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Does it Feel Like Your Year is Flying By?!

July 17, 2018 By Stephanie Leave a Comment

17 Jul

Hey there!

I hope you are doing great! If you are like me you are probably feeling a little crazy lately. How are we already halfway through July?! The last few months feel like they are flying by. We are more than halfway through the year. And, I hate to say it, but 2019 is going to be here before we know it.

How do you feel about that?

In the past, I have struggled with the thought of the year ending because I knew I wasn’t any closer to accomplishing my personal goals and the things that I wanted to in life. Each month that went by made me sad because I was that much closer to another year ending where I didn’t do the things I wanted to do.

See, there were major changes that I wanted to see in my life. I had big dreams, but that was it. They were just dreams. I didn’t really have goals in place or take the real steps that I needed to in order to make them happen. And, as long as I was doing that I was never going to experience those changes that I was looking for. My personal goals were never going to become reality, they were merely dreams.

What I learned in 2017 that changed all that

Well, that all changed in 2017 and it has made 2018 a blast (with challenges of its own)!

In 2017 I experienced the following:

  • My husband and I sold our house (which we wanted to do for YEARS!)
  • We moved out of Michigan (which we also wanted to do for YEARS!)
  • I quit my outside job and transitioned to working as a solopreneur
  • I began homeschooling my daughters which gave me the time with them I had desired their entire lives

There were a lot of other changes that happened, but these are the main three and I learned a LOT along the way. Here are some of the things that I learned or changed in 2017 that made the year different for me:

1. I took some risks and made some hard decisions

At the start of 2017, I was working for my local church, working as a freelance writer, and working as a travel agent specializing in Disney World travel. I loved all of the things that I was doing. But, it was too much. I was burnt out. I realized that I would never be able to really succeed in one of these areas because I was having to divide my time between too many things. So, I needed to make a choice and get focused.

I spent a lot of time praying and the answer was not what I expected it to be. I felt like I needed to focus on my content writing. So, at the end of April, I stepped down from my position at the church. It was an emotional, but it was the right decision. After I did this, the church actually offered me a better position. If this would have happened a few months earlier, I probably would have taken it, but I knew it wasn’t right. I knew I needed to step away from my work there so I stuck to my guns and politely declined. Remember, just because a door opens does not mean it’s the door for you to walk through.

Once I made this change I was able to start focusing more on growing my writing client base which led me to taking on some of my favorite clients.

2. I invested in myself

Towards the end of 2017, I decided to invest in myself and my business. I joined a membership group that is for female entrepreneurs. I’m a pretty cheap person that doesn’t like to spend money so this was a tough decision to make. But, once I did it I started to take myself more seriously as a business owner. I started to learn new strategies, tips, and tricks and have been able to connect with some amazing women from around the world. My world has expanded greatly. In fact, this blog would have never started back up again if it weren’t for me joining that membership group.

3. I moved from dreaming to planning and taking action

Dreaming is good, but it’s never going to get you anywhere unless you make a plan to go with the dream. My husband and I had wanted to sell our house for years. In fact, we had even tried to sell it a few times but we never had a real plan of what would happen after that. In 2017, we created a plan. The funny thing is the plan for our move turned upside down completely (which I will share more in detail in the future), but I don’t believe it would have happened at all if we didn’t start somewhere.

We can make our plan, but God guides our steps. I have found this to be very true in my life, but I also believe that many Christians use this Bible verse (Proverbs 16:9) as an excuse not to take action. I think some people wait for God to do it all and think that they shouldn’t take any action until God has shown them a clear path. Well, I haven’t found it to work like that in my life. When I was sitting around, praying for direction, and not taking action, nothing happened. But, I started making progress towards my personal goals when I was praying and taking action.

God gave us brains for a reason and it’s our responsibility to use them. If you are going the wrong way, he will correct it. We were moving to Florida in 2017. We actually did take our moving truck and family to Florida for a night and then ended up living in Kentucky. But, if we hadn’t taken action to get to Florida we would still be in Michigan right now. It didn’t end up being what we originally thought, but something was able to happen because we took the steps to get going.

