Lessons Learned.

It just occurred to me this morning so I wanted to talk about it. We have turned to calendar to a new month and a new year, Day 1 to be exact. I thought differently about it today than I've thought before. I didn't have an Ah-Ha moment, but I had a moment of clarity. Over the years it's been about starting something new, changing gears, doing more or doing less--and absolutely about losing weight. Today though I thought about lessons learned. Not just last year, but over the years. I feel a refreshing this year like I've never felt before. I thought: "lessons learned. new chapter. new pages." It just resonated with me. As I reflected on those words, the biggest lessons learned didn't happen last year but over the years. In deeper thought I traced it back to 2019. I stopped blogging in 2019. I didn't know why, I just didn't feel like I had anything to say. I was battling depression. I was battling illness. I was suffering from suppressing my 'voice' when I should have spoken. As it turns out, I had been suppressing my voice for a long time. My voice, as in what I think, what's on my heart, and what I believe, and instead honoring what everybody else thought. I had been defaulting to silence with good intentions, but to my own harm. While it is important to respect what other people have to say, it is vital to do the same for yourself first. Lessons learned? I learned to honor my voice. I learned to accept when my opinion differed from others around me. I absolutely learned to say 'no.' As the first day of January draws to an end, I'm reflecting on other lessons learned. I hope you are reflecting on lessons learned, and excited about new chapters and new pages for yourself. Let's talk next time!