PAIGE ADAMS BLOG
New Year, New Rhythm ✨
Here's one thing about me...
I love all things NEW!
I love the start of a new year, with new goals, a new planner, and a fresh start...
But one thing I've never been quite good at is learning how to pace myself at the start of the year when implementing new goals, habits, etc.
I typically want to implement them all at once, start everything right away, and before you know it it's January 25th and I have decided to stop all my goals and well, sit on the couch.
I think this is why so many people struggle to stick to their New Year's goals and resolutions or goals in general. We put too much on ourself at once and haven't learned the art of- pacing ourself.
We haven't learned how to pace ourselves in a way that is fruitful, life giving, and gentle to womanhood.
A pace that is attune to ourselves when we need rest, or maybe need a girls night out rather than folding the loads of laundry on the floor.
A pace that says "It's okay for me to start here and work my way up to there." "There's no timeline or rush."
A pace that says just because she is there doesn't mean I have to be there too.
"I'm on my own unique journey and my pace is good, full, and sacred right where I'm at."
So, this New Year I want to challenge us (because your girl is right there with you in all this) to find our sacred pace.
To find your sacred pace not only in implementing your New Year goals, but also in your everyday living, and your journey called life.
I've come up with some practical ways below to help you find your sacred pace:
Slowly implement and introduce your New Year goals into your daily life.
Rather than trying to start all of your goals on January 1st or 2nd, take your list of goals and break them apart starting with the easiest to implement working your way up to the most difficult. I would start by implementing your easiest goal first and stick with that for a while before introducing anything else. What does this do? It tells your brain that you CAN be successful at implementing goals and changes and encourages you to keep going. It tells your brain that you are successful and can do this. After you feel solid in your first goal, then introduce your next.
Break your large goals into small actionable steps.
For example, maybe one of your goals is to "eat healthier". This goal is large and requires a lifestyle overhaul. Rather than changing everything all at once which can be a shock to your nervous system and body. Begin by adjusting one small thing in your diet for a while like a protein shake each morning, stick to that, before introducing something else. Over time you will see that you did do a lifestyle overhaul, you just didn't do it all in one month. This makes changes attainable and something you can keep doing rather than just starting and quitting. Small actionable steps and changes also help your brain to see that you can be successful with health and change and encourage you to keep going.
Don't compare your journey and pace to anyone else's.
We each are on our own unique journey in life because we each are our own unique person, none alike. Do you have qualities that may be similar to someone else's? Sure. But no one does things exactly like you do. No one has your unique design and makeup that God has given you. That's your superpower. That goes for our journey and pace as well. Your pace of life will be unique to you, your makeup, and what you need. Remind yourself that God says "When the time is right, I the Lord, will make it happen". Isaiah 60:22. He is taking into account our needs, makeup, personality, past, present, and future as He lays out our story and as things transpire in our life. They were never meant to be like anyone else's because they're yours.
Listen to what your body needs over your To Do list.
Yep. That's right. I said it. My list lovers are about to fall over at the idea of this. It took me years to figure this one out. I always loved a good To Do list, and don't get me wrong I still do. But I decided to stop letting my To Do list dictate my life and began to honor and listen to my body, emotions, and needs above it. Your To Do list can wait and unfortunately it will still be there for you after your done taking care of YOU. My challenge for you is to begin to wake up each day and be super aware of your needs for the day. I know there are things that need to be done, kids to be taken care of, but find ways that you can adjust to what your needs are for the day. Build your life around it. It can be the smallest of things that make a BIG difference. Maybe tonight you ask your husband to take care of bath time with the kids so that you can go take a bubble bath and read a book. Or maybe you decide to not go to that workout class on Saturday morning, and instead you decide to turn off your alarm and allow yourself to sleep in because that's what your body needs. The smallest of changes can make the biggest difference. Decide today and this year that you are worth investing in yourself as much as you do everyone else.
Release yourself of the timeline.
We all have in our head how long we think something should take. We think we should be married by 25. My business should be thriving and booming after 1 year. I should lose the weight in 6 months. I should start a family by 30. THROW IT ALL AWAY. Take that timeline in your mind and throw it away. It's not serving you, I promise. There is nothing wrong with having dreams and goals, but when we put harsh timelines on them disappointment can set in. These harsh timelines can make us feel "behind" or not "on schedule." And the truth is it takes away from the beautiful mystery and unknowns called life. Because the truth is you could wake up tomorrow and meet the one. You could receive a phone call next week that could drastically change the direction of your business. The possibilities are endless. The minute we open up our hands and release the timelines, we start truly living. We stop comparing. We stop waiting.
I hope you find these steps helpful and encouraging to you as you start your New Year.
I hope they release you of harsh timelines, comparison, and rigidity, and lead you to embrace gentleness, kindness, and prioritization of yourself in the most loving of ways.
My goal and hope through every word I write always will be to help open your eyes to the grandness and beauty that lies within and to handle yourself in a way that truly sees just how amazing and worth it you are.
If you're desiring to further your journey in transforming the way you approach and handle your pace, some next steps are below ❤️️
If you're desiring to start your New Year in a new way and want further assistance and help in implementing these steps I listed above, click the link below to sign up for a free consultation call so we can see how I can help!
Until next time,
Paige Adams