4. I started overcoming my fears

2017 was a scary year, but it was also a learning year. I learned that the more I face my fears and take action the less scared I am. I cannot even begin to explain in this one article all the fears that I have overcome since 2017, but there are a lot of them. Fear can keep you safe in some situations, but most of the time it just stops you from making progress in your life. You are smart enough to determine if the thing you are afraid of are actually life-threatening or things that you need to face and overcome. You were not meant to live in fear.

5. I connected with some really smart and motivating people

In 2017 I started connecting with people that help me to grow my confidence and follow through on the tasks I needed to do to reach my personal goals. Some of these were my clients and some were women I met through the membership group. Through conversations with these people I learned how to grow my confidence, set personal goals, make plans to follow through, and I found the accountability that I needed.

The 2017 changes have made 2018 so different

All of these lessons learned and actions that were taken in 2107 have made 2018 so different. I no longer dread the end of the year because I know that I am making progress towards my personal goals. In fact, I can’t wait to review my year and set my goals for 2019. The things that I have done are not exceptional or things that other people haven’t already accomplished in their own life, but they are huge steps for me.

Make sure you aren’t comparing yourself with others. My 2018 isn’t better than everyone’s 2018, but it’s better than my 2017 and that’s what matters. If you are ready to start making changes this year to make your 2019 so much better I would love to help. I have found accountability to be one of the things that hold many of us back. We lack the ability to keep ourselves accountable towards our goals so we don’t make progress. Or, we try to get accountability from friends and family, but that never works before they let us off the hook way too easily (or we end up hating them if they try to get stern with us).

If you are looking for accountability, I would love to help. You can find out more here. And, another great way to start making progress is to create a plan and stick to it. If you want to try the daily planning strategy that I use you can check that out here.

You can change the rest of your 2018 and set yourself up to make 2019 your best year yet!

Filed Under: Personal Growth Tagged With: goals, personal goals

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Stuck in Your Rut


I'm a huge sucker for the sky. I love beautiful su
I'm a huge sucker for the sky. I love beautiful sunrises and sunsets. I love big white puffy clouds. I love the stars that pop out one by one at night and then just fill the entire dark canvas. 
 
I think it's that it reminds me of how small I am and how big God is. It's SO, SO easy for me to get caught up in the busyness or troubles of my daily life. I've been realizing more and more lately how much I focus on myself without really realizing it. And when I remember to shift my perspective back on God, it really opens my eyes up to all that is happening that is bigger than me and bigger than what's going on around me. 
 
The events of the past year have been a rollercoaster. And I listen to some of the people in my life who are so consumed by it all. The politics. The virus. The division. Sometimes I want to get all caught up in it too. 
 
But lately, my focus has shifted. God is so much bigger than the events of our day, our year, our lifetime. History has been filled with so many traumatic events. And unfortunately, we know the future will be as well. But as a Christian, I know that this is not what it's all about. There is something greater yet to come. And no matter how bad things get, God still wins in the end. 
 
I'm not sure how people get through difficult times if they don't know Jesus. I've seen the difference in my life from when I make God my focus vs focusing on the issues around me. The difference is astounding. 
 
If you're struggling today with all that's happening around you, or has in the past, I encourage you to shift your eyes toward Jesus. Look up at the heavens and know there is a God so much bigger than all of your challenges that loves you regardless of anything that you've done for Him. 
 
#godisgood #anxietyrelief #findingjoy #findingpeace #floridasunset

This past week I got back to having a morning rout
This past week I got back to having a morning routine. I woke up at 5:30 each day and I restructured how I spent the first 90 minutes of my day. 
 
I got into reading the Bible and praying. I exercised and drank water, and spent 30 minutes on doing something for my blog. 
 
It has been amazing. 
 
