2016 wasn’t a bad year by any stretch. Though, it was a really busy year for us. Busy and frantic as we tried to do life well with three little ones and a lot of other responsibilities. I’m glad its behind us and happy to be moving into a new season of life. Around the time Grace, Not Perfection came out last year, I started to realize some things about life and the way things were headed. I was on the path to burnout, my health was suffering, and I felt, very much, like I was floundering. Is that even a word? I mean like an actual flounder. Like a fish flopping around on hot pavement. Only I was also a juggling fish trying to make sure all the balls stayed in the air.
So, we made a bunch of scary decisions and released GNP into the world and hunkered down for the holidays. The holidays were great. We ate too much and stayed up too late and laid around in our pjs and enjoyed our extended families. And now, with a fresh start upon me, I’m excited for 2017. My word for the year is well. I want to do life well, love my people well, and simply be well (mind, body, health-wise). My goals for the year are pretty simple, but actionably big.
- Care for my body, mind, and heart well.
- Move my business forward in a focused, strategic way.
- Save more; give more; spend / acquire less.
- Cultivate a family and home rich in tradition, memories, and love.
I have lots of action steps to go with each one of those – including, but not limited to, cooking more often, weekly date nights, decluttering our home room-by-room, managing our business finances better, refocusing our brand mission, exercising, and writing my second book. But overall, 2017 is the year I’m giving myself permission to be still, to not just say “no” to extra things, but to really sit and let God work in me during the stillness. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I like to invent projects when things are quiet, when there isn’t another big project to do. But I really feel God calling me to just love well and be well this year, not reinvent the wheel.
So, tonight, it’ll be me and my black americano (sad face, whole 30, round 3) at my trusty table in my neighborhood Starbucks. I’m really excited to write this next book. A Simplified Life (tentatively titled) is loosely based on our Simplicity Challenge – simple, easy, actionable, tactical organizing. A workbook of sorts. We’ll see how it all shakes out. I’m really excited to dive in. We’re talking simplifying every aspect of life – even when life is anything but simple. All the how-tos and charts and lists and worksheets you could ever dream of. I like you so far, 2017.
xo,
Em
