I know you guys have been waiting for this post and I’m so sorry it took me this many days to get it up. I came down with some kind of nasty cough/sore throat sickness late last week and it just knocked me on my butt for way too many days. In fact, I’m still struggling to sleep because the coughing struggle is real…
I have started writing this post like 7 times and my brain has just been so foggy, so I’m just going to go for it, and if it turns out a little crazy, so be it.
So let’s talk about the 5 simple things I did last year to live my best life.
- I stopped trying to do so much everyday. I’m a list person. I love to make lists for myself and then check things off all day. The problem was, I used to make massive lists for myself everyday and it was making me frazzled and late to everything. I wrote a whole post about this in the spring, all about how I figured out that if I stopped trying to do so many dang things in a day that I (surprisingly) was able to accomplish more, and that I stopped being late to every last thing in my life. My days were more full of joy and I just felt less frazzled. If you find yourself late to everything, or over booking yourself, I highly recommend going and reading that post.
2. I made God a priority. I have learned there’s a difference between saying something is important to you, and living it. I am a deeply religious person, but in the last few years my quality time with my Heavenly Father has fallen short. A combination of my kids getting older and our life being more hectic, my business and work expanding and taking more of my time, and frankly just getting into lazy habits, meant that I wasn’t putting my whole heart into my worship or scripture study.
While we were in Europe we attended church in Switzerland. We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ, and there are congregations all over the world so we just looked up the local one and went. The woman speaking that Sunday (in French) gave the most beautiful talk about seeking the Lord first. (So thankful for the missionaries who gave us headphones and then translated, because while we all speak some French, we’re definitely not fluent.). Anyway. I wish I could adequately describe how much I felt the holy ghost while she spoke, but my heart was burning. I know that God was answering my prayers through her. I sit here as I write this and it still gives me chills thinking about how he inspired some lovely Swiss woman to give a talk that Sunday when we randomly attended their meeting that would answer a question I had been praying about for months and months.
And the question was, “How do I carry this load: family, work, home, etc. without becoming so drained, so worn out, and having my spirit dry up.” And she answered this prayer. Seek first the kingdom of God. It’s funny how you know these things, but then you kind of forget them. When we yoke ourselves to God we are so much stronger. With God all things are possible.
So I started doing this. Putting God first. I started really taking the time to study my scriptures and pray with real intent. I took time to worship in our temple. We’ve always gone to church every Sunday, but I tried to be more engaged, present and joyful while I was there. I started listening to General Conference talks (sermons from our church leaders) on my drives instead of just the radio. I cannot even begin to describe the peace and strength that came to me from putting God first. Doors opened, I became more capable, and I was more effective. Truly, with God all things are possible. (Matthew 7: 7-11)
3. I set my intentions. I talked about this on my instagram the other day, and here is what I said: “Do you set intentions for the year? I don’t call them goals, or resolutions because those are easy to cast aside when we (inevitably) get lazy. But an intention is well, more intentional. It’s a commitment you make to yourself to make something happen for you. 3 years ago I set the intention to move to New England and buy an old farmhouse, by December we were under contract on our farm. Last year in January I set the intention to take our whole family to Europe and start a new lifestyle brand before the end of the year. We took all 6 of us to Europe for 3 weeks in August and I launched @soprovincial at the end of November. This year I am setting my biggest intentions yet and I can’t wait to make them happen. Anything is possible, I promise.”
Setting intentions is about making a commitment to your dreams, to the things you want. It’s about being brave enough to say them out loud and then work and pray to make them happen. It’s about mindfully approaching your year and your life rather than getting caught up in the minutia of it all and letting life just happen. There things to act and things to be acted upon. When we set intentions and then work towards them we become agents who act in our own life, rather than letting life act upon us. It’s about taking ownership of your day, your year and your life. There is no excuse for a life poorly lived. We each have the power, no matter our circumstances to make our life something incredible. This is one of the key principles my husband and I are instilling in our kids.
4. I made time for friends. I know a lot of us moms can fall into the trap of getting so busy and wrapped up in our family and life that we don’t make time to have friends, but it is so important. Especially as women. Women need other women. I grew up with a lot of sisters, and I have missed having built in best friends since I left home. And because all my sisters live on the other side of the country, and we have moved many times, there was a point over the last couple years when I really started feeling like an island. We live out in the country, and I found making friends on the East Coast a little trickier than I had before. I was super lonely and just got in a habit of staying home too much and being inside my own head way too much. In the spring of last year, I started making some more friends here in Connecticut and it was life changing. These girls enjoyed antiquing and were fun, creative and inspiring. They invited me on a girls weekend, and I actually let myself say yes, instead of feeling guilty about leaving my family for the weekend. Halfway through I texted my husband and said, “I feel like I found my people!”
I cannot believe the difference I have felt finding some good friends who inspire me, and taking the time to have fun with them. Every woman needs a flock, even if it’s a little one. Find your people, and make time to hang out with them. We all need to have a life outside of work and home responsibilities. And I found that getting out has helped me be more inspired, productive and excited about life.
5. I scheduled my workouts. I don’t mean this to sound dramatic, but I started going to Orange Theory back in October and it literally changed my life.
Exercise is important to your mental and physical health. I know and believe this. But it had become a source of stress and anxiety in my life because I was always trying to fit it in around all the other things I was doing. Which meant I was not being consistent, and I always felt stressed and guilty for not getting it done. Or worse, I would get it done, but it would take half the morning to finally get to it, which meant I wasn’t dressed and ready for the day until 11 am. I hate that. Like I literally hate that.
I went and did my first OTF class in the middle of October, and it changed my life. First of all, I thought there was no way I was going to sign up because the closest studio to me is half an hour away. But I fell in love with the workout the first time I did it. I knew it was something that would work really well for me. So I got a membership. With Orange Theory you have to schedule your classes in advance, and you can only cancel up to 8 hours before, something I thought I would find irritating, but it turns out is super effective. I take the 5 am OTF class, which means I need to leave my house by 4:25 which means I am up by 4 am in the morning. I never in a million years would have thought I’d be able to do that consistently. But, I have. Because I have scheduled my workouts and I don’t cancel on me. It’s the first thing I do in the morning, I get up and go and I’m committed (because it’s too late to cancel) so I don’t even try to talk myself out of it, or hit snooze. My alarm goes off and I launch myself out of bed and off to workout. Now at least 3 days a week, I’ve got an amazing 500 calorie workout in before 6 in the morning. It’s the best feeling in the world and it sets my whole day up for success. And an added benefit, working out helps eliminate my anxiety, helps me sleep better, makes me more productive all day, and I just have a greater sense of well-being in general.
So there you have it! 5 simple things I started doing to live my best life.
