Hi friends! Last week I turned 31. Another year down! Woo! This year was great! I learned how to manage a budget/money better. I got better at setting and holding boundaries. I continued my journey of healing my body, mind, spirit and soul. I changed. I gained wisdom, experience, love, empathy, strength, faith, compassion, awareness, purpose, clarity, patience and resilience. I have always had a grateful heart and appreciation for life. I feel like every year, even in the hard years, my heart grows a couple sizes with awe and gratitude.

This year my faith increased, which I feel it does every year. I experienced God’s favor this year. I saw it through moments of abundance when I was questioning how I was able to afford something, how much needed conversations happened in perfect timing, and how parts of my soul have been healed through therapy and prayer. I can say this year I have witnessed miracles, God’s favor and have been able to accept God’s timeline for my life more than I ever have before.

Money was super tight for me for most of this year. I went on a cash budget and only spent the money I had in my checking account. It was hard. A lot of sacrifices were made. I went without quite a bit. I learned to live below my lifestyle and within my means. I learned to make the things I had work. I learned to say no. Some months I had no clue how I was going to make it all happen or do everything I had committed too. There was quite a bit of stress and a lot of moving forward in uncharted waters. I always believed and kept the faith I would be taken care of. I believed it would all work out exactly the way it was supposed to. I would be lying if I said there weren’t times of doubt. Even with doubts, somehow, someway, and God willing I always had exactly what I needed. I went to work, kept the faith and watched God go to work too.

30 was another year of healing. I found a new kind of therapy, Splankna. The best we have come up with to describe it is you are working through prayer with God to heal the roots of your soul. Each session is life changing. You get to the root problem, give it to God with a specific prayer and you experience the miracle healing powers of God. It sounds crazy until you experience it yourself. It’s pretty amazing.

With healing comes good days, bad days and change. Therapy gets a bad rap that it is only for the weak and broken. Wrong. It is for the strong. It is for the people that are choosing to be better and work through the “baggage” of their life. It is not for the weak. It takes strength to ask for help, to actually seek help and implement the changes in your life. I will always be on this “healing” journey. Why not work to be better on a mental, emotional and soul level every year?

Emotional healing is not the only healing I focus on. I also put a huge emphasis on physical improvement and healing too. One thing I do not ever take for granted is my health and the ability to move. I do all kinds of workout classes from weights to yoga and just about everything in between. I enjoy my workouts. I thank God during my workouts. I thank God for the instructors, movement, ability to pay for a gym membership, my pounding heart, sweat dripping from my face, sore/tired muscles and for the ability to move my body. It is truly a gift. A body in motion stays in motion and is something I never take for granted.

Every year the saying, “One day you’ll realize the little things were the big things all along” is one I find to be more impactful year after year. Focusing on the little things in your life have the ability to change your life. It just depends on what little acts you are doing on a consistent basis. Little acts in your relationships can be doing something as simple as setting out a towel when they are in the shower because it will make their life easier. It can be the simple act of showing love and appreciation with a simple thank you or I love you. It can be the simple act of checking in with a phone call or text. It can be the simple act of listening to a story even if you have heard it a million times and aren’t interested in the topic/conversation. Little moments and actions like these make people feel loved, heard, seen and important. Which is what everybody wants at the end of the day. Just remember the reason you get a seat at their big moments in life is because you mastered or care enough about the person to do the little things. The little things matter. They can have a huge impact on people’s lives and yours.

Maybe it just happens when you turn 30, but I gained a different level of self-confidence this year. I am happy in my own skin. I love my heart and who I am. I have quirks. Don’t we all? I am proud of the person I am and who I am becoming. I fight for her every day. I am still the same person I have always been, but I guess we can say new and improved versions happen every year. I don’t know what made me stop caring as much what other people think about my life and the decisions I make. Maybe it is time? Maybe it is wisdom? Maybe it is just the way life is as you get older? I am not sure, but it is definitely a good feeling.

One thing that seems to be consistent or a theme from my 30th year on Earth is gratitude. I can’t tell you how many times this year I would drive down the road with tears of gratitude flowing thanking God for this life I get to live. I am just so thankful for everything. Don’t get me wrong I have my moments where I am angry, frustrated, annoyed, sad and all the different emotions. I just try not to stay in those moods too long. At the end of the day, I believe we all have a choice. I choose to be happy 98% of the time.

At the end of the day, I try to live my life with this mindset:

Be kind. Be brave. Be YOU! God knew the world needed a YOU, so don’t try to be anyone else. You are too precious and perfectly made to be someone else. Love others and help people when you can. Live your life with a servant and grateful heart. Take care of people and God will make sure you are taken care of too. Love and be nice to yourself. If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. Trust the plan he has for your life. It is his plan, not yours. Tell the truth and be honest. Do what is right, not what is always easy. Don’t be ugly. Stand tall, smile and keep putting one foot in front of the other. No matter how many times you get knocked down, you can get back up and try again. The only way you fail is when you quit. Life is a beautiful journey. Hands up, big smile and enjoy the ride! You are loved, adored and cherished! Every day is a gift from above, so treat it like one.

Until next time,

Amanda