Taking Stock January + 3 Life Lessons 2019 Taught Me!

Happy 2020 my dear friends! I hope you are facing the New Year with an open heart and a positive outlook! Today, we kick-start the year with our first Taking Stock post, plus a dash of reflections on 2019. Do stick with me… 🙂

 

I spent the other day reflecting on the past one year, and suffice to say, hindsight is 20/20. So in today’s Taking Stock post, we reflect on a few lessons that 2019 served up…

 

Write Your Vision Down!

When 2019 began, I remember feeling super optimistic as we often do about new beginnings…

But somewhere along the line, life’s issues hit hard and I got carried away by the worries of day to day living.

One day, when I was feeling really down, I bumped into a video by Steve Harvey on ‘Write Your Vision’ on YouTube. It was exactly the jump-start I needed, giving me hope that hey- you can start believing again!

The challenge in the video is to write 300 things down that you want God to do for you, and read that list daily. What I love about reading my list daily, is that I don’t lose touch with what my vision is. And no matter what might be happening in the present, it pushes me to keep going, to keep working at it and to keep the faith!

What is your vision for 2020, and beyond? Do you have it written down?

 

 

Be Flexible about the ‘How’!

In 2019 I learned how to let go of ‘how I think things should work out’.

Truth is, I have a perfectionist side to me that wants to ‘control’ both the process and the outcomes. So I usually have a hard time letting go, especially when I can’t see the how the full picture fits together. Can you relate?

For instance, one of the items on my 2019 Vision Board was to travel beyond East Africa. I had my ideas of how I wanted things to work out, and started out on my ‘plan’ early in the year…

So it was quite disappointing when my plans ‘didn’t work out’…

Then towards the end of the year, by God’s grace, I got to visit Zambia and even make a return trip to Rwanda!

Now, connecting the dots backwards, I see that everything fell in place at just the right time… I’m still learning how to let go and gaining some patience while at it.

You possibly have your 2020 dreams set out, and how you expect them to pan out…

However, as we know, life doesn’t always happen in a straight line… There will be detours along the way. Embrace the journey, and be flexible, for nothing is ever wasted.

 

There is not one single thing that has ever happened to you, or will happen to you, that will be wasted… everything is there showing up to make you more of who you were meant to be… Nothing is ever wasted. ~Oprah Winfrey

 

Be Intentional.

Have you ever felt like things are spinning out of control and there’s nothing you can do?

There were many times in the past year when I was simply floating through life.

And as I’ve been reflecting on my year 2019 events, it’s become very clear how much I need to be intentional.

Hence, I want to be intentional about my goals, career, relationships, and my time… And quite honestly, I am still figuring out what that looks like in practice.

I will be sure to share my progress and findings in a later Taking Stock post. 🙂

What are you going to be intentional about in 2020?

 

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Taking Stock January 2020

 

Buying: I just bought Jasmine Macharia’s two amazing cook books: Joyful and Breakfast With The King!

 

Craving: Creative and inspiring experiences!

 

Cooking: New exciting recipes from the cook books hopefully. 🙂

 

Drinking: Freshpak Rooibos tea sent to me by my good friend from Zambia. Yum! 🙂

 

Eating: Mangoes. ‘Tis the season!

 

Enjoying:  Yoga With Adriene’s 30 Day ‘Challenge’. This year, the series is called ‘Home’, and it’s like taking a journey back to self. Come join the fun! It’s suitable for anyone, even beginners! 🙂

 

Feeling: Hopeful!

 

Learning: To listen and watch out for the things that make my heart dance. 🙂

 

Listening: To Intentional by Travis Greene on loop!

 

Making: A content plan with fresh ideas for 2020 Blog posts and considering how to make Scrapbook Journeys more fun and valuable to you my readers….

What would you like to see more of on the blog?

Tip:

Feel free to share your inputs on the comments’ section below and let’s make it A+! 😉  😀

 

Missing: That no-stress, relaxed December feeling.

 

Noticing: How my sleep patterns are changing and I need to adjust my schedule to fit into my most productive hours, at night.

 

Playing: With the idea of growing my hair back… Who knows how long this will last? 😀

 

Reading: Daily Devotionals in a book by Cindy Trimm called ‘Command Your Morning’.

It has small, easy to digest, devotionals for every day of the year. And it’s the perfect way to get your day started on the right note! 🙂

 

Thinking: About how to make a difference in my sphere of influence…

 

Wanting: To rediscover my hobbies… and find new ones perhaps? 🙂

 

Watching: YouTube Videos on how to make a good vision board.

 

Wishing: For more travels and adventures than ever before!

 

Working: On my 2020 Vision Board. It’s going to be an amazing year, and I believe it with all my heart! I hope you do too!

 

 

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Helpful Tips & Resources For A Great 2020:

• Check out this post on 5 Healthy Habits To Kick-start your Goals.
• Google and download the Year Compass booklet to help you plan for your 2020.
• This blog post from 2019 might also come in handy.

 

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Thank you for reading my friends! I hope you’ve enjoyed our first Taking Stock Post! What lessons did you learn from your 2019? I would love to hear from you!

Share your lessons down below, so we can all learn from our collective experiences… 🙂

And hopefully, you and I will return to this Taking Stock entry many times this year, to remind ourselves of these lessons. 🙂

I wish you a beautiful year ahead, full of wonderful surprises!

 

<<Love and Light. Stay Inspired Always>>