other was Maddux’s First vaca
-I finished breastfeeding after 15 months 🎉 #freedom
-I won 2 life changing experiences on Instagram–One was a 60 min consult with Heaven Sent Sleep- it was definitely heaven sent. For the first 14 months of Maddux’s life he NEVER slept through the night. Like I’m talking multiple wake ups! I couldn’t do it anymore. Since then, he has slept through the night, every night! The other experience I won was an Akashic Record reading from Melita Mollohan. Wow. What an experience. She gave me insight into my life and also reassurance into other parts. The main thing I appreciate is the peace she gave me for the upcoming challenging parts. If you ever get the chance to do so, do it!
-Started writing a book
-During a challenging matter (a later blog post will explain) I actually created one of my proudest creations yet, my Postpartum Wellness Recovery Course. This is when I realized I was put here to help women and moms navigate through life with the best of tools. Balancebuilding was perfected in this moment.
-Sold our home
-Moved to a rental
-Found a home in Buckhannon
-Found a little more “go with the flow attitude”
-Found the difference between myself as a Mom and as an individual.
-Discovered detachment to material things/situations/and whatever does not serve me any longer is the key to really living life.
I look at this list and I am astounded and proud of how much I have done and how far I have come! I also notice that most of this list can be mapped back to my word of the year for 2019, DHARMA. I really stuck to it even though sometimes it might not have seemed that way. Progress over perfection. This is why reflection is so important to where you are headed.
You don’t realize how much a year can change your life until you reflect. My new word for this upcoming word is EXPANSION. I want to expand on what 2019 brought me. I will soon be starting 2020 off in a new town and I am excited to see what it has to offer! Change can be scary but it also can create growth like you have never felt.
If you haven’t done some self reflecting on 2019, I suggest you do so. Focus on the good and look at how far you have come. This will help you create your goals and intentions for 2020 and a positive mindset for starting the year.
Journaling prompts for self reflection…
If I could tell my 2018 self about 2019, what would I say?
If I could pick 2 pivotal moments from 2019 what would they be?
What was the greatest improvements I have made this year?
How can 2020 be even better than 2019?
What do I plan to bring to the table in 2020?
I would love to hear from you! Let me know if something resonates, and keep being your best, true self! Thank you to those who have reached out on my special day and I hope you all have the best New Year!
