- I looked at my year end goals and really felt what it would feel like to have them completed. How would I feel when I had them all under my belt? I sat in that feeling and felt all of the good things surrounding me.
- I broke my goals up into different categories. This allowed me to take the things that I value the most and create goals that would make the most sense. My categories were mind, body, spirit and life. So I have a mindset goal, a physical goal, a spiritual goal and a lifestyle goal.
- I worked backwards, and broke down my goals into different chunks. That way I can have some wins right away, and start really seeing results.
I took my big goal, and broke it down into a small goal for each category that I can start now, and feel good when I hit each small goal. - I am giving myself grace. I know that I won’t be able to do everything everyday…life happens. I am starting out with 2-3 days a week for some of my goals, and knowing that I will build up over time.
I want the wins!! - Reevaluate every month. You can add goals, or take them back if you get overly excited. It’s ok to recommit and start fresh each month too.
The moon is a constant in our lives. We see it with so much regularity, that sometimes it floats into the background of the night sky.
Over the next few blogs, we are going to learn about how the moon affects us and how we can best harness the power of the moon. But first we need to get a clarity on what the phases of the moon are.
We learn about the moon in science class, and yet we don’t always remember that the moon has so much power over our earthly plane. The moon is a repeating pattern. It is a cycle.
The four parts that are easiest for me to remember are the New Moon (completely dark) and the Full Moon (it is all lit). The quarters can be tricky because when someone says the first or third quarter they are speaking in terms of the moon's full cycle. Then there is the tricky stuff, waxing and waning. Waxing means to become larger and waning means to get smaller.
The full cycle goes like this: New Moon (fully dark), Waxing Crescent (¼ of the right lit), First Quarter (right half of the moon lit), Waxing Gibbous (¾ of the right side lit), Full Moon (fully lit), Waning Gibbous (¾ of the left side lit), Third Quarter (left half of the moon lit), Waning Crescent (¼ of the left lit) and back again to the New Moon.
Oh boy…that was a lot of sciency stuff (hopefully you kept up).
Now for some fun facts!
A full cycle of the moon is 29 and a half days. Which is why we typically see a full moon once a month, with some months having two. That is when we get our Blue Moon.
There are some differing definitions of a Blue Moon. Most people think of a blue moon as any calendar month that has two full moons, but that is just one of them. The other definition is called a seasonal Blue Moon. A seasonal Blue Moon is when there are four Full Moons in an astronomical season. If there are four Full Moons between the Summer Solstice and the day before the Autumnal Equinox (the first day of fall) you would have a seasonal Blue Moon. This can happen in any of the astronomical seasons.
The seasonal Blue Moon is pretty rare, so I really celebrate by lighting candles and send blessings to the moon.
See you next time as we talk more about the power of the moon!
xo -Sarah
Join my Facebook group Women Finding Freedom in Your Feminine Power for more on this journey. We are a fun community of women supporting each other on our journey to shine their true light for the world.
Have you ever made a great New Year’s Resolution? And actually kept it? Keeping them, that is the tricky thing about making resolutions. I tend to keep mine through January…sometimes longer. Mostly, those resolutions are dreams and unattainable because there is no plan at all as to how to make my dreams my reality.
Not this year…no, this year was different.
Yes, I did make a new goal for my new year!
Yes, I did break it down into a small monthly goal.
I did everything right. I made S.M.A.R.T goals. And I started in December, so my resolution for the New Year already had a running start.
Everything was going fantastic. I had just accomplished my December goal and I was on cloud nine. I set my January goal, and even gave myself the weekends off so that it was more achievable.
I know that the person who shows up for a goal on day one can start to lose energy and momentum as the days turn into weeks, and the weeks turn into months. Knowing this, I made sure to see where my energy level was, and commit to a goal that was easily attainable. I made a truthful assessment and went from there.
And then I slipped.
