One of my favorite bloggers, Emily P. Freeman, has this practice of looking back on what we’ve learned over the past season before moving onto the next. It’s a way to slow down, reflect, and become more familiar with ourselves. I’ve decided to take up this practice for myself so here are 7 things I  have learned over this past Winter.

(If you want to see what Emily and others are sharing you can check it out and link up for yourself here.)

 

1. Dutch Braids

I’ve always loved looking up hair-dos on Pinterest and combining different elements into my up-dos. (check out my hair-do board here .) One thing I’ve been trying to master for awhile is the Dutch braid. They come out looking different than a french braid and for certain looks I wanted to try, I knew I needed to master them.

Now, I might just be braidedly challenged but I watched tutorials and looked at pictures and could NOT for the life of me, figure out this braid. Then my mom explained it so simply: “It’s exactly like a french braid except you put the strands under instead of over.” WHY DIDN’T ANYONE JUST SAY THAT???

Thanks to that explanation I have now mastered the dutch braid.

2. I Sleep More Deeply Without a Bed Frame

This is something I learned accidentally. I recently got rid of my old black iron bed frame because I didn’t like having my bed so high. (I’m only 4′ 10″ and I felt like I was climbing into my bed every night.) So I ditched the bed frame and have just been sleeping on a box spring and mattress. Since I did that I have been falling asleep quicker, dreaming every night, and waking up feeling more refreshed and rested.

3. Taking Public Transportation is Good for My Soul

I currently work about 30 minutes from where I live, or at least it SHOULD be 30 minutes. With traffic getting worse in Denver my commute over this last year has begun to gradually wear me down. However, since RTD finished the R Line Lightrail system this last month there is now a train that will go from my home straight to my work in 25 minutes.

The difference is amazing. I love that my commute time is consistent and I don’t have to leave so early. I love that I can read, text, email, or write on the train and don’t have to focus on driving. I love people watching. I also especially love the views of the mountains and the city that you get from the rail. THIS will probably be a life save for my sanity.

4. People’s Emotions Aren’t My Responsibility

I have always had an empathetic caring spirit but where I’ve gone wrong is in taking up responsibility for other people’s emotions. I say yes to things I don’t really want to do because I don’t think people can handle the disappointment or I am scared of making them angry or sad. Because if someone is angry or sad I also feel like I need to “fix” it. Make them feel better. Because if they are angry or sad I often feel angry or sad too.

I have learned that peoples feelings are their feelings and they are allowed to have them and work through them however they want. I can still be there and acknowledge their feelings but it isn’t my job to take up their emotions for myself and then try to make them go away. It is simply my job as a friend, sister, daughter, girlfriend to stand in the waves of their emotions with them. Along with this I learned from Brene Brown that being empathetic with someone means recognizing what they are feeling and drawing from my past experiences to remember how it felt and to say “me too”, it does not mean to sit with them and actually take up and feel what they are currently feeling.

Emotions are a tricky thing for me.

5. Eggplant Lasagna Tastes Basically as Good as Normal Lasagna

This one is courtesy of my roommate who is an amazing cook and also gluten and dairy free. She mentioned something about Eggplant Lasagna one night and I was interested so she taught me how to make it. I was literally SHOCKED by how good this tastes. I would probably try to cook the eggplant without the skin (texture weirds me out) but other than that it was literally just like lasagna.

6. How to Use a Bullet Journal

I’ve been hearing about the bullet journal for over a year now. I tried it in college but with working, school, and all my other activities I much preferred seeing my week laid out visually and blocked out in colors.

Now that I am working full time and am tackling some bigger goals this year I am in LOVE with the bullet journal. I am still experimenting and tweaking some stuff with how I use it but I have found that there was a lot of stuff I was tracking before in journals, planners, and calendars that I can now keep in one place.

7. Getting an Actual Wax Hurts Way Less Than the Strips

I am a pretty hairy person. It never really bothered me before but lately I have become more aware of it and have found that at least for my face, I feel so much more fresh and confident with a smooth face. I was attempting to wax my own face with strips for awhile and finally decided to just go to an actual waxing salon. I was scared that it was going to hurt way worse since its REAL wax but found that the real wax hurt way less than the strips I’ve been using.

 

Let me know some of the things you have learned over this Winter in the comments below. Let’s step into this new season confident and excited for all that we still have yet to learn.

 

Dear Self,

As a new year lays open before you I wanted to let you know something:

It’s okay to be afraid.

Last year was a bit rough. Last year went nothing like you planned. And it left you a little thin and fragile and you’re staring down the barrel of a brand new year and not feeling so brave.

