“Your life is a story of transitions. You are always leaving one chapter behind while moving on to the next.” – Anonymous
I am living the life I desired to see over 30 years ago! I couldn’t fully see where I wanted to wind up then, but I knew it in my spirit.
Here’s how it began however, I graduated from high school and became a mom on the same day. That’s a whole other story about life transitions in itself…but no time for that now. Still, to give you a little glimpse, my husband and I had only been married four months earlier. I had no idea what I was doing. What I did know was – I desired more for my family than the path we started on.
There was a strong desire in my heart that when our kids were adults, they would have a deep-rooted relationship with God. That they would be confident, self-sufficient, trustworthy, and walk-in wisdom. AND – I prayed they would be able to find those same qualities in their parents.
This became what mattered most to me!
Over three decades later, our kids are grown, and although it wasn’t effortless getting here, I am here and could not be more thankful for who they’ve become and the life we enjoy together.
How Do You Know WHAT MATTERS MOST During Life Transitions
Around six years ago, my life began transitioning into a new season of what matters most.
Another one of those life transitions hit me hard and came through a series of events I wasn’t expecting. Our kiddos were no longer under our roof, we had just sold our home that I believed would be our forever home, we jumped into our first home build project, AND I closed out my photography business earlier that year.
As if that wasn’t enough… there’s more –I started working full-time with my husband…AND, we were alone as empty nesters for the first time in our marriage.
Overall, I was excited about all these changes and did not expect the downward spiral I was entering.
I thought I had clarity on where I was headed. However, I was floundering. Nothing was working. My health was fading, and by 2pm every day, I felt anxious, stressed, unsure, needy, insecure, and T I R E D. I didn’t recognize how unsettling this transition was until my body and emotions revealed it to me.
Life transitions can be revealing if we decide to take notice. They can also be defeating if we don’t take notice. They have a way of revealing areas that need growth.
In years prior, when I was fully engaged and primarily focused on my family, I felt confident, energetic, at peace, and solid. I knew that what mattered most to me was, like I said before, giving them a better start.
This season, everything changed.
I knew I was no longer operating in that sense of clarity and vision for where I was headed. What mattered most now? My schedule was packed with a lot of what I thought I ‘should’ be doing, and it felt overwhelming.
It was clear this transition was getting the best of me, and I needed to find confidence and clarity.
LOOKING FOR DIRECTION
It was time to find a mentor or something that would help me redirect my spiral. After heavily searching for answers, I across an ad for a planner that was being promoted by a woman just a few years older than me. I’ve always loved journaling my thoughts and prayers and I already loved utilizing calendars and planning. Since she created this journal and was in a season just beyond where I was, I felt that following her ideas and process would be somewhat like having a mentor. This, along with her focus on health and fitness, gave me hope that it could be an answer.
It was just before the new year, so I decided to try it.
CHANGING THE WHOLE STRUCTURE OF MY LIFE
This is where I became an obsessive fan of planning out my day and being intentional about spending my time wisely. I changed many of my routines, habits, and ideas about the structure of my life. (check out the powerful morning routine that I developed during this season)
Then over the next year, I began studying and learning systems and ideas from other journals and planners and honed in on how to better tackle my day. I researched and studied books around creating habits, systems, and time management. (read here to learn how to begin one of my favorite new habits- practicing daily gratitude)
I LOVED it! Journaling – tiny life hacks – and time blocking! It all worked in so many ways.
The changes were healing. I developed healthy habits such as:
- drinking 75 oz. of water daily
- consistently taking my supplements
- creating better sleep habits
- working in daily movement and prayer
- developing a more solid sense of myself
- listening to my body
All while I was learning to make restoration a priority and how to reach new goals in many areas of life.
I felt like I was on the right track and was a little obsessed.😊
THERE WAS JUST ONE LITTLE SECRET
I still felt like something was off...
I was deep in the pool of productivity hacks, side hustles, big dreams, time blocking, and goals; however, the most successful thing in my life was my family, faith, and overall health and wellness. I found “success” there by utilizing (what seemed to be) the complete opposite idea of what I was learning, aka hustle and grind.
I wasn’t convinced these lifestyle changes answered the question of ‘what matters most’ for my next season of life. Something still felt off. It felt like I was in a hurry but headed in the wrong direction. I needed to grow through the transition and have confidence in my direction not to simply ramp up my productivity. (I love this tool that I use every 12 weeks to check in with myself and assess what matters most N O W)
Recognizing this truth, and yet still so impacted by all of the new habits and lifestyle changes, inspired me to begin developing a growth minded system. After all, you can be productively headed in the wrong direction. It takes growth to confidently know your path and consistently walk in that direction.
The Plan To GRO Journal Created Space
Often, the journals I used focused on specific areas like fitness or business. It seemed that I needed a different journal/planner for each area of my life and once I was able to establish some of the ideas in one journal system, it was time to find another system for my next season of growth.
I wanted a journal that would be personal for the season, or life transitions I was in as an individual. I needed it to be ONE journal that was uncomplicated, and encompass my entire life – faith, health, finances, career, family, personal growth, etc. My whole schedule, well-being and plan. I needed it to grow with me along the way.
The Plan to GRO journal developed out of that desire. It created space for me to be an individual to learn about myself. It allowed me to decide what is the next right thing was for me and it gave me a place to make it happen.
Dreaming, planning and goal setting has been so exciting and inspirational to me. Intentionally planning each day and activity takes the weight of overwhelm away. Journaling helps to organize thoughts , prayers, plans and ideas. Have I discovered my ‘what matters most’ in this next season?
Well, I know this – I want to show up and ‘give my best self’ in every commitment I make. That takes a lot of planning, self-reflection, and a lot of self-care. I’m here for the journey and now have a healthier structure to help me work it out to ensure I do.
PS – Are you in a season of transition? I pray you choose to GRO through it!
Check out the Plan to GRO Journal if you want a little structure to support your journey!
