I was reminded today that every win, both enormous and tiny, matter.
Wins build on wins.
They create a pattern.
Which becomes a mentality.
A mentality becomes a lifestyle.
A life styled on win after win, creates a life designed to matter.
But the true key here isn’t in the details of the wins, but the pathways they ignite.
A pathway ignited is possibility.
And all of life’s greatest achievements started with possibility.
So I will celebrate all the wins in every size that they come.
~C.A.~
Every decision we make today impacts our tomorrow.
When our decisions are in alignment with our vision for the future and values, we set up better tomorrows.
I believe when you live this you may also find that in the process you made your own luck.
~C.A.~
Welcome 2020.
I honestly don’t know how to feel about today.
I do feel beyond relieved that 2019 is over. Quite honestly 2018 and 2019 have been some of the most brutal I’ve had in my life. Every day seemed like a battle and I was exhausted. I have always been an optimist by nature but these past few years have brought me to my knees and made me question everything.
I could recently tell I was just tired of it all and it all caught up with me. I could tell because writing has always been a release for me, but these past few weeks I didn’t have the energy or motivation to even think about it. The emotions of the first holiday season without my dad or our should be 6 month old son crept up on me. The first holiday season without both of my birth parents on this earth was more than I could process. All of the life (and there was plenty of it) that happened to me over that last two years seemed to be weighing me down during this already tough time.
I was tired. I am tired.
But a new year was just around the corner. My entire life I have loved the idea of a new year and all the possibility it brought. It always has such promise and hope, and now more than ever I needed both. And a new decade, even better. So as the new year approached, I found myself anxiously yet cautiously awaiting the strike of midnight. I didn’t know what would come but I desperately needed a new year.
As the minutes of the year came to a close, I found myself with mixed emotions. I was sad because I knew when I left 2019, I would be leaving the last moments with some of the most precious people to me. I was heartbroken thinking of all the hard times. Yet I found myself filling with pride that I had made it through it all. And I felt warmth thinking about all of the loved ones who helped me through it all.
I don’t know what this new year will bring. But I do know I am ready for a new year and I welcome a new decade.
So today I welcome 2020.
~ C ~
~ C ~
~ C ~
~ C ~
This week is the official halfway point for Autumn.
What a season it has been so far.
It has been more challenging than I ever anticipated or really wanted quite frankly. But even in the chaos (and it has been a true mess) I have found great clarity and have been blessed beyond measure.
I realized that when I fiercely stick to my wellness focus and living in the present, I thrive. But when I allow life to pull me away from those areas of focus, I begin to struggle. When off balance, every little thing that goes on can become traumatic, overwhelming and even seem earth shattering.
In this season of “starting over again“, I realize that we get opportunities to stop, adjust and restart as many times as necessary in life. Even though the season is halfway over, that doesn’t mean all is lost. But rather what a blessing it is that we have a whole other half of a season to get back on track and thrive.
I very much welcome the second half of Autumn.
~ C ~
~ C ~
I have to be honest. Focusing on wellness this Autumn has been so incredibly difficult. I’m honestly at a loss. How in the season that inspires me so much, do I also get so far off track?
My eating, sleeping, exercising regularly, personal development focus, staying in the moment and staying in prayer have all been off over the course of the last few weeks. I mean I haven’t been awful I suppose but I’m certainly not where I want to be in all of those areas, among many others.
Although several reasons as to “why” come to mind, if I’m being really clear with myself then I’d have to say this is the season for me where I am finding it easiest to “slip”. And by “slip” I mean come up with an excuse to avoid making a disciplined decision.
As an example last week I wasn’t feeling great, which usually happens for me when the weather starts to change from hot to cold each year. Over the week it was so easy for me to pass on going to the gym, order no-so-healthy takeout (because I was too tired/sick to cook) and let my house clutter quickly to build up (because I was too exhausted to manage it). Instead of pushing through the current state I was in, I gave myself a little too much grace, that ultimately negatively impacted my health and wellness even further. And this is just one example of how off track I have been this season.
Now as much as I want to beat myself up over this, I realize it will only waste more time. So my action plan is simple. Go back to the basics and focus on the little decisions each day. Because each little decision adds up and makes a big difference. I will get reacquainted with my vision board, daily goals and my gratitude daily recaps.
I am refocused and ready to take back my Autumn.
~ C ~
Tonight for dinner I chose the salad.
It was a simple summer salad filled with mainly vegetables, a few fruits and dash of lemon vinaigrette to finish it off.
Was a salad what I was craving? Not really. But after quickly reflecting on my meals for the day and the week so far, I knew it was the right choice. I needed balance. I could use an extra dose of vegetables and fruits. After giving myself some grace over the weekend, I knew it was time to tighten back up on my healthy meal selections for the week.
There was a period not too long ago in my life where the salad wouldn’t have even been on my radar. I wasn’t disciplined enough. Instead it would have been “which fast food fries and random main item (because I clearly go for the fries) would I get?” Somewhere in the abyss of my mid 20s I lost my way health and wellness wise and it truly was anything goes. And my overall state of being showed it.
But where I stand today in my life, I choose wellness. Today I choose less chemicals, GMOs and artificially filled foods to put in my body. Today I choose foods that are created from the Earth. Today I make decisions to support a better tomorrow rather than decisions that support a fleeting immediate “need”. Today I choose health.
The salad for me today has become a symbol of something so much larger. It is a reminder of my new found strength and discipline. The salad reminds me that I am thinking clearly enough now to know when I’ve hit my “treat yourself” limit for the week. The salad is a symbol of the wisdom I have gained from the seasons I have recently crawled through. The salad reminds me that my continued wellness journey is critical to achieving my goals in every facet of life. The salad is a clear reminder that I always have choice in life.
So that is why tonight I happily chose the salad.
~ C ~
Autumns Peak 