Progress not Perfection

Progress: it’s measured by the steps we take, not gaining immediate success. The dictionary defines it as “forward or onward movement toward a destination.”

In my past, I have never focused on progress, but rather perfection. All or nothing. I wanted success right away. If I didn’t get my nutrition right day after day, my workout in consistently through the week, or make dinner every night….”failure and start over” was spoken in my head. I would lose any momentum or traction I gained and would derail for weeks before I could try again. Or my mindset would be, if I couldn’t go “all in” then what was my point of even trying?

This got me nowhere but set back after set back. On the outside I looked like I had it all together, but inside I was a mess.

If I had a workout goal of exercising 4 times that week and by Thursday, I only worked out once….”I failed. I just can’t do this. I don’t have time. I will try again next week” would speak loudly in my head. And then even worse, when the next week came around, I didn’t have the motivation because I still felt defeated over week 1. And so the cycle would continue. Or, with my work/life balance, I had completely thrown in the towel for 3 years and had a pity party that this was just the way life was going to be. And I accepted it.

But if it’s not what we want, we can’t accept it. And if the big picture doesn’t feel attainable right now, we need to focus on progress, not perfection while we take the journey. We need to give ourselves a little grace and take it one day at a time.

This year as I have worked on balance, I replaced the word “perfection” with “progress.” I took away my “all or nothing” mentality, I shut down my “failure and start over” inner voice, and every day I loved myself for where I was at. I appreciate the progress I have gained in my nutrition as I continue to work towards getting more toned. I celebrate the 1.5 miles I run during my 3 mile course, even though I am not able to run the whole way yet. I am accepting the fact that I need to start over with my running endurance to try and prevent my knee from hurting again. I cherish the intentional time I have with my family when I am still striving toward even more quality time. (To name just a few.)

And if I don’t have it all together one day… that’s okay. Because I’m making progress. Change takes time.

I don’t have it together every day. None of us do. So if this post resonates with you, let’s stop putting so much pressure on ourselves to have everything just right.

Embrace where you are at.

Love yourself for who you are right now. It will help motivate you to get where you want to go.

Focus on progress not perfection.

Enjoy the journey. So much is missed trying to race to the finish line. Enjoy your progress and let it create character in you and perseverance. You won’t regret it.

Race Reflection

I’ve been quiet the last couple weeks stuck in a state of reflection and struggling with a knee issue prior to running the Eau Claire relay marathon yesterday.

Through that hurdle, my goal was not to lose my vision on where I’m going and not fall back into my comfort zone of “I can’t,” “I’m not good enough,” or “I don’t have time.”

I ran yesterday. It wasn’t perfect and it was filled with lots of emotion. Today I looked in the mirror and said “I can. I am good enough. I do still have time.”

During our struggles in life, when our inner voice says “I can’t,” let your outer voice speak louder and look in the mirror and say, “I can.” Find your identity in who you really are, not the obstacle in front of you.

Obstacles are meant to help us grow. And nothing grows in comfort zones. Embrace the journey, stand tall, and love yourself through it. ❤

Crossing Jordan: the beginning

The Lord tends to place months of the year on my heart. Last year in early spring, He laid the name Crossing Jordan on my heart and the month of June 2017. I knew Crossing Jordan would be very personal to me and I originally thought it would only be my business name. I prayed a lot and asked for Godly wisdom.

When June 4th arrived that year, it was a day in church I will never forget. Not only was it the month the Lord placed on my heart, but our Pastor also spoke about when the Israelites trusted God by stepping in the Jordan River and God performed the miracle of parting the waters. I was awe struck. It was everything He had already placed on my heart. The Lord was asking I take faith and “step into the river,” get out of my comfort zone, and pursue my passion.

That Sunday in church I boldly went up front and stepped in the bucket of water our pastor had, symbolizing taking the first step in faith to pursue something God had placed on my heart. For me, it was pursuing making Crossing Jordan a reality.

The months that followed, God continued to grow me and prepare me, to my surprise not starting my own business yet, but rather a blog site. I feel called to share my life with you, in hopes to inspire you and help people through this journey on earth.