It wasn’t from lack of trying or wanting to meet my goal. Instead it was from getting sick. I mean really sick, where I wasn’t even out of bed for longer than a quick shower. Standing and sitting up were not really part of the plan. So I made a choice…let my body rest and be OK with it.
I knew that if I had pushed myself, I would have felt worse, so I gave myself grace. I knew that I could recommit to my goal when I felt better. This gave me the freedom to focus on my health and allowed a new balance to fill my week. One of rest and recovery.
Now that I am feeling better, it is time to reassess my goal. I can choose to recommit to my goal and know that I took a break and changed course in complete integrity for what I needed. My body and soul needed to rest, so I let my body tell me when it was time to get back to my goal.
I did not abandon my original goal, instead I am choosing to finish the goal with integrity for January, and set a similar goal for February. I am proving to myself that I am able to finish what I start, and still be honest with my world.
I am showing my kids and family that things don’t always go as planned, and we can always pivot and change to find that path that will lead us to our true self.
Be honest with yourself and true to your values. The Universe will send blessings to you when you are in alignment with your path. You do you!!
You’ve got this!!
Join my Facebook group Women Finding Freedom in Your Feminine Power for more on this journey. We are a fun community of women supporting each other on our journey to find balance and purpose.
Have you been working at home during the pandemic? Or even for part of it?
I have had to change how I work throughout the whole thing...I started out working at home, then I went back to working full time at work, then I was able to work part time at work and part time at home, then we moved to working full time at home again, and now I am working full time at work.
Did that just mess with your head reading it??
How about living it? Are you facing the same things where you work? I know that when things are so out of my control with work, I need to find a way that I can regain some control and find balance in my life.
Here are my 5 tips for how you can find balance as you return to work.
Tip #5-
Get into a regular sleep schedule. That means going to bed at the same time each night...and getting up at the same time everyday.
Even on the weekends!!
I know that can be tricky, but once your body gets into a rhythm, you will start to naturally wake up in the mornings.
Push through those first couple of weeks!
Tip...avoid caffeine after 3pm so that you will naturally be able to fall asleep at night. 3pm is the time I chose for myself, and it works well for me.
Tip #4 -
Move your body everyday! This might seem like I am just preaching to the choir, but when we move our bodies during the day we release natural endorphins. This not only helps keep us more alert as we are working, but it can help create a positive mood.
I know I want to be in a better mood!!
Plus, I want to keep working on my fitness goals. My goal is to work out 5 days a week. Start small and work up to doing more intense workouts.
Tip...Stretching is a way to break up sitting at your desk all day. It will help get the blood flowing. I love to stretch throughout my day.
Tip #3 -
Take a bath!! I love to take a nice warm bath to help me wash away the day. The warmth makes me feel secure and cozy.
Once I relax, I also come up with tons of ideas and I can find things that really make me happy. I love to add some bath salts to really help detoxify and get a real reset after a hard day.
You can take a shower too...and I probably take showers more often, but when I am really looking to find balance, I will fill the tub up and just find a way to melt away my worries by soaking in the warmth!!
Tip #2 -
Listen to your favorite music!
Oh yeah...that means you can really get pumped up or you can calm down. It depends on your mood. If you are getting ready to really dig into a project at work, then maybe some pump you up music is exactly what you need. In the evenings before bed, you might opt for some relaxing music.
Music can really take our moods to a whole new level. Listen to something new to see how you respond to it...Do you like it?
Tip #1 -
Meditate.
I have been on a journey of meditation and really finding my own voice. My meditations help me focus on breathing and find balance during my day.
Meditation is a great way to reduce stress. It can balance your overall emotional health. Meditations are what you make of them...they can be long or short depending on your level and experience. When you start, just do a short meditation to see how it feels.
It is your journey, find what works best for you. Find a way to have some balance and focus on what makes you happy. You do you!!
You’ve got this!!
Join my Facebook group Naturally Chic Moms for more on this journey. We are a fun community of women supporting each other on our journey to find balance and purpose.
