I have attempted to reflect on 2019 a couple of times yet the words still continue to feel a little messy & imperfect. Quite fitting for a year that felt just like that. But I’ll go ahead & try anyway –
Simply put, this year was full of very high highs & many low lows.
In 2019, we celebrated ten imperfect, hard & wonderful, life-changing years of marriage. Being Luke’s wife is indeed my biggest life accomplishment. In 2019, we also both turned 30 (they were right – there’s just something really stretching about turning thirty).
Our business flourished & our team doubled in size to include the most amazing people I have the true honor of working alongside each & every day.
We traveled a ton (Hawaii, you are an absolute dream & we miss you every day!), ate such good food & stuffed a hell of a lot of living into 365 days.
In 2019, we also grieved. We learned to live life alongside loss & I am forever changed by this very hard lesson. My best friend moved. We left our church & inevitably the community within. I made some painful yet necessary choices within our business, navigating what sometimes felt like the loneliest journey as a leader.
I came face-to-face with my food addiction & began the path to healing with my therapist. I committed to close friendships, started a book club & made these life-giving relationships a priority. I honored my day off more times than not, but struggled to figure out what to do when not at work. I became a student in the art of not giving a shit & still continue to learn what it looks like to pave my own path, not the one others would be more pleased with me to follow.
My word for 2019 was grow & without a doubt, I did, in fact, painfully & without choice, do just that.
It was necessary growth & I believe it’s the start of something powerful & undeniably good in 2020.
As I set my eyes on 2020, I am determined to continue down a path of healing.
I am stubbornly convinced that this is Not Quite It. There’s more growing, more learning, more digging deep to do.
And quite frankly, I did not choose my 2020 word. My 2020 word chose me.
Discipline.
It’s a hard word for me, friends. As I sat down with my therapist & began to uncover what this word might mean for my year & life, I began to full-body sob. I am even tearing up just writing this now.
Because in almost every aspect of my life, I have failed at discipline. As an enneagram 7, the word “no” is simply not part of my vocabulary.
Yet here I am facing my own demons & committing to Discipline in 2020.
For me, Discipline looks like:
– Sitting with my innate desire to always say yes & learning the art of saying no in order to pursue what’s most important.
– Equipped with the knowledge I gained in 2019, committing once again to my Weight Watcher journey & wellbeing.
– Reducing our travel schedule (yet not entirely – it is our favorite hobby!) for lazy weekends at home, short excursions in our camper & lots of reading/gardening/swimming.
– Challenging my need for more. While we do save for rainy days, I want to get a little closer to the basics. For starters, I plan to not buy clothing for the next three full months (with the exception of a new pair of jeans I plan to purchase today & a couple of things – such as a rash guard – for our annual trip in February).
– Bring a book, instead of my phone, into the tub with me.
I am excited, energized & determined to make 2020 count.
What is your one word for 2020?
See my words since 2013 here & comment below with yours!
love,
natalie
The arrival of spring beckons a busyness like no other. Easter, Mother’s Day, graduation, birthdays, Teacher Appreciation Week – you name it, it’s happening in April or May.
And while the calendar may be filled, it’s still so important to make time for ourselves to recharge & reboot.
Today I want to share four simple & affordable ways to care for ourselves during the hustle & bustle of springtime!
1. Get some fresh air: Go for a walk while listening to your favorite podcast, read a book on the patio or simply listen to your favorite jams while walking around the ball fields at your kiddo’s practice. Simply moving our bodies & soaking up some vitamin D gives us a much-needed boost.
2. Buy yourself a bouquet of flowers: I say this time & time again, but purchasing fresh flowers is such a simple yet effective way to brighten our surroundings & our mood. Even a grocery store bouquet will do!
3. Get plenty of rest: When I feel over extended, I always make sure to still get plenty of sleep. Last year we tossed our old mattress & replaced it with a new mattress from Solay. It may be a financial commitment, but it has made such a difference in how we rest & how our bodies feel.
