Here we go, kids! It’s August 1, and I am so ready. I’m nervous, I’m unsure of myself, and I’m definitely feeling that discomfort that comes just before I say negative things to myself, and quit. NOT THIS TIME!  

I’m going to push through this time ~ to the NEXT LEVEL!

I’m treating this day, August 1st, as a new year.

One year of putting my best foot forward! One year of setting myself up for success!

For those of you who are doing the challenge with me ~ are you excited? Worried? Ready?

I am definitely “D. All of the above”. But I’ve been testing out the 4 M’s…which I’ll probably just call the M&M’s…and I think they might be just what I need to take things to the next level.

How about you? I’ve heard from some of you, and I love your different versions of this challenge.

My friend Jennifer (Hi, Jennifer!!) is going to keep up with her housework, which I love. Outer order = Inner calm, baby!

My friend Lauren (Hi, Lauren!) said she had almost the exact same M’s for herself as mine, which is so awesome. She wants to add accountability to her life. That is totally what this blog is for me!

My friend Liz (Hi, Liz!) said she wanted to add another M ~ Memory ~ because she keeps forgetting the other M’s ~ HA HA HA HA. That’s funny right there! I’ve forgotten the M’s a few times myself ~ and I made them up!

To remind myself, I’m going to use this pretty wall calendar in my closet-office, to mark how many M’s I’ve done in a day. I feel like there might be some hilarious 10:30pm yoga sessions, just to say I did it. Hopefully not too many of those!

Normally, my New Year/New Challenge setup goes like this: I list at least 10 things that I need to do every single day, and I completely get overwhelmed. I mean, sure, I need to take my vitamins, keep up with my taxes, drink way more water, work on my new real estate business (I just got my Kansas license ~ YAHOOOOO), and I definitely need to put my 46 year-old bod on some kind of stricter diet, cuz this one ain’t workin’. But in the past few days of giving the M&M’s a try, I’ve discovered that I get SOOOO much more accomplished in a day, if I just can get those M&M’s in, and preferably, early in the day.

I’m a relatively active person, and I think we all know I’m VERY productive. It’s in my DNA ~ my mother is a 4’11” energizer bunny, my dad worked eight days a week, and my sister is a middle school english teacher (which is basically the earthly equivalent of an angel or a hero, or both). And I definitely have my fair share of accomplishments, and proof that I can see something through. I mean, I was GLUTEN FREE for a few years. Is there anything harder?

But I really do have a difficult time choosing the things that will help me have a better day, every day. Even on a day off, I just need some activities that will ground me.

Enough preaching! Here are some pretty little graphics!

I do best when I meditate, pray, or just clear my mind in some way, before even getting out of bed. Do you ever feel like you need something to wake you up, but without actually pushing yourself out of bed? So you go to your phone? Social media, the news, emails ~ that’s all just way too much for me at the beginning of the day. So now I turn on my Insight Timer app and do a 10-15 minute guided meditation ~ sometimes even with the Hub!

I already know how to pray. I just never really figured out how to stop asking for things and just sit there and let my brain slow down. It’s such an important component to prayer, and even though it doesn’t seem like something that would actually reduce anxiety, it really is potent. Especially if you pair it with some deep breathing. It sounds too simple. But it works.

Example: this morning I woke up tired, but wired. My usual. I hadn’t even cracked both eyes open and was already going through the never-ending to-do list in my tired little brain. I had to do two meditations back-to-back, just to calm down, but I feel so much better, and really capable of enjoying the day.

My morning pages ~ or journal ~ is my blog post this morning. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have! I love making pretty graphics, and sharing anything that might be helpful to us all.

I have a leg injury that I’ve been fighting for almost a year now, and it takes everything within me to push past the discomfort, and move. But, if I don’t move, it hurts even more. So I’m learning to move through the pain, and try to strengthen those leg muscles, which I hope will bring healing! It’s a new concept for me.

Last but most definitely not least! I have a violin that’s dying to be played, a gorgeous grand piano that is total therapy to me, and a ton of music I love to sing. I’ve discovered that if I do those other three M’s, I really feel great with the Music one.

I’m even listening to more music. Two wonderful friends of mine have been sending me music to listen to (Hi Kayleigh and Kristee!!!) and I so appreciate it. More please, ladies!

I’ll use these graphics when I write about them in the future, just to give you something pretty to look at!

I hope you will share your journey with me. It’s so fun to see what you all are doing, and it really inspires me and motivates me.

Good luck, everyone! I’ll check in on you all in a few days!