New Year, New Decade

Earlier this month, I turned 40!

One of the problems with having a birthday so soon after the holidays is you are often too tired to celebrate. My oldest son was born on January 1st which mean that, by the time we’ve celebrated Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas (I’m Jewish, my husband isn’t), and his birthday day plus birthday party, I am done.

But, this year is different. This year is a big milestone. And, in addition to the 0 at the end of the number, 2016 was not an easy year on so many levels. So, this new year, this new decade, is about starting a new chapter. A chapter where I embrace myself in all my flawsomeness.

Because, if you’ve read around my site or follow me on social media, you know that I believe we need to give ourselves permission to prioritize ourselves. We all play a vital role on this planet. We all matter. And if we don’t take care of ourselves, how can we effectively take care of others?

So, this year, I counted down #40DaysTil40 by giving myself a minimum of 15 minutes per day to focus on what 40 means to me. I painted, I wrote poems, I found quotes, I had a solo dance party. It didn’t matter WHAT I did with that time. It was about allowing myself to be vulnerable and honest. To celebrate my flawsomeness.

I’m going to be honest, I didn’t succeed in doing something each of the 40 days. There were days when I had planned to spend the 15 minutes before bed but then found myself too tired to put pen to paper.

Days where I picked up a paint brush and then the phone rang.

Days where I went to Google for inspirational quotes and got sucked into Facebook or Pinterest instead (and, for some reason, stayed there for WAY more than my 15 minutes of alloted time).

And, yes, days when I just forgot.

But, I forgive myself. Because, the truth is, even if I had only done it once, it would still have been one time more than I had done it before. And, that is flawsome!

Here are 4 of my personal favorites.