Hey Love, 

 

It's been a HOT minute. This is not a post I thought I'd be writing when the year started, but hey, we all know very well that so little is in our actual control. One of the last post I wrote on this this blog was titled, "How to Keep January's Energy All Year Long". In the post I shared 5 things to do to keep that "new year-new me" energy that many of us have each at the start of the year. Suffice to say, I did not keep that energy! At least not as I hoped. I'll get into why that was in this post. I will say though that you reading this post shows that, at least one of the items, from that list in January stood true. Let's get into it: 

 

So back in January I shared these five ways to remain consistent and accomplish goals:  

  1. Create a Check-in System 

  2. Keep Trying After Failure 

  3. Set easy and Challenging goals 

  4. Be in it for the experience more than the achievement 

  5. Start NOW 

 

So how'd I do? Welp...not that great. I did create a check-in system that reminded me daily that I was off-track. I kept trying and failing. My goals were easy, I normally got at least one major item off my weekly goals list completed. It has certainly been an experience. And I did start then. So what happened?! 

 

Life. Specifically work. Work happened. A little backstory...as some may know I have my Masters in Public Health and last year I switched to a new field to expand my experience. Suffice to say it's vastly different that what I thought it would be. The work, the hours, the environment are not made for a work-life balance (a post for another day, chile). So it threw my whole 5 step program out the window! What I failed to account for was the change in my lifestyle. I had a semblance of work-life balance back in January, but it swiftly changed in February and I did not adjust for that change. Rather I continued, in vain, with the same plan that was intended for a different reality! And of course that only bred frustration and feeling like I was constantly failing! Which, in a way I was. But there was one thing from the January advise list that I did do well, I kept trying after failure.  

 

It took months of trying to force a key into the wrong keyhole for me to realize that I got the wrong door! So here I am now, trying a different door and only time will tell if I got it right. So what's the plan now? To accept where I am with my job and the limits it places on my creativity. This does not means that it'll be my reality forever, but I am trusting God's plan. Practically that means, being faithful to the times I do set aside for my creativity. That could be 30 mins or an hour 2-3 times a week; whatever it is, be faithful to it. Moreover, recognizing and accepting that seasons change. I fought so hard these past few months to deny my reality and all that did was hold me back. Reality, like seasons, change. This moment is not forever, whether it's beautiful or ugly. What is forever is what I've done with it. So here's to us, love! We kept going and we'll continue to go, no matter what! 

 

Faithfully,  

Marie