It’s time to get vulnerable. Lately, I have been getting super clear on the things that matter most to me, and how I want to spend my time.

One of the hardest things to integrate in my life is intentionally caring for the ones I love and caring for myself. How about you?

As a wife, mom, friend, daughter, and small-business owner, I must acknowledge the season I’m in. How can I intentionally create integrated harmony throughout my life? Day-to-day, season-to-season.

Why is this so hard? Why do we tend to forget this one very important part of living?

Unfortunately, we are influenced by a “busy” world. We are told that we must keep moving, keep consuming, and just keep up. The noise is loud, and finding the peace within gets more challenging every day.

So how do we fight the noise? First we must know what our values are, what matters most. Then, we must consistently adjust to the noise and revisit our values. This changes how we spend our time: the time we have to ourselves, and our time with the ones we love.

I’ll walk through this area of my life using a super simple wellness formula, and I hope you practice it with your life. What results do you get? Can’t wait to see.

Let’s go.

THE BASICS

reflection + small goals + adjustments (then repeat)

You can use the wellness formula in any area of your life – friendships, physical health, spiritual life. Today I’m going to apply it to the area that’s been on my heart – finding integrated harmony in caring for myself and caring for my family.

FIRST: REFLECTION

What do I not want to miss out on at this stage of my life? Time to watch Jack grow, the joy of playing with him, intentional parenting, and dating Chris.

Is there a practice or activity I know is good for me but I’m finding hard to make happen? For me, it’s just hard to schedule in time for myself. Sometimes I just forget, so when I intentionally focus on something little every single day, like repainting my nails, making a hot pot of tea, walking out into the sunshine, or turning through a house plant or gardening book I rented from the library, or even actually remembering to get myself a book to at the library, just those little things add up.

How would I benefit from integrating self-care on a regular basis? I know I will feel more grounded, intentional, proud, peaceful, centered, clear and receptive.

When did I last feel healthiest in this area (caring for myself and my family intentionally)? Honestly, right now, in this past month I have been intentionally and actively getting more clear on what matters the most and what success looks like for me.

SECOND: SMALL GOALS

Set aside intentional time with Jack, with Chris and the other people that I love. Connection fills my cup and expands my world. This is one of my values!!

I’m on-site regularly or working on my small business or tending my home. That’s a lot of responsibility! My goal is to spend every Friday afternoon with Jack playing, exploring, and simply enjoying time together as mom and son.

THIRD: ADJUSTMENTS

I do my best to remember this: what works now may not work forever.

Be ready to pivot when a Friday afternoon goes to pot, giving myself grace in the pivots. I can reflect on what’s keeping me from my goals, set another small goal (or the same one) and adjust until I’m hitting the same goal, even if it looks a little different.

In order for us to have the momentum and longevity to make real lasting changes in our life, let’s focus on integrating more time for ourselves, to recharge.

Showing up for others starts with showing up for us.

That takes guts, intentionality, and experimentation, but it doesn’t always take as much time as we think it will.

So start today! Just start! Let’s reflect, imagine, and begin -or perhaps BEGIN AGAIN.