Today I am grateful for time.  As I look back over the summer so far, I realize how quickly it has gone.  There have been so many moments of joy, laughter, excitement.  Moments filled with life and love.  I’m not sure we’ve ever had a summer busier than this one.  It has made me keenly aware that how we spend our time determines results.  It has also made me realize that we have all the time in the world to accomplish things—we just need to do it.  When we prioritize our lives into the things we set out to do, the thing is done.  How we spend our time is our choice.  We are so lucky to be alive and to choose what we want to do next.  I used to think boredom was a luxury, and I realize that I was so emotionally busy that I never prioritized actually getting things done.  Shifting focus has made all the difference, and suddenly time is mine.

Today I am grateful for recognizing my mistakes.  I have this weird habit of simultaneously taking responsibility for everything and shifting the blame.  It has made me take ownership for things that aren’t mine and shift the blame onto others for things that I wanted to do.  I allowed myself to be distracted and play the victim when it came to my choices for a long time.  Understanding what is mine to carry and what I actually need/want to work on has made all the difference.  I still fall into the victim habit every now and then because it’s easy and familiar.  Taking ownership of our lives isn’t always easy because the results are directly correlated to our behavior and action.  But as soon as we do it, the power we felt over us from other people, the attempts to manipulate others go away.  Suddenly the choice becomes ours, and we choose differently.  I may have to make that choice every day, but it is worth it every time.

Today I am grateful for releasing fear.  Not a new one but I am learning to appreciate every time I recognize that I have to let go of fear to progress.  Progress is such a mental game that for those of us who struggle with anxiety, depression, people pleasing, addiction, it can be a daily fight to choose differently.  It can be a daily struggle to figure out that we are in the same pattern again—sometimes right when we are in the middle of it.  The key is patience and to learn to let go a little bit at a time, even in the heat of the moment.  Let go, allow, and breathe.  We always have the option to choose again.  We always have the option to face our fears.  I know it doesn’t seem like much of a choice, but when it comes to resilience and progress, making the hard choice is what we have to do.  Ironically, we can make that hard choice easier by approaching it with intention.  Know the purpose is to let go of fear.  Some days are easier than others.  But we keep going.

Today I am grateful for creativity.  This is one of my favorite things to be grateful for because I love living in the area of creativity.  I literally feel my spine tingle when it comes to starting new projects.  I love the thrill of the start and the organizing and brining something to life, sharing my vision.  I’m working on the follow through to make sure that my life isn’t a continual series of starts, but the first step in that is falling in love with a project.  There is potential in every beginning and I love to imagine what things will become.  Honestly, I simply love the thrill of potential.  It’s a flame I want to nurture and explore.  In that space, we never get burned by the fire, we simply fuel it.  As we fuel it, it expands and opens up new avenues to other creative endeavors.  The paths are endless in the best possible way. 

Today I am grateful for my skin.  For so long I’ve struggled to fit in and prove where I belong.  If I’m totally honest, nothing ever felt right and I still struggle with it today.  Even if people are perfectly kind, I still struggle to let go and fully embrace who I am with people.  I mean, I know the difference between over-sharing and building a relationship, and I know there are appropriate times to share who we are regardless of who we are with.  But I am grateful for the ability to discover who I am.  I am grateful to be doing this work, to take this journey, to define aspects of myself and live in fluidity in others.  I am grateful for the person I am.  I love my humor and joy, I love how I love those closest to me, I love the ideas that spin through my head, I love that I can help myself be better.  I love that I am finding where I’m comfortable in my own skin. 

Wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead.