change is the heartbeat of growth

Hey y'all! How are things? Did October fly by or is it just me? I seriously feel like time is going by faster than it usually does which is why I try my best to be present in the moments that I have with my family. I feel like if I blink, I'll miss something. Lol. My children are growing so fast and learning so much. It is truly a beautiful thing to witness. Anyway, I hope you all have been in good spirits and taking care of your mental and physical states. Remember, if you don’t do it, then who will? I don’t have to remind myself to practice self-care as much as I used to. I’ve definitely grown in that aspect. Speaking of growth and changing, let's talk about it.

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Have you ever sat and reflected on your life? I do so all the time. A good time to reflect is when you’re writing in your very own journal that was created by me because you’ve purchased one. If you haven’t, head over to the menu link titled “more” to purchase your very own. I reflect on life because my life has been super crazy, but I wouldn't go back and do anything differently. Pastor Mike Todd always says, "It's only crazy until it happens." I agree wholeheartedly with that statement because I used to think about the woman that I would be at 25, and it seemed crazy. I used to visualize myself with a happy, healthy family, living and creating new normal dynamics for our children. That is literally what Jalon and I are doing. I used to picture myself facing my fears and overcoming them. Literally, every time I put a blog post up, I'm doing that because the “old me” would’ve never chosen to out my struggles on a very public platform. But I’ve changed. I’ve grown. I pictured myself and my family in good, healthy relationships with each other. Now, that one I'm still working on, but I won't give up faith. Lol.

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Seriously, life is really a blessing. I think about all the times that I could have died, and I quickly thank God for my life. The fact that I am still here means that I have something on this earth to do for Him. I may not be 100% sure what that is, but I won't stop trying to figure it out. People always say how they'll never change, but I believe change is necessary. Change is good. Change is a part of life. If you are not changing as you grow older, then you're probably doing life wrong. You probably say that "life is hard." If you are still allowing situations, people, and places to cause discomfort or stress in your life, then you need to change it. You have the power to do so. All you must do is take it back and use it! Jalon and I drove through our old side of town today and reminisced. When we lived over there, we were different. We were in the early stages of our relationship, so you know what that means--trying to figure each other out, disagreeing in unhealthy ways, allowing outsider opinions in our relationship, etc. We have grown so much from that. We've both learned how to disagree respectfully and have conversations about how to move forward without becoming ugly to the other. Isn't that a blessing? It hasn't been easy, but we're doing it. We changed and are still changing.

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The funny thing is we're even different from how we were last year around this time. Many things are different; our relationship with each other, relationships with other people, our finances, our goals for the future--the list goes on. I'm saying all of this to say, it is okay to change. It is okay to grow into the person that you've always imagined yourself to be. Your current circumstances do not have to determine what your life will look like one year, one month, one week, or one day from now. At any moment, you can choose to walk away from stress or situations that are one-sided. I know you may think. "Well, what will this person/these people do if I choose to be a different version of myself that no longer fits into their idea of me?" The answer is WHO CARES! You must decide to PUT YOURSELF FIRST regardless. Prioritize yourself.

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Guess what? If you were to leave this earth today or tomorrow, that person/those people will have to figure it out anyway. So, you may as well go ahead and make some changes while you still can. Life isn't going to wait for you. You never know, God may be waiting for you to leap at change to bless you abundantly. Take it from me, someone who finally decided to start putting myself first, they will come around and learn to respect the boundaries that you've put in place. Worst case scenario, they don’t, and you live happily ever after. People who can't respect the boundaries that you place on them to protect your sense of peace don't need to be in your life anyway :)

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Promise me that you will start to be careless and live stress-free. Come join me on this side of life. It's amazing over here. Life is easy over here. But first, it starts with the mind. Pray about change, embrace change, practice gratitude, and give yourself the same grace that God gives you because no one is perfect.... it'll all come together. As always, thank you for reading and engaging with me. We’re all on a journey to heal from past experiences/trauma. Don’t think that you’re alone because you are not. Don’t think that it’s too late to change something in your life because it is not. The only time that it will be too late is when you are dead and gone, so do it now. Leave me a comment and let me know how you will start to put yourself first!

Love,

Kat 💞