Intentional 21 - A Journaling Journey

Journaling has been a blessing for me from the moment it came it to my life. I began journaling years ago by taking part in a 7 day journaling challenge I'd found on social media, but it quickly became a daily practice that lasted long after the challenge was over. 

Journaling allows me to reflect, dive deep into my own wisdom, and embrace my truth. 

For Christmas I created a 10 day email series of journal prompts for my family and friends. I revised that series and created a 7 day series which I shared with my social networks, and now I am offering a 21 day journaling series called Intentional 21. I am launching the series on March 1st, and it will carry us right into the first day of Spring, with the last email coming in on March 21st. 

Each email will contain a mantra meant to encourage, a quote meant to inspire, and a prompt meant to help you reflect on where you have been, where you are, and where you would like to go.

To participate in this transformative and illuminating series, sign up here. 

 

making room

If you walked into my house you might not think that a minimalist lives here. You might look at my shelves full of books or my son's truck collection tucked neatly under the coffee table or the shoes lined up by the front door or any number of things, and think, nope, no way.

But on my journey to streamline and simplify my life, I have learned that what minimalism looks like shifts depending on the lens of the person imagining it. 

When I walk through my home I see space where I once saw clutter, order where there once was chaos (albeit organized chaos). My life feels calmer and it feels like there is now space for the things I've been working to manifest. 

I have been asking the universe for abundance while my life was already full to the brim with things I didn't need, things that had long since stopped serving their purpose, things that were weighing me down. Where was the universe supposed to send that abundance, and even if the universe sent it, where would I have put it? I had no room. 

I have been surprised at every turn by how much more clear my mind feels as I clear my physical space, and how full my life still feels despite having so much less. 

P.S. My journey through minimalism has been greatly aided by my best friend Patrice King, CP Patrick aka The AfroMinimalist, Brown Kids, and The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. 

What Dreams May Come

This year did not turn out the way I expected. Who I was at the beginning of this year is not who I am now. 

I feel like I have been altered on a soul deep level. 

There are few similarities between the life I projected out into the future this time last year, and the one I am currently living. 

A lot of this has to do with my love of research and planning. I like to see the road out ahead of me and anticipate what's coming. When I commit to something I read up on the subject at length and create whole files dedicated to ensuring that I am prepared for all potential outcomes, but that's just not realistic. That's not how life works. 

There is no way for me to foresee everything that lies ahead. It is not possible for me to plan for all of life's circumstances, and these are truths that I have been working through and am still in the process of making my peace with. Doing this has required that I stop micromanaging myself.

Everything in life does not need to come attached to a deadline. 

There have been (and I am sure will be) many times when I get so caught up in the end game that I forget to enjoy the process of creation. Milestones are wonderful and should be celebrated, but the milestones are the highlight reel. All that stuff in between: the struggle, the hard work, the tears, the determination, the good days, the bad days, is what make the wins so sweet, because you know all you did to get there. 

My 2015 was a very goal-driven year, and there is nothing wrong with that. It taught be a great deal. But I want to try something different in the year to come. 

2016 will be a journey-driven year. 

A year to fall in love with creating again, and a year to give my head a break, so that I can listen with my heart for a little while. 

Highlight Reel

We live in a time when the whole world is a swipe or a keystroke away. Social media allows us glimpses into the lives and thoughts of family, friends, co-workers and even perfect strangers. 

With people sharing intimate events like the birth of their children, proposals, private family moments and more, we can end up with a false sense of intimacy.

We can sometimes think we know how a person is doing because we've dropped in on their page or commented on a recent post, but there are sentiments that can't always be conveyed by words on the screen. Beyond that, what many people post on social media or chronicle on their blogs amount to a highlight reel. 

Just because it doesn't look like someone is struggling doesn't mean they're not. Just because everything looks "perfect" from the outside looking in, doesn't mean it is.

Just because a person only or mostly shares their triumphs, doesn't mean their challenges don't exist. 

Feeling pain and hurt and despair and sadness is often presented as a weakness. It can be tough to express those feelings in a public forum, which is why many times people don't. The person we present to the public does not always reflect the fullness of our journey.

We need to remember that people are more than what they post.