The stories of the Bible have come alive as I read them. I've felt better knowing I'm taking the step  to get in better shape. And I've wanted to spend time on my blog for so long but haven't made the time. 
 
My business as a content writer for mental health professionals, helping professionals and coaches has been slammed lately. It's a great blessing but it also makes time management crucial. 
 
To be honest, I've been burnt out and overwhelmed. My goal for this year was to focus on being intentional but I was failing at doing it. The changes I made this week are helping me get back to where I need to be. 
 
Self-care is so important. I write about it all the time for my clients. But here's the thing - it only helps if you do it. Knowing something and doing something are two different things. 
 
What are you doing for self-care right now? 
 
#selfcare #femaleentrepreneur #christianwomen #morningroutine #burnout #overwhelmed #intentionalliving

I find so much to be true about this quote. When w
I find so much to be true about this quote. When we allow fear to stop us from moving forward, the world seems just a little smaller. We watch what others are doing and wonder what they have that we don't. We wonder why them and not us. 
 
And when we allow fear to stop us from following that dream that God put in our hearts, we live with this feeling that there is untapped potential inside of us. We just know that there is more that we should be doing. And in waves, this feeling will come back again from time to time until we push it down and try to ignore it again. 
 
But what you didn't ignore it this time? What if you mustered up enough courage to do the thing that you've always dreamed of doing? What if you trusted God and took just that first little step? 
 
You'll never know what doors will open or how your world will expand until you try. 
 
#courage #dontletfearstopyou #trustingodsplan #womenoffaith

I believe it’s important to reflect on and learn
I believe it’s important to reflect on and learn from each year that we face. I also believe it’s important to set goals (I’ll talk more about that in a later post). But more than anything, I believe it’s important to be aware of the mindset that you have as you work through those processes.  
  
When you reflect from a place of fear and anxiety, you will remember and focus on the negative things that happened. It becomes difficult to see the good.  
  
When you only reflect on the good things, you miss important lessons that you should be learning about yourself and those around you.  
  
So, I challenge you, as you work through reflecting on 2020 and planning for 2021, make sure you’re in the right mindset. Don’t get stuck focusing on the bad, even if you have to work extra hard to find the good. I promise you that you’ll find it if you look hard enough.  
  
What were your defining moments of the year? Feel free to share in the comments. If you want to hear a little of my reflection and the difference on focusing on the good vs the bad, check out my latest blog post.  
  
#planningfor2021 #reflection #goalsetting #blogger

It hit me this afternoon. That feeling of being un
It hit me this afternoon. That feeling of being unstoppable. Let me transparent: My house is a mess, the dishes are piled up, I'm a little behind on some of my work, I'm wearing the same yoga pants that I had on yesterday and I'm not really sure what the future looks like. But I can feel it anyway—empowerment.  
  
Let me be clear on what I'm NOT talking about. I'm not talking about the abundance mindset. I'm not talking about believing my dreams into reality. To be honest, I don't buy into all that mumble jumble.  
  
What I do buy into is hard work. And confidence. And taking chances. I buy into and believe in the power of action.  
  
Somedays, like today, I get this super empowered feeling. I feel confidence sweep over me until it feels like my chest is just going to burst with excitement. That's something I probably wouldn't share with you on some days because I'd be too self-conscious to admit it to the world.  
  
But on days like today, where my confidence is rocking, I don't mind saying it. Because on days like today, I'm not worried about what everyone else will think as they read it.  
  
What I'm more concerned about is the fact that there are millions of women that don't allow themselves to experience this feeling. I'm worried about the fact that there are women who feel day in and day out like they aren't enough. Or that they can't make a difference in their own life. Or that all of the good things out there are for someone else and not for them.  
  
That's what I'm worried about today. Because I want you to have this feeling of intense determination that you can live the life you want to live. That you can be bold and confident, even if it's in a quiet and behind-the-scenes type of way.  
  