Solay is kindly offering natalie creates readers a FREE Solay pillow ($100 value) when they purchase a queen or king mattress with code “NATALIEPILLOW” at checkout! Click here to grab yours! Please note – your mattress must be in your cart with your pillow in order for the discount to work.
4. Go out on a coffee date: Sometimes all we need is a date with a friend to make our days feel a little less chaotic. Even when my week feels crazy, I always look forward to time spent in good conversation over coffee with a dear friend. It fills me up so I can serve others well.
Even with limited time & resources, let this be a reminder & inspiration to carve out a little time just for you no matter the season! With just a few bucks, you can grab a coffee with a girlfriend or purchase a bouquet of flowers from the grocery store. Even a good night’s rest & a walk can make such a difference!
Comment below & let me know how you extend kindness & love to yourself in seasons of busyness!
love,
natalie
This blog post is sponsored by Solay. Please note all thoughts & opinions are my own.
Friends, thank you so much for celebrating our big news in 2019 (if you don’t know what I am talking about, click here.) We are so excited to collaborate with 1canoe2 to create products that speak to the quiet, rich moments that we so cherish on our farm. I absolutely cannot wait to share more sneak peeks & thoughts with you in the upcoming days & weeks!
And with the new year comes new intentions, strategies & rhythms! I am a big believer in fresh starts & setting goals that get me from where I am now to where I want to be. One big way I do this is by picking one simple word that will guide my intentions for the next 365 days.
I have been doing this practice since 2013!
In 2013, my one word was Joy. In 2014, I lived out Quality. In 2015, my one word was Pursuit. In 2016, the word Provision rang true in my life. In 2017, Peace was my anthem. In 2018, I was drawn to the word Better.
2018 was crazy hard & crazy wonderful – there wasn’t much in-between. We worked harder & longer to better our business than ever before, and I truly fell in love with my work. We traveled a lot & we were more intentional than ever about our marriage. I began attending a Masterminds Group & a seed of personal development was planted in 2018.
But I also learned one hard lesson – I cannot do it all, all at once. Most nights I felt completely depleted by the day’s work & wasted many hours in front of the TV instead of reading a good book or simply going to sleep early (why is that, friends?!).
I also felt more disconnected than ever from my creative self & my social self. I poured so much energy into work that there wasn’t much left for simply being creative or investing in friendships. I felt really alone at times.
So in light of 2018, my word for 2019 is Grow.
This word kept coming back to me over & over again. And while it’s a simple word, I know it holds so much potential for self-discovery & self-development.
Here are some tangible ways I will live out the word Grow in 2019:
1. Physical Health: I will get back to the basics in 2019. No crazy fad diets, no elimination. I believe in good food, moderation, exercise & the WW lifestyle because that’s what works for me. I’m excited to feel my best physically so I can tackle other areas of my life.
2. Relationships: I will invest more deeply in my marriage, friendships & work relationships with fellow entrepreneurs. I am excited to continue our weekly date & I am challenging myself to stay off of my phone when I am in the car with Luke. I also want to start another Book Club & have monthly game nights with friends. I am also excited to continue my Masterminds Group & deepen those relationships.
3. Emotional Health: This is the area I know will be most transformative & also the hardest. In 2019, I will dedicate time to my emotional health by reading personal development books & listening to podcasts. I love walking & plan to listen to podcasts while I am doing that. I also want to take a pottery class.
4. Work: In November & December, I worked 7 days a week & it was so, so hard. In 2019, I am hiring more employees & empowering them with parts of our business that were once my responsibility. I am also creating a work schedule that has protected days off so I can have more margin in my life to achieve the above intentions. I also plan to attend a business conference.
This is a big year & I am excited to make some big changes!
What is your word for 2019? How has choosing one word impacted your year & life? Share your thoughts in the comments, friends!
love,
natalie