Category: #Selflove

Hello 2024: I want to fill my life with…

Hello 2024! I don’t care how my life and yours was up until now, but the beginning of a new year is always a good time to reflect, make positive changes and to start afresh.

Photo by @wordspenspoken

The past also doesn’t matter because we change over the years. I surely don’t want the things I wanted 20 years ago. I want different things now.

But with age, maturity, reading knowledge and planning experience, I learnt one thing: if we want something, we can actually increase our chances of getting it, by defining what we want, planning small steps that are do-able and taking one step at a time.

In fact, I have started doing that, using a weekly tracker for each month, I check off steps when I actually did something towards my goals of exercise and other habits that I have been wanting to cultivate but struggling to accomplish. This practice was inspired by the book Organize Tomorrow Today by Jason Selk, Tom Barthow and Matthew Rudy. It feels amazing and positive even if I didn’t check off most days but when I got one or two in and I keep going the next week. By the end of the year, I can see my effort and overall progress on the trackers.

So for the beginning of this year, I wanted to visualize what I want this year to look like and just let that list flow!

For 2024, I want to fill my life with….

Plants and gardens,

Walks and nature,

Yoga and breathing,

Canvas and colors,

Children and laughter,

Healing and prayer,

Coffee and sunlight,

Fireplace and plush throws,

Friends and hugs,

Water fountains and music,

Love and giving,

Generosity and donations,

Community and support,

Family and quality time

Hospitality and sharing,

Cleanliness and order,

Discipline and respect,

Hard work and ethics,

Helping and serving,

Hobbies and creativity,

Sleeping and rest,

Nutrition and fitness

Communication and relationships

Blogging and reading!!!!

What do you want to fill yours with?

Happy new year!

I plan on making trackers for some of these and reviewing them often to see how much progress I make towards what I want. Why not consciously spend our time putting in the effort for what we want rather than letting the year slip by? I’m excited. Wish you all the best for your desires to come true and for you to be blessed with everything you want.

Lots of love and a Happy New Year from @wordspenspoken ❤️

The guilt train – No thanks

Photo Credit: Merriam Webster

I refused the warm welcome offered onboard the guilt train that I have ever so often boarded so readily

What changed was, I had gotten to know so well the company that seeks to find fault with none other than me

It had taken but several years for me to recognize them when they embrace me in a big hug as though to comfort me, sometimes even lift my weight, but it has all been only to quickly drag me down into a deep deep fall

As I struggle to get back up from the pits, they would patiently continue to give me company as long as I would entertain their presence

For hours they would talk to me like a friend telling me how everything could have been better if not for my mistakes so I must take all the blame.

They would also convince me to do things that I was not comfortable with, tolerate the things I didn’t want to, and allow others to cross my boundaries. Why? All because it was all my fault.

I would wallow and wallow in this misery for days, sometimes even months. Because I wish I could have done better but I hadn’t. And because of that, now I must do things I don’t want to. Typical and easy solution but something that dragged me down into the depressive valleys even further.

Unfortunately one cannot do a something they don’t want to or take something they can’t bear for long and such circumstances only spiral into vicious cycles of hopelessness

I no longer want to go this route, I decided. If I made a mistake, that is exactly how the events were to play out anyway so I can learn from my mistakes and grow. Today I can choose not to board the guilt train, I can choose to move on, I can choose to “just be” in the plush green meadows of the present moment, soaking in the waters, basking in the sunlight and live free every moment.

Photo Credit: @wordspenspoken