The world is a crazy mess right now. But you don't have to be. You don't have to buy into all that stress and drama. You don't have to live the way the media makes you think you do. You are powerful. You are capable. And you can be unstoppable.  
  
"For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." - 2 Timothy 1:7  
 
#motivationforwomen #womeninspiringwomen #unstoppable #youcandoit #womenempowerment

Some days there's this mean girl that says all kin
Some days there's this mean girl that says all kinds of bad things about me. She works hard to tell me that I can't accomplish the things that I want to do. She reminds me of all my mistakes and how I don't measure up. She calls me names and points out all my imperfections. 
 
She's simply awful. 
 
She is my worst enemy on a lot of days. 
 
She's also me. It's my voice doing the talking. 
 
Self-talk is so important in life. You can have the best situation, be the most talented person, and have such a passion to do things but then that voice in your head jumps in and shuts it all down. 
 
Years ago, I started to really pay attention to the way that I thought. It was ridiculous. It didn't take long to realize that my poor thought life was taking me down a road that I didn't want to travel. But by not keeping my self-talk in check, I was going that direction any way. 
 
Your thoughts matter. What you allow yourself to think will be part of shaping how you feel and what you believe is possible. If you're always thinking bad things about yourself, or telling yourself that you "can't", then you won't. 
 
Your thoughts matter. Take control of your thoughts and you can take control of your life. 
 
That sounds simple enough, but controlling your thoughts is incredibly difficult, especially when you're just getting started. You'll spend the entire day engaged in a battle in your mind that others can't see. You'll collapse into bed at night because you are mentally exhausted from the battle for your mind. It's tiring work, but it's important. And just like with any change, if you stick with it, it will start to get easier over time. You'll have to fight less. 
 
One thing you can do to make it easier is to have a few positive things to shift your attention to when you catch yourself thinking negatively. I like to use Bible verses that remind me of who God says I am and what He says I'm capable of. 
 
Do you struggle with negative self talk? 
 
 
#motivationforwomen #selftalk #selftalkmatters #changeyourthoughtschangeyourlife #encouragementforwomen #encouragementformoms


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I'm a huge sucker for the sky. I love beautiful su I'm a huge sucker for the sky. I love beautiful sunrises and sunsets. I love big white puffy clouds. I love the stars that pop out one by one at night and then just fill the entire dark canvas. 
 
I think it's that it reminds me of how small I am and how big God is. It's SO, SO easy for me to get caught up in the busyness or troubles of my daily life. I've been realizing more and more lately how much I focus on myself without really realizing it. And when I remember to shift my perspective back on God, it really opens my eyes up to all that is happening that is bigger than me and bigger than what's going on around me. 
 
The events of the past year have been a rollercoaster. And I listen to some of the people in my life who are so consumed by it all. The politics. The virus. The division. Sometimes I want to get all caught up in it too. 
 
But lately, my focus has shifted. God is so much bigger than the events of our day, our year, our lifetime. History has been filled with so many traumatic events. And unfortunately, we know the future will be as well. But as a Christian, I know that this is not what it's all about. There is something greater yet to come. And no matter how bad things get, God still wins in the end. 
 
I'm not sure how people get through difficult times if they don't know Jesus. I've seen the difference in my life from when I make God my focus vs focusing on the issues around me. The difference is astounding. 
 
If you're struggling today with all that's happening around you, or has in the past, I encourage you to shift your eyes toward Jesus. Look up at the heavens and know there is a God so much bigger than all of your challenges that loves you regardless of anything that you've done for Him. 
 
#godisgood #anxietyrelief #findingjoy #findingpeace #floridasunset
This past week I got back to having a morning rout This past week I got back to having a morning routine. I woke up at 5:30 each day and I restructured how I spent the first 90 minutes of my day. 
 
I got into reading the Bible and praying. I exercised and drank water, and spent 30 minutes on doing something for my blog. 
 
It has been amazing. 
 
