Journey of Grace

As a parent, I often get lost in the mix. After work, kids, meals, laundry, dishes, and overall just managing a home, business, and family at the end of most days I have spent zero time on taking care of myself. We all know the saying, you can't pour from an empty cup, but it is so hard to remember this when you have kids who need you every waking moment.

Even though I know I need to dedicate time to taking care of myself I don't do it. Knowing really makes no difference and I keep repeating the same patterns over and over. I'm also clear this is not unique to me, this is a human experience. We all do things that are contrary to what we know is best and get stuck in a never-ending cycle. How do we get out of it? How do we break the cycle?

In all the personal development I've done over the years one thing I know for sure is I will never break a cycle until I am willing to have life go a different way for me. 100% of the time I'm stuck in a repetitive cycle because I get more satisfaction out of the cycle than I do out of breaking it, even when I don't want to admit it. Sometimes I get to be right about how busy I am or I get to complain that my circumstances are too hard so people will empathize and not hold me accountable. Sometimes I just want to be pouty and avoid life through binging Netflix instead of being responsible. None of this is really wrong but ultimately it doesn't get me what my heart really wants.

I am a busy person, I have 3 small kids, a husband, a full-time job, and a full-time business. I'm busy but I don't have to be absent. If you're reading this you also have a unique set of circumstances that give you lots of reasons and excuses for not getting what you want. I will use being tired at the end of the day as an excuse for why I didn't take care of myself but really did I set up my environment to have me win? If I'm being honest, no! It requires work, it requires attention and it requires a commitment to do it but ultimately it's completely attainable if I want it. To be honest with myself, I've been more invested in hiding out than in allowing myself to actually succeed.

Now What?

With all of that said, now what? I found myself at a fork in the road. Do I keep living in the shadows or do I step out into success with the possibility I fall flat on my face? I choose the tight rope!

This past Monday I started a new online seminar called Beyond Fitness - A Breakthrough in Well-Being. I've actually taken this seminar before and really loved it so was excited to do it from a fresh set of eyes. The main thing I love about this particular seminar is that it's not about telling you how to eat better or exercise because ultimately we all know that stuff or we can get access to unlimited resources about it. The seminar is about allowing you to have your well-being and the whole world of taking care of yourself occur as natural instead of hard work. For me, taking care of myself does occur like hard work which is probably why I avoid it. So here's what I'm creating for this seminar

My game is called 80 Days of Grace. I chose 80 days because that's the length of the seminar I'm in but if you want to play along with me you can choose any length of time. For 80 days in a row, I will be focusing on food, family, and fun. Make sure to follow my progress under the hashtag #thegracegame over on Instagram and tag me in your posts if you are playing along. You can download a blank copy of my game template by clicking here and fill it in with your own commitments.

This game isn't about being perfect or not messing up but ultimately about learning how to love myself. It's about filling my own cup so I can be the biggest possible contribution to my family and my community. This is all scary and unchartered territory for me, I like letting others shine, it gives me joy. But I want my girls to grow up knowing that they are gifts to this world too, that when they shine others shine, and if Mom isn't willing to do that they will never learn it.

"Let your light shine so brightly that others can see their way out of the dark." Katrina Mayer