January: A Month in Review

Have you ever taken the time to sit back and reflect on the day or week you just had?

Today, I want to take a moment and reflect on January 2017 the first month of this mostly unwritten year.  I believe it is so important to take time to think and process the things that have passed to be able to figure out what worked and what didn't.  Where I struggled and where I saw victory.  Reflecting on my actions and decisions gives me the tools I need for the future.  I am not the same woman today I was on January 1st 2017  because thanks to taking the time to reflect I now know exactly how I want to proceed this month to make it a productive one.

Last month started with a bang for me.  I was determined, It was a new year and I had all these projects I wanted to conquer and the drive to achieve them but then life happened.  I have been struggling with some chronic health issues which has been tough. Last month I felt like I was grieving the person I used to be because everything had come to a head and I didn't realize that all of these projects/goals were taking a toll on my health and I wasn't able to juggle everything at the same time.  Not only did my goals for 2017 suffer but my home life and work life did too.  I had to take some time to have a big cry and get all of my frustration out of the way.  I do not accept defeat easily and I am so thankful for the support I had from my loved ones (especially my husband) in encouraging me to take time to sort things out to see where I was and how to move forward.

I was slowly letting things slide and that was super frustrating to me.  Every day when reviewing my planner there were so many things left undone and I was so discouraged. The last week of January I was able to start piecing things together and make progress.  I realized that my goals had become a burden instead of being something enjoyable. I was scrolling through the fitness page I am a part of and stumbled upon a recommendation for The Purposeful Home Podcast.  This series has only started and has already helped me so much. The girls that host the show give steps on how to achieve your goals with a purposeful mindset. That is exactly what I needed. It was a huge reset button for me in a good way. I realized it was okay to leave some things undone for the time being and how to rearrange my priorities to get the right things done. I am slowly learning how to live my life with purpose and how to do everything with purpose. They encouraged listeners to pick a phrase/word to define their year instead of setting resolutions. Something that transcends into all aspects of your life. This was a new concept, but it really got me thinking.

It was super easy for me to come up with my word/phrase because it seemed to have been popping up everywhere in my life this past year and at the start of 2017. I chose the word COMMITTED. Only because as much as I am a lists person and like to get things done when I say I will.  I also need to be able to give myself the appropriate amount of time and not be so hard on myself when things don't work out as planned.  My race now is very different than what it used to be and I have learned to accept that and am attempting to live within the season of life I am going through.

So if there is anyone sick of failing at their resolutions or the goals they have set. Take a moment to reevaluate how your approaching your goals and truly examine if that method works for you.  If it doesn't don't be afraid to branch out and look for other ways.  What's important is that you don't give up.  I sure wont!

Anyone that has made it this far and read the whole post, thank you.  I know it's a bit of a ramble but I truly hope this is able to impact a life and encourage you to pursue your dreams this year.

Thanks for stopping by.

Mia 

New Year New Goals

Happy New Year Curlies!!

I know it's been a long time since I posted on here but all of that is about to change.

2016 was a tough year for me for various reasons.  But this year I dont want to start out like other years and say "New Year, New Me" I'm the same girl I've always been I just have greater goals and have decided to stay committed to those goals so that I can end this year with as much energy and enthusiasm as I started it. So, here we go!

1. Staying Organized

I find that my biggest struggle is often quite simple, staying organized.  I have all these great ideas and things I want to do but instead of writing them down and breaking down steps on how to fulfill or accomplish these goals I get overwhelmed trying to do them all in one go; or I just forget what my great idea was in the first place. lol  

My bestest chum must have known this somehow because one of my Christmas gifts from her this year was a Planner.  Aaannnd I love that thing!  When thinking of how to set up my planner so that I was productive and staying on task I decided I would set up my current monthly calendar with basic things such as date nights, birthdays, paydays and appointments.
But am only detail one week at a time.  

Setting a small goal such as completing all my tasks for one week will encourage and give me the motivation for the following week and will prevent me from setting myself up for failure.  I am not sure how this will work seeing as we are only in the first week, but so far I have accomplished 20 tasks I set for Sunday - Wednesday with blogging being the 21st task so I would say I am on a pretty good roll.  And none of those tasks were work related.  They were all personal and baby steps to help me stay on target this year.  If you haven't invested in a planner for 2017 I highly recommend it.
It's so much fun crossing something off of your to-do list once you have completed it!

2. Being Present

I have come to find I can be consumed by my electronics; my iPhone, iPad, MacBook and all the apps that come along with.  But this year I want to challenge myself to being present.  Truly enjoying the company of those around me.  There is nothing wrong with checking in with social media or browsing YouTube or the TV but when it consumes us life becomes unbalanced what will our memories be about? I would much rather spend a night playing a game of cards and chatting than sitting in front of a TV watching other people live life.  There is so much beauty around us and so much we can learn from the people within reach that sometimes I feel we lose sight of that and I for one want to get that back and make meaningful memories in 2017 by unplug from time to time. 

3. My Walk With God

I've noticed that when things get tough I tend to internalize and shut down and that is exactly what I have done over the course of 2016.  When things got tough instead of running towards God I slowly drifted away and my walk with him and spiritual life suffered for it.  I am not saying I was always in the valley but I know for sure I wasn't on the mountain top nearly as much as I could have been.  I was lost somewhere wandering around on the mountain lol. 

For Christmas I gifted my two best friends a bible reading journal and got one for myself too. It has truly helped my walk with God so much in the last two weeks.  Because it holds me accountable and it bugs me when I miss a day and have a blank page or the dates aren't consecutive.  I want to strengthen my walk with my Savior because He is my source of strength and things just work out so much better than I could have ever imagined when I put my cares in the hands of the one who loves me more than anyone in this world!  

4. Blogging

I started this blog to track my hair growth journey and to help girls who were as scared or as skeptical as I felt when I did my big chop. But I think I only posted a hand full of times and my desire for 2017 is to recommit to my blog and post on a more consistent basis.  I still don't know how often, I just know that I would like to continue documenting my curly hair journey as well and reviewing current products I am loving.
And just as a quick update, its been 13 months since I decided to focus on making my hair healthy again and I am very proud to say it's grown 5-6 inches since the big chop and my curl definition has increased so much! I am truly looking forward to putting a post together detailing my progress. 

5. My Health & Fitness

This one is very special to me and is my biggest goal yet.  For the last 10 years of my life I have been struggling with some very frustrating health problems.  Not only was I unable to do the things I wanted but I was flying in the dark.  I had no idea what was causing me to struggle with some of the most basic functions so many take for granted.  It has truly been difficult for me and very discouraging but I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and although I have some pretty big fitness/health goals.  I plan to achieve them over the course of this year by setting small goals that will help me reach my overall goal because I refuse to set myself up for failure.

I'm so glad I got that all out there lol.  Less clutter in my brain :)
I hope you all enjoyed this post and that it encourages some of you to set some goals for 2017 that are important to you and that will set you up for the greatness you are destined for!

I'd love to hear some of your goals for 2017.  Feel free to post them down below or send me a link to your blog.  I am always looking for girls to inspire and motivate me.

Thanks for stopping by!  See you all next week!

xoxo Mia