The stories of the Bible have come alive as I read them. I've felt better knowing I'm taking the step  to get in better shape. And I've wanted to spend time on my blog for so long but haven't made the time. 
 
My business as a content writer for mental health professionals, helping professionals and coaches has been slammed lately. It's a great blessing but it also makes time management crucial. 
 
To be honest, I've been burnt out and overwhelmed. My goal for this year was to focus on being intentional but I was failing at doing it. The changes I made this week are helping me get back to where I need to be. 
 
Self-care is so important. I write about it all the time for my clients. But here's the thing - it only helps if you do it. Knowing something and doing something are two different things. 
 
What are you doing for self-care right now? 
 
#selfcare #femaleentrepreneur #christianwomen #morningroutine #burnout #overwhelmed #intentionalliving
I find so much to be true about this quote. When w I find so much to be true about this quote. When we allow fear to stop us from moving forward, the world seems just a little smaller. We watch what others are doing and wonder what they have that we don't. We wonder why them and not us. 
 
And when we allow fear to stop us from following that dream that God put in our hearts, we live with this feeling that there is untapped potential inside of us. We just know that there is more that we should be doing. And in waves, this feeling will come back again from time to time until we push it down and try to ignore it again. 
 
But what you didn't ignore it this time? What if you mustered up enough courage to do the thing that you've always dreamed of doing? What if you trusted God and took just that first little step? 
 
You'll never know what doors will open or how your world will expand until you try. 
 
#courage #dontletfearstopyou #trustingodsplan #womenoffaith
I believe it’s important to reflect on and learn I believe it’s important to reflect on and learn from each year that we face. I also believe it’s important to set goals (I’ll talk more about that in a later post). But more than anything, I believe it’s important to be aware of the mindset that you have as you work through those processes.  
  
When you reflect from a place of fear and anxiety, you will remember and focus on the negative things that happened. It becomes difficult to see the good.  
  
When you only reflect on the good things, you miss important lessons that you should be learning about yourself and those around you.  
  
So, I challenge you, as you work through reflecting on 2020 and planning for 2021, make sure you’re in the right mindset. Don’t get stuck focusing on the bad, even if you have to work extra hard to find the good. I promise you that you’ll find it if you look hard enough.  
  
What were your defining moments of the year? Feel free to share in the comments. If you want to hear a little of my reflection and the difference on focusing on the good vs the bad, check out my latest blog post.  
  
#planningfor2021 #reflection #goalsetting #blogger
It hit me this afternoon. That feeling of being un It hit me this afternoon. That feeling of being unstoppable. Let me transparent: My house is a mess, the dishes are piled up, I'm a little behind on some of my work, I'm wearing the same yoga pants that I had on yesterday and I'm not really sure what the future looks like. But I can feel it anyway—empowerment.  
  
Let me be clear on what I'm NOT talking about. I'm not talking about the abundance mindset. I'm not talking about believing my dreams into reality. To be honest, I don't buy into all that mumble jumble.  
  
What I do buy into is hard work. And confidence. And taking chances. I buy into and believe in the power of action.  
  
Somedays, like today, I get this super empowered feeling. I feel confidence sweep over me until it feels like my chest is just going to burst with excitement. That's something I probably wouldn't share with you on some days because I'd be too self-conscious to admit it to the world.  
  
But on days like today, where my confidence is rocking, I don't mind saying it. Because on days like today, I'm not worried about what everyone else will think as they read it.  
  
What I'm more concerned about is the fact that there are millions of women that don't allow themselves to experience this feeling. I'm worried about the fact that there are women who feel day in and day out like they aren't enough. Or that they can't make a difference in their own life. Or that all of the good things out there are for someone else and not for them.  
  
That's what I'm worried about today. Because I want you to have this feeling of intense determination that you can live the life you want to live. That you can be bold and confident, even if it's in a quiet and behind-the-scenes type of way.  
  
