My favorite thing from 2022 has been the lessons this year has taught me. Lessons that I didn’t even know I needed. Lessons to carry me into next year and beyond. Lessons that have truly helped me continue to grow, to become the person I was meant to be.  

Check it out, my top 5 lessons of 2022. 

Boundaries – I had never even heard of this word used in this context until I was sitting on my therapists couch while she very plainly said, Casey, you have no boundaries. What? I was astonished. It meant, that I played a huge part in things that happened without even realizing it. All because, I didn’t know how to use the word no. Because, I was willing to give in over and over again on things that I shouldn’t have. Because, I wasn’t willing to stick to my values. Because, I kept my mouth shut on things that I felt strongly about just so the issues would smooth over on their own. We all know that doesn’t happen though. We all know that you can’t sweep everything under the rug and not expect it to one day throw everything back out at you. Boundaries are important. Make sure you stick to your guns. If you don’t like something, speak up. Don’t be afraid to use the word no. Stand in your values. The people that matter the most will respect this more than you giving and giving and giving. 

Invest Your Time and Energy into People and Things that Invest back – Time is the biggest asset you will ever have. Be mindful of how you spend it, who you spend it with, and what you put your energy into. Let’s start with people. If you continually put energy into people who do not contribute the same energy back, stop and ask yourself why. What is it that you are missing that you can hope they fill? Why are you spending your most valuable asset on people who are not willing to do the same? Granted, I understand that everyone is busy, things comes up, life happens. But take a step back and really examine those relationships – more on this in the next lesson. When it comes to things you are putting your energy into, are they helping you reach your goals? Are they getting you to the next level? Are they the right things that you need to be doing to help you achieve your dreams? Again, take a step back and examine exactly where your time and energy is going. 

Listen to your Intuition – You know those feelings you get in your gut or your heart? Listen to those! So many times, we (or me personally) over think things. I over analyze to the point where I talk myself out of that initial feeling. Trust those feelings! The more you listen to them, the more often they will come. Eventually you will begin to see that they are leading you in the right direction. Going back to investing your time and energy into people/relationships. Your intuition can also help you see/understand if you listen to it that maybe just maybe you are putting too much of yourself into someone who honestly doesn’t see you that way. Learn to listen to it, you will be amazed at what happens. 

Happiness – You are truly the only person that can make yourself completely happy. This was a difficult concept for me because I would look at the big picture and feel I wasn’t far enough ahead or compare my journey to others. Instead, look for things each day that make you happy. This has been a game changer for me. Sure, there are going to be days where the sadness comes but work through it and continue to look for the good. It can be little things, like a free oil change because you have points on your app, or someone paying it forward and you get a free coffee, to seeing the a beautiful sunset. Look for the little things that warm your heart. 

Doing What is Best for You – This sort of ties into boundaries, but you have to look out for your best interest. No one else is going too. Every decision you make today, will affect you in one way or another six months down the road. Are you making decisions that are best for you or are you catering to others? Now, that being said, there is a fine line here. Of course you may have to keep others in mind in your decisions. If you do, hopefully those people are also wanting the best for you and will support you in your decisions. While many of us have kids or are in relationships or married, you also have to remember, you only get one life. How are you making the most of it?

This last month, 2022 has turned around for me, because I have intentionally set out to make it better. I am ready for 2023 and all the amazing things that are coming with it. How are you going to kick off your New Year? 

As always share some love, we could all use a little more love! 

XOXOXO

Casey

Life has a way of throwing you off balance sometimes. One minute, you have your routine down, you are getting things done, and the next thing you know four months have gone by and your progression has stalled.

This recently happened to me, I was on a role. I was reading daily, I was writing, I was journaling, I was staying ahead of my to do list. Then one day it stopped. I got busy and stopped making time to read. I stopped writing. I stopped trying to advertise for my boutique. I was barely doing the basics that I needed to do.

Looking back now, I wasn’t busy. I got wrapped up spending my time doing the wrong things. I was letting my feelings get the best of me. This year has been a lot, some ups, a lot of downs and I lot of wondering what the heck am I doing. I got to the point where, I didn’t want to do anything anymore. I didn’t want to read (which is one of my favorite things to do), I didn’t want to write, and I had to force myself to work and be a mom. If I could have, I would have happily stayed in bed and binged out on Netflix and Social Media.

I recently went through a job change and knew this would fix my funk. It has to a degree but it was the instantaneous fix that I was hoping for. Last week, I was in bed trying to figure out how to get out of the hole. How to feel passionate again about things, to be excited to work on my to-do list instead of forcing myself to work on it. I realized that trying to fix everything at once was not going to work. That I could not just jump back in and be the same productive person I was four months ago, I needed to start out small and work my way back up.

I decided to start with reading, my goal was to read at least 30 minutes a day. By day 2, I was hungry for reading. I didn’t have to force myself to open my book. It was something I looked forward too. I have read almost every day since, if I missed a day then I doubled up the next day. Reading for me helps bring my passion back.

I realized that this all goes back to the habits you build. When you have a routine with solid habits, it is a lot harder to get thrown off course. I had a routine but my habits got broken because they were not set in stone. I sat in that brokenness instead of finding a way out. I am happy to say that my head is coming out of the clouds and things are looking up. I am excited to work on my habits again and start building some new ones along the way.

Start with one thing, anything you want to do, add it to a part of your daily routine and watch that habit become part of your every day life.

Share some love, we could all use a little more love.
XOXOXO
Casey