I’m becoming a better version of myself every day

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

~Winston Churchill

The first month of 2023 is coming to a close. How are you feeling about how you have spent these first 29 days? Did you try something new? Were you able to follow-through with your intentions?

I’ve been practicing daily yoga with Adriene Mischler’s (Yoga With Adriene) Center - A 30 Day Yoga Journey. Each year, I participate in this month-long practice as a way to kick off my year. I participate in the challenge with my partner and my sister, who lives across the country from us in Michigan. 

This January, I’ve noticed myself learning a few things as I’ve been practicing yoga along with Adriene, my loved ones, and people around the globe:

• Just showing up matters: Some days, I showed up at the end of a hard work day in my pjs with a glass of wine. But I still showed up. And that’s what matters. 
• What you pay attention to grows. This is something we teach in psychology and A 30 Day Yoga Journey has been such a helpful reminder for me. Paying just a little attention to my body and how it moves and noticing how it holds stress each day helps me find small sifts and all of those small shifts add up!
• Be gentle with myself: Adriene is my favorite yoga teacher, because she consistently reminds her students to believe in and be kind to themselves. My favorite is how she reminds us each time we are holding a plank: 

“Whisper to yourself: ‘I am strong.’”

We don’t need to push ourselves too hard or verbally berate ourselves to find motivation. 

We can create incredible, lasting change just by taking small daily steps, with kind self-talk  and the support of others.

I hope whatever steps you have taken this January, whether you attempted a Dry or Damp January or participated in A 30 Day Yoga Journey, that you have learned something new about yourself and proved to yourself that you can create change in your life. Maybe there have been some mistakes along the way and that’s ok too. As Winston Churchill reminds us: “It’s the courage to continue that counts.”

Journal Prompts for the Week:

• What was the most difficult challenge you faced in the past year? How did it feel? How did you get through it? What did you learn from it?

• Write a letter to yourself forgiving yourself for any mistakes you’ve made in the past that you need to let go of. Sometimes it helps to burn or bury the letter afterwards.

  Tell me what you’ve realized about yourself this month – DM me or comment in the comments and let me know!

  And be sure to find the support you need:

  Join Mindful Moderation.

  Work with a therapist or coach on my team.

   

  P.S.: Check out the Mindful Moderation Instagram for an inspirational version of this week’s affirmation and quote. Screenshot it for your week