The world is a crazy mess right now. But you don't have to be. You don't have to buy into all that stress and drama. You don't have to live the way the media makes you think you do. You are powerful. You are capable. And you can be unstoppable.  
  
"For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." - 2 Timothy 1:7  
 
#motivationforwomen #womeninspiringwomen #unstoppable #youcandoit #womenempowerment
Some days there's this mean girl that says all kin Some days there's this mean girl that says all kinds of bad things about me. She works hard to tell me that I can't accomplish the things that I want to do. She reminds me of all my mistakes and how I don't measure up. She calls me names and points out all my imperfections. 
 
She's simply awful. 
 
She is my worst enemy on a lot of days. 
 
She's also me. It's my voice doing the talking. 
 
Self-talk is so important in life. You can have the best situation, be the most talented person, and have such a passion to do things but then that voice in your head jumps in and shuts it all down. 
 
Years ago, I started to really pay attention to the way that I thought. It was ridiculous. It didn't take long to realize that my poor thought life was taking me down a road that I didn't want to travel. But by not keeping my self-talk in check, I was going that direction any way. 
 
Your thoughts matter. What you allow yourself to think will be part of shaping how you feel and what you believe is possible. If you're always thinking bad things about yourself, or telling yourself that you "can't", then you won't. 
 
Your thoughts matter. Take control of your thoughts and you can take control of your life. 
 
That sounds simple enough, but controlling your thoughts is incredibly difficult, especially when you're just getting started. You'll spend the entire day engaged in a battle in your mind that others can't see. You'll collapse into bed at night because you are mentally exhausted from the battle for your mind. It's tiring work, but it's important. And just like with any change, if you stick with it, it will start to get easier over time. You'll have to fight less. 
 
One thing you can do to make it easier is to have a few positive things to shift your attention to when you catch yourself thinking negatively. I like to use Bible verses that remind me of who God says I am and what He says I'm capable of. 
 
Do you struggle with negative self talk? 
 
 
#motivationforwomen #selftalk #selftalkmatters #changeyourthoughtschangeyourlife #encouragementforwomen #encouragementformoms
Fall has always been my favorite season. I love th Fall has always been my favorite season. I love the colors on the trees, trips to the apple cider for homemade doughnuts, and the crisp air in the morning. 
 
Beautiful, sunny, fall days are some of my favorite days. 
 
But when October hits, it can steal some of my enjoyment of the season. You see, October brings about the beginning of the 4th quarter of the year. It's a time to reflect on what I've accomplished—or didn't accomplish— during the first 3 quarters. 
 
And it's a time to force myself to get realistic about what I can actually accomplish before the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve. Most years, I'm not where I want to be for hitting the final quarter of the year. 
 
But this year, I'm excited for the final sprint of the year. I'm excited to see what I can accomplish in a year that was full of so many challenges and difficult times. 
 
And it's not that I've done anything amazing this year compared to other years. It's just that I'm changing my focus and perspective. 
 
What areas of your life do you need to change your focus on in order to reclaim some of the joy in your life? 
 
#choosehappiness #changeyourperspective #4thquarter #October #femaleentrepreneur #finishstrong
Are you stressed? Do you have days where you feel Are you stressed? Do you have days where you feel like this year is too much to handle? Are you trying to figure out what's wrong with you and why you just can't focus on what you need to? 
 
It's not just you. 
 
I'm hearing this from friends and family. I'm seeing it with my clients and picking up on it from social media posts. 
 
Don't feel like you're alone. It doesn't mean there is something wrong with you. It just means you are a human living through what's likely one of the most challenging years that you've had. 
 
2020 just seems to pile it on and many of us were already stressed in 2019 and before. 
 
Take a deep breath.  Cry if you need to. Then spend a few minutes doing something you enjoy that recharges you. Pray. Laugh.  Rest. 
 
It will be OK, even if it doesn't feel like it right now. 
 
 

#encouragementfortheday #stress #encouragementforwomen #selfcare #

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