2021 Check-In
My Phrase of the Year
Hi friends!
Each July I enjoy taking time to pause and reflect how my year is going, so I thought it would be healthy to touch base about that! In January, I decided that my mantra of the year was to be faithful in little things. I wanted to re-frame the way I view mundane responsibilities and apply the same attitude that I would have for any larger-scale task to them.
I cannot overstate how helpful this phrase has been! I’ve done words for the past two years, but neither of those words has helped me nearly as much as this phrase has already in just six months.
The most unexpected benefit of this phrase? Significant release of pressure! As I’ve mentioned before, life with a chronic illness can be quite burdensome. I often begin each day with a base level of physical and mental exhaustion, which complicates even the minimum daily tasks. I find it less overwhelming to simply focus on the next right thing before me and go from there. It’s easier to start small and gain momentum than to take huge bites and burnout fast.
Since I’ve been more intentional with the little, inconspicuous tasks each day, I feel considerably less pressure to make everything I want happen at once. And that means it’s less stressful and discouraging when my symptoms veto those loftier intentions. It’s a win-win!
As much as I crave big dramatic breakthroughs, milestone life accomplishments or just generally getting a “normal” life back, I know that I am still in a season of planting seeds rather than sowing them. When you plant seeds, they go into the ground and you don’t see them for while, but planting, tilling, pruning and watering them is arguably the most important part of the process. The daily load not only lightens, but becomes more fulfilling.
Planting seeds and and being faithful with the daily grind each day can definitely still be difficult—especially when we don’t see immediate changes. It’s easy to grind away for a set amount of time, but when we don’t know the timeline, it can be hard to stay motivated! I’ve found the key there to be including others in the process. It’s okay to admit feeling burned out, frustrated and defeated at times to people we trust. And usually those friends are the ones who can recognize progress in us that we can’t always see. Sometimes hearing that I am actually making some progress is enough to refresh my motivation!
What About You?
Many people set goals, resolutions or general hopes for each year. Now that we are halfway through 2021, I’m curious to hear how your visions or resolutions have been going!