My word this year was MOVE.

Really, it has been my word for the last 3 years, It just took me 2 years to take action. 

I was challenged back in the spring of 2017 at a women’s conference to write one word on a rock that signified my next step and to place in on an altar. I didn’t understand it at the time , but it was echoing loud and clear in my mind.

MOVE.

So I wrote it.  I placed it.Then over the next year, I did it. 

I just started taking action steps. 

I started listening and responding to things that spoke to my soul and moving toward them. And if they were not , I stepped back from them. 

I heard some powerful advice last week from Brooke Castillo at http://thelifecoachschool.com 

She encouraged me to use the EXPAND or CONTRACT test. 

If it expands you, step towards it. If it contracts you, step away.. 

The first is life giving . The second life taking. 

That last part is my own discovery. 

The reason it is such a good evaluation tool, is it is using a physical response. Something we can feel and relate to. 

This is what I have been doing without realizing it. 

Listening to that voice that says, “You can’t. You have to. You aren’t.”  Step back.

Listening to that voice that says. “You want to. You need to. You are wired to. You don’t need  permission to.”  Step toward. 

That dream inside of you that has been repressed and replaced with supposed to’s; Start walking it out. 

Those supposed to’s or skill sets  that make sense for you to do, but do not spring up your soul anymore; start exploring and taking steps in a different direction. 

You don’t even have to know where you are going exactly. Just start taking steps. You are not bound to where you are. 

People, no matter how different; move toward them.

 Insecurity, fear, pain; step out of it. 

Those accusations you are carrying; blaming circumstances, others, and even God for where you find yourself. Step away from them.

 Let those people off the hook. Take ownership of your choices or your lack there of… that’s a step you MUST take. 

Where have all these steps taken ME during my season of MOVING?

 

1. I stopped carrying secret pains and dreams and begin confiding in my husband more. 
2. We started going on breakfast dates on Sunday mornings while my daughter went to Sunday school and began really praying together for the first time. ( not just blessing the food , but aligning our hearts kind of prayers.)
3. We put our 3500 sqft house on the market and purged half of our belongings, giving away what was not being used.
4. I released my son to go to college 8 hrs away. 
5. I withdrew my youngest from private school , and enrolled her in public school to decrease financial strain and  enable me to maintain part time hours for my own wellness and my family’s sanity.
6. Our house sold in October 2017 and we moved into a 2 bedroom apartment. 
7. I had to make the hard decision between transferring my daughter to another new school where we were now zoned or home school her and chose the latter. 
8. I reduced my work hours and took on a few PRN jobs to compensate. 
9. I practiced living simply in that 1500 sqft apmt for 6 months , and stored another 25% of my ‘stuff’ in storage.
10. I learned I didn’t really need that stuff. 
11. I began writing again August 2017 and started making it a daily habit by getting up at 5:30 am to do so.
12. I did the hard work of processing my pain through journaling and self awareness. 
13. I argued with God and asked hard questions and let my doubts surface. 
14. I laid down my faith and picked it back up again. 
15. I cried a lot.
16. I started smiling a lot too. 
17. I stopped making assumptions, blaming others., or waiting on them  to come to my rescue. 
18. I stopped trying to control my aches and pains and started focusing on health instead. 
19. I began taking advantage of the apartment fitness center. 
20. I started seeing people as neither for me or against me but just humans like me moving from struggle to strength.
21. I started recognizing that their lack of response toward me had more to do with their own pain than my value. 
22. I began a daily habit of walking the dog. 
23. I gave myself permission to visit other churches and we  joined The Church of the Highlands October 2017.
24. We searched for the ‘just right ‘ house for 6 months and then finally realized we just needed a roof over our head and some trees around us. I realized the perfect  house was not going to make me well. It would just serve as a place to continue the process so I could start bringing wellness to others again. 
25. We bought a 2000 sq ft house in south Huntsville and moved in April 2018. ( I did get the one that was already updated in the style that spoke to my soul 🙂 It was MOVE in ready with decor and all!  )
26. I released my oldest daughter and first born in marriage May 2018. 
27. I enrolled my youngest daughter in public school again. 
28. I have gone to multiple events and  joined groups that spoke to my heart , not knowing a soul. 
29. I’ve taken steps of bravery and vulnerability. 
30. I joined an online  writer’s group.
31. I did a few free life coaching sessions to help me with action steps. 
32. I began listening to podcasts on topics I was interested in. 
33. I have read > 15 non fiction books , growing and learning and discovering… 
34. I began adjusting my eating habits and started seeing food as a source of energy instead of something to bring comfort. 
35. We decided to spend money on ourselves for a change and joined the YMCA within walking distance from our new home. 
36. I started a small group in my home and invited women to join me. 
37. My husband and I joined a small group.  
38. I signed up for an online course that was a stretch financially but a STEP of accountability to DO what I wanted to do. 
39. I set some goals; Short term  and Long term  and am working toward them. 
40. I spent months working on forming my WHY Statement , understanding my core values, and studying my personality , gifts, and passions. 
41. I downloaded free courses on discovering my niche, how to start a blog, online marketing… and did the work..
42. I launched a website. 
43. I started investing in ministries that aligned with my WHY and core values.
44. I started serving with the special needs ministry at my church, but set a boundary for only once /month.
45. I said yes to exchanging phone numbers with a woman at a serve day event and when she reached out 2 months later I began picking she and her girls up for church. 
46. I sent emails to 3 different ministries to collaborate with who had the same WHY and spoke the same language. 
47. In all this moving, I am learning to maintain my health through REST, boundaries, and recognizing my limitations.
48. I am making time for the things that are important to me. 
49. I am learning to CONNECT, to delegate, to not have to be the one to do it all. 
50. I AM LEARNING, GROWING , and THRIVING and IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL.

What will your word be for 2019?