7 for SEVEN

Don’t you just love it when a month begins on a Monday?

So folks, we are in February. It’s Day 32 of 2016. There are 334 days left in the year. If you’re like me…then January was more of a waiting for the dust to settle, things are out of sync, I made all my lists but I still can’t seem to start kinda month. The struggle was too real.

That’s why I’m using the energy of firsts – first day of the work week, first day of a new month and first 7 for Seven for the year – to get going once again and FOCUS.

…every Monday, we post seven positives from the previous seven days of the week as a reminder of what we have so that the week starts out on an upswing. There is much truth in the belief that happy people attract good things, so it is important to start the week out right. Sometimes it’s the more grand, but other times, it’s the simple things.~ Key + Arrow

7 for Seven originated at Key + Arrow and now let’s get into my first 7 for 2016:

Starting. It’s been a struggle to get going. The year started with promise and but a lot remained the same – same shit stress, new year – so I spent the better part of January, trying to get my bearings and now that I’ve achieved a level of ‘normalcy’ it’s time to just start already. So here’s to starting small with joyful hope for great things ahead.

The little light that is glowing and growing. My family is witnessing our own little miracle and I am truly grateful that I can even type this today. Only God knows what the future holds but for now…today…in this moment we are awed and hopeful.

Adulting. The struggle is real! There are no guide books on how to manoeuver this phase in life. You’re pretty much making it up as you go…mostly by making mistakes and learning from them. When you don’t learn the lesson…that shit comes back to bite you on the ass until you do. Here’s to learning my lessons well.

Which brings me to learning that Not Everything Is About Me. Everybody is fighting their own battle, their own demons. And most times, they are caught up in their own drama. So don’t take things personally. Learning to let some things go will be the best skill you can develop. I’m learning this the hard way…but I am learning.

Sticking with my fitness plan. On my vision board for 2015, I put ‘hire Personal Trainer’ as one of my goals. While I didn’t exactly hire a ‘personal’ trainer, I have joined a group of fitness seekers like myself and our trainers are actually sadists in sweats. (Stay tuned for a full recap of my 16-week odyssey.)  Sadists they might be, but 10 weeks in, I am pleased to say that I’m seeing positive results.

Conquering mountains. 2016 started with me rekindling some old loves. This included my love for hiking. Our group explored Mt. Tabor and you can read all about it here. Climbing this mountain was more than just exploring a new place and getting the best photo op. It was about starting again. As I wrote in that post, “you have this one, short life. Sometimes, it’s going to be uphill and you might have obstacles in your path to crawl over. And sometimes it will be nice and shady and some moments will take your breath away. Sometimes you will need to ask for help. You will fall and you will get up. And yes, you can go it alone…but it is far more fun to travel with friends, people you love, people you can belly laugh with. Getting to the top is only part of the fun. And oh so worth it! But you will never know, unless you take the first step forward. You have to start.”

And finally, I am grateful for my brother because he listens.

I hope that by continuing to pay attention to the little things, the mundane details that make up all the blessings in my life and by sowing the seeds of faith and gratitude, I can truly carry with me and reap the rewards of “positivity + balance + bliss” throughout the days ahead.

Thank you for reading, I appreciate you! This is me blowing some glitter and confetti on you because you’re super blessed to have received the gift of another 86,400 seconds today, to spend any way you desire.

Make those seconds count!

I love hearing from you…what are you grateful today? How is 2016 shaping up for you? Feel free to share below!