You have set some pretty noble goals and have some pretty big dreams beating in your little heart right now. In the past you’ve focused the spotlight on the big changes, on the surface things, on how everyone else would see you. You made it about it impressive achievements and wowing everyone and charging into battle with flashing armor and sharpened weapons you made for yourself.

But not this year, little one.

As you stare at this new year that feels so large and scary, it is tempting to run back and hide behind the armor that makes you feel safe but remember, your true power lies in the small things. The small moments plucked out of the stream of your everyday life.

It’s the small things like listening to audio books during your commute so the traffic doesn’t stress you out, getting up an hour earlier to workout, and saying “no” to spending money so you can pay off your student loans. It’s letting yourself color a little before bed  and reading books you love. It’s slowing down long enough to take your time with cooking and not rush and burn everything.

It’s also the small choices like choosing to give thanks, being kind to yourself, speaking more blessing over your life, and taking time to seek God’s face.

Because goals are good. God never said not to plan.  But don’t get so caught up in getting healthy, writing, and reading your Bible that you forget to spend time at the feet of a God who is crazy about you. Because girl, that is truly the only thing you need on your to-do list this year.

To seek Him and know His heart.

Because this year, you don’t need to feel brave. It is okay to step up to the plate feeling small and scared. The important thing is that you show up and stay humble as you move forward.

I know it’s easy for you to feel small and worthless. Courage is facing this big crazy world anyway. You’re not alone in this.

Be awkward.

And messy.

And scared.

But move forward anyway. It doesn’t have to look perfect or impress anyone.

And most of all remember that His mercies aren’t just new in January, they are new all year.

Every morning.

Love ya,

-Britt

There is something about a New Year that quietly hums hope back into our lives.

It holds the promise of a fresh start, clean slates, a redo.

A brand new year feels like a brand new shirt that doesn’t have any stains on it yet. But the truth is, as much as we would love to start over with a fresh shirt, a lot of us are still dragging mistakes over from the previous year or it’s only three days into this brand new year and we’ve already made a mess of our goals and aspirations. (guilty)

This is why a lot of people don’t bother making New Years Resolutions because for a lot of us it can feel like just another thing to get discouraged about.

We get so caught up focusing on keeping our year and our actions PERFECT. SPOTLESS. CLEAN. that we can become devastated when we fail. But a new year is about becoming BETTER not becoming perfect. It’s about growing and dreaming and reaching and pushing ourselves towards who we truly want to be .

And that, girl, is a messy process.

It’s not going to look anywhere near perfect.

And I don’t think the mess makes it any less beautiful. In fact, the mess of your new year is a bright banner declaring that you are daring to DO SOMETHING. You can’t make mistakes if you aren’t trying something new and difficult. Your mistakes and missteps and the bruises you will get from them are just evidence of where you are striving to grow in this New Year.

Because this year won’t be “clean”. It’s impossible to keep it spotless.

You will have days where you miss workouts, eat crappy, accidentally start biting your nails again, lose your temper, forget to read your Bible, stay up too late, wake up too late, show up late, and say yes to things you should have said “no” to. What’s important is that you keep pressing on.

Don’t focus so intently on not “spilling stuff” on your brand new white shirt and forget that your true focus should be on WHAT you are spilling.

What sits before you that you are ready to dig into? Is it sweet and sticky? Warm and filling? What kind of projects, goals or habits are you looking to nourish yourself and others with this year?

We are all still trying to learn balance, priorities and how all of this is supposed to work. So Don’t worry about perfect, neat, and under control. Decide on something and DIG IN!

This year I am digging into three core areas of my life:

1. This Blog and my writing overall (I will be writing daily and posting weekly and will be exploring other avenues to connect with you all.)
2. My health and fitness (I have started eating better and working out for the first time in a long time.)
3. My Finances (I will be sacrificing some things this year to pay down my student debt.)

Things are about to get MESSY for sure. But I’ve decided that at the end of the year I don’t want to come out on the end with a spotless white shirt. I want to come out barefooted with wind blown hair and sparkling eyes and stories to tell. I want to be able to look back over the year and say that in the midst of the rough times and the great times,  I still had a WONDROUS time.

So take a moment to reflect and jump in with both feet but don’t forget that even if you fall flat on your face, you don’t have to wait until next year to get up and start over again.

Today is a new day. Tomorrow will be another new day. And that, that is all you need.

May you be brave and kind to yourself everyday this year and take time to remember that you are loved.

I also hope you surprise yourself somewhere along the way.

So now, lets kick off this year well, with grace, laughter, and a little bit of mess.