I woke up this Monday morning feeling tired and depleted. The past 4 years of my life have been devoted to homeschooling my children, building a softball program for homeschoolers, and living the softball life with my daughter. In that time frame, things in life happened as well. Situations like illnesses involving family members, the death of my brother, the loss of relationships, and a pandemic were present. In the weeks since my daughter left for college, I have begun to realize how the past few years have shaped me. In some ways there has been so much growth, but in other areas I have realized that I need further growth and change.
Areas of Growth
Areas where growth has been present is physical and mental toughness. Life situations either throw me into physical exercise or into a depressed slump. The past few years have thrown me into physical exercise to maintain my mental health. When things around me felt like they were falling apart, I could retreat into running or punching a bag. I have shared some of the stories in which karate made me stronger. I often call it my lifesaver when I lost my oldest brother. It not only was a release, but it motivated me to work to keep progressing. Now it continues to be a motivator for me as I am held accountable for my progress. Pushing through the uncomfortable, the hard, and the pain whether it be physical, mental, or emotional makes us stronger in all areas.
Another area where I have experienced growth is in knowledge. I love to learn! You may have heard of spiritual gifts. We have been doing a study in Sunday School recently on spiritual gifts and were encouraged to take a quiz to find out what our gifts are. My quiz revealed that one of my gifts is teaching. An attribute that comes with that gift is the desire to learn. In the past few years, I studied and learned how to lead a softball program. Let me just say, that experience was a growing experience in faith and trusting God to equip me to accomplish that which I felt called to do. I also dove into continuing education to maintain my nursing license as well as completing my health coaching certification. I continue to fuel my desire to learn with podcasts, continuing education in health coaching topics, training regarding the supplements that I promote, and studying courses in business building. We never outgrow learning. It just becomes a part of life. How much we grow is dependent upon our mindset and how much we are open to growth.
Learning in Life
You may be wondering why I started this post stating that I woke up feeling depleted. With the growth in physical and mental toughness and my desire to learn, I should be able to just push through, right? The truth is, no matter how strong we are, we are still going to get tired and depleted and frustrated. We also have moments when we are just tired of learning. Unfortunately, it is a part of life. We live in a broken world that has hardships and lessons that sometimes are painful to learn. My oldest brother loved this quote from Frederick Buechner, “Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.” Faith and not being afraid are two areas where I continue to need growth. As much as I wish my faith did not waiver, circumstances in life have caused me to fall in to fear and question at times. My heart’s desire is to trust, and I have no doubt with that desire that I will grow in my faith. It still can leave us tired at times, not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well.
Right now, my growth involves adjusting to a daughter at college and a teenage son who is juggling school, work, and other activities. It also involves the learning and work of building and growing a business. Not to leave out growth involving a shift from homeschooling and softball mom to business owner. That adjustment has had its challenges in and of itself. How, then, do we overcome on a day where we just are not feeling it?
Taking the Next Step
The first step today, was merely to get out of bed. I admit, I did not want to. I could have easily pulled the covers over my head, but instead I got up. Knowing that I did not nourish myself well yesterday, I then headed to the kitchen to hydrate. Our nourishment does play a huge part in restoring us, so I knew today I needed added nutrients. The supplements that I am affiliated with have a product called hydrate that is fortified with electrolytes, antioxidants, minerals, and Vitamin C. I do not use this daily, but I knew today it was needed to set me up on the right path for restored energy.
As I sipped on my morning beverage, I opened my Bible and my daily devotion. I have been thinking a good bit about prayer lately. That is another area where I seek to grow. The devotion for today by Christine Caine was on worship. Her words resonated with me as they were exactly the words that I needed to hear this morning. “Your loving God wants the best for you, and He is at work doing something you cannot yet see- something that will amaze you when all becomes clear.” That inspired me to continue the morning with prayer and praise music as I got ready for the day. Everywhere I looked this morning, I found quotes and encouragement that pointed me toward the next step forward.
Progress
Before I knew it, I had breakfast fixed for myself and my son. I enjoyed my morning coffee with collagen, grits and turkey sausage, a bowl of fruit, and the supplements that have become my dailies. Those include Xfactor plus, megaX, slim, and vitamin D. Again, because I knew today was a day for added nutrients, I enjoyed a midmorning protein drink with added Plexus greens. I continued my morning doing what has become our family mantra, “the next right thing.” That list included encouraging people that God placed on my heart, signing up for training, working on worksheets and programs, and organizing some of my business notes and files. Before I knew it my mindset was changing, and I was making progress.
Lunch time came, and I enjoyed chicken, corn, field peas, and half a plate of broccoli that was leftover from the weekend. Then I began writing and nourished myself with all-natural energy from a product called Active. And here we are. It has been a mindful process to get to this point. From the step of getting out of bed to sitting at my desk to nourishing myself, it has required being in tune and speaking positive affirmations and truth to myself. We humans are resilient. We overcome so much in life. There are tactics that we can use to help us overcome. Different things may work for different people, but some of the key points are the same.
Tactics for Overcoming
- Take the next step forward
- Breathe in the positive and gratitude
- Find encouragement from others
- Be encouragement to others
- Nourish your body and your mind
- Move your body even if only stretching
- Celebrate your progress
- Relax and rest when your day is complete
Did you begin your day tired and depleted also? I trust that you have found renewed strength and energy in this day. If not today, do not give up hope. As long as you keep moving one step forward, your strength and stamina will return stronger than before. Did you make progress through this day? It does not matter if you took a baby step or a huge leap forward. Any progress today calls for celebration! May you find rest at the end of your day and renewed strength for tomorrow. Blessings my friends!
