TWENTYGR8TEEN

Whew! We made it! We have survived the first week of 2018. I do not know about y'all, but I have to say "so far, so good!"

What was your week like? Is 2018  off to a good start? 

I have declared that 2018 is the year of Peace. 

I am not saying that last year wasn't peaceful; however, it was quite a bit hectic. Some of it my own doing, the rest of it were literally things I could not control. But one thing I learned from 2017 was that in order to have peace, one must plan for it. 

I know that sounds weird. I mean when I first had this thought, I was confused. Like how do you plan peace? And why should you plan your peace? 

And then it dawned on me that it wasn't technically me planning for a certain moment to be peaceful because there are always things that I cannot control, but instead, it is me planning to allow myself grace in every situation. 

If I enter into a situation already allowing myself grace, I am able to accept whatever the outcome may be. It is inevitable that something will happen and I will not be able to reach a certain goal. Basically, shit happens. But if I always remember that, then it can remove some of the pressure from myself. 

I do not know about you, but I know I am my toughest critic. I apply not only pressure but also unrealistic expectations. And to be honest, that is quite easy to do. I have found myself letting social media rush me or I have let someone else's aspirations somehow guide my goals and dreams; however, that all is going to stop in 2018. It actually stopped towards the end of 2017. 

This grace lends its way to peace. Why may you ask? Because knowing that I did my best, then there is no need to stress myself out about the outcome(s). 

But in order for this type of planning to take place, there were three steps that I came up with. These steps are: Define, Refine, and Shine. 

First I must define what success means to me in every situation. If I do that, then if I meet that expectation it really does not matter what else happens--or what everyone else thinks should happen. Then I must refine the things I didn't do the best and could use some improvements. This takes a lot of self-reflection, and sometimes it is hard and I honestly do not like; but, I know that is the only way I can improve. And Lastly, Shine. This means that you shine a light on the things you did well because even if I did not achieve the goal I can glean some information that could be applicable to me if I try again. 

I want 2018, to be TWENTYGRETEEN. I want it to be great for you as well. That is why I have included a part of my Space.Pace.Grace. workbook for free.