Another year over!! Here is what we have learned:
As I sit here at one of my favorite coffee shops there is a child having a full out meltdown. Kicking and screaming loudly with an embarrassed mama feeling probably a little less than great about herself now. I have totally been there, felt the same way and have the t-shirt to prove it. Sometimes those days feel like years. I know not everyone has had a great year and maybe you didn’t even want to read this because yours sucked. That was me last year at this time. I had a horrible year and everything in me wanted to quit at a lot of things. Surprisingly things changed, perspectives shifted and as I sit here today I am very proud of the year that I just had and am excited for what’s to come this year.
For me personally I feel like 2019 was one of the best years of my adult life. From going to Dave Ramsey’s SMART conference to reading books monthly, starting a morning routine, listening to podcasts, and running further than ever before!! It’s truly amazing how great you feel when you actually start to live every single day intentionally and on purpose. Pitfalls are going to happen…it’s how you respond to them and learn from them that matters. Getting ahead of the setbacks so you can anticipate the struggles is a game changer. Being proactive instead of re-active helps so much. It’s like all the other things in your life elevate along with the one thing you are working towards!
Here is some of the things I got from 2019:
- GO all out!! You never know what you are capable of until you push yourself to just get out there and do it. Whether I felt like it or not I decided this was the year I was going to get healthy. Mentally, spiritually and physically. I once read that good daily habits make good days and good days turn into good weeks and good weeks turn into good years so on and so forth. So, I started with a consistent morning routine as well as moving my body 7 days a week. Consistently working out and jogging shifted my mentality in such a positive way. I even finished this last year strong by running my first half marathon!! Coming at ya 2020!! Because I plan to do it all over again!
- It is okay to ask for help! This year for the first time I wasn’t afraid or ashamed to ask for help. I got help with my personal life, my marriage and even for my business. I went to growth conferences, counseling, weekly marriage core, business mentoring and listened to audio books and podcast to get some fresh ideas to push me forward to bigger and better goals. I even hired a photo editor to help me edit during the busy seasons. I know now that it’s not all up to me to do everything. Only be the best I can be and expect God to work out the rest for me. With a head full of ideas and a heart full of dreams, I can’t wait to see what’s coming next!
- I said YES to boundaries! This one is still tricky for me because I love my job and not having to be on a schedule. But saying yes to everything and everyone has costed me big time. My kids are little and they deserve my best. I have learned and am continually learning to say no to things that don’t fit in with my priorities and goals. I have also learned to make normal business hours for myself (what a concept) so I have plenty of time to spend with my kids and my hubby. This has been the hardest by far. Because I have the phone with me at all times it’s easy to get side tracked with what is going on social or if I have any unread messages. What can I say except I am still a work in progress. God, prayer, self care and friendships have been an amazing and my secret weapon to help me stay on track!!
- Creativity doesn’t always come easy! As a creative artsy person you would think I am always overflowing with ideas but sometimes it’s hard. Call it writers block or whatever but with an over-saturated market sometimes everything feels like a competition and like I am not good enough. I went back to my music roots this year and started singing and playing the guitar again. I wrote and performed a few songs and love how this has been my creative outlet. I also started writing out my frustrations in a journal before talking to anyone about them. It has refreshingly helped me get through so much. I am starting to enjoy the journey more and doing all that I do from music to art and photography.
- Never say never. I never thought the reality of my husband coming on full time with me would be a possibility. We all get stuck in a rut in our jobs and think we have to do it the “right” way. You know what I am talking about. Go to a boring job we all hate 5 days a week so we can make a living. That is not true. You can make your dream job your part time job until it is reality and ready to fully launch. Even though were not quite there yet we have hope it is going to be that way soon. We are so blessed. This year my hubby joined me part time to help out with weddings. I am truly overjoyed as I love getting to work with him and we are hoping to bring him on full time in the near future!!
Well that is a wrap and we are hoping you had a wonderful 2019 as well!!! We would love to hear from you as well and cannot wait to hear what 2020 brings you!!
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Thank you so much!!
~April and Jason Sapp
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