Self-Reciprocity: Taking It Easy is a Choice
I woke up this morning smiling, filled with gratitude for a restful night’s sleep and the ease of a slow Monday morning. As I settled into the day, it dawned on me: we are nearing the end of the year. Yes, I've known this for a while, but today, this realization feels different.
As a life coach who creates transformative content and facilitates empowering conversations for women, I’m deeply invested in encouraging us all to "do the work" to be better, do better, and desire better. But sometimes, the relentless pursuit of “better” can become exhausting.
On a personal level, I’ve come to respect the gentle nudge in my spirit at this time of year—calling me to pause, reflect, and prepare. With maturity, I’ve embraced this need to disconnect in the last couple of months. It allows me to be thankful for how far I’ve come instead of fixating on what still needs improvement. I’d like to share this “Easy like Sunday Morning” mindset with you as we close out 2024.
In July, we discussed a "Midyear Bounce Back," an opportunity to pivot and finish the year strong. Now, if pushing hard until December 31, 2024, is your style, by all means, sis, go for it! You can revisit last year’s November-December content for that kind of focus. But this year, I sense the Holy Spirit saying, "Rest."
This month, let’s take a moment to “see ourselves clearly”—not for what we want to change but for what we already possess.
Over the next 8 weeks, I encourage you to journal with a focus on gratitude. Yes, we have only eight weeks left in 2024! Christmas is right around the corner. Instead of fixating on what didn’t happen this year, reframe your thoughts. Start back in January, and find at least three things you’re grateful for each month, no matter how big or small. Jot these down and let gratitude fill your heart.
Consider reflecting on these questions:
What have you learned about yourself this year?
What has God shown you about yourself, your life, or the world around you?
How has your life evolved over the past year?
Where are you stronger, wiser, more stable, confident, or resilient?
What do you understand better now than you did on January 1, 2024?
Allow yourself grace for the journey. Step into a space of observation rather than analysis. One of the most subtle ways we are thrown off track is through self-sabotaging thoughts and the constant push to change them. While transformation is my ministry, there is a season for everything. The Word of God assures us of this.
This month, we are called to be thankful—not just because it’s November but because as the year draws to a close, we have a choice: Will we strive and push ourselves into the new year, or will we embrace and love ourselves into it?
In a world that’s felt turbulent and demanding, let’s take time for self-care, mental wellness, and spiritual refreshing. Let’s start this season of gratitude by seeing ourselves clearly and with an endearing, honorable perspective.
As we enter this season of thanksgiving, remember this truth: we all need a little “super” to our “natural.” True refreshing comes only when we release our burdens.
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, NLT)
Let’s begin releasing those burdens we carry, knowing that while we may not be able to change or fix everything, we can choose gratitude for the journey. This is a beautiful beginning, Sis.
