Welcome!

It's October 30, 2021, and I find myself in a season of quiet growth. I am quietly putting together a wealth of information and knowledge I have gained to become a better version of myself. The subtitle of my page is "Bread Crumbs," because I have picked up knowledge like bread crumbs along the path that is my life. It's as simple as that. I haven't learned it all at once and I haven't even fully consumed what I have picked up along to way. Sometimes, we get information and we don't quite know what to do with it, so maybe we store it somewhere behind the forefront of our mind until we are ready to make use of it.

We are eighteen months into the pandemic. The world is different today. It's a little exhausting. Politics have played a big part in the pandemic. What do we do with that information? I believe we remember who we are and what our core values are.

My core values are being a Christ follower, living a healthy life, and sharing what I have learned with others with optimism. For years, I prioritized physical activity and exercise. I continued to find that I did not meet my goals to carve out a quiet time to connect with God through scripture and prayer. After we moved into our newly purchased and renovated house, I kept feeling a sense that I was too busy. I needed quiet. As much as I tried to have quiet time at night, my focus was not there, because I am a morning person. My highest mental focus is right when I awake and there is nothing to split my attention.

This is the fifth week that I woke up and filled my first hour with a daily bible reading, read out of the Catholic Catechism, wrote a prayer, read a book for growth and a book for fun. I have been told and read countless times that a practice such as this will set the intention and focus for your day. I have tried many times to implement it, but it wasn't until I gave up morning workouts that I finally was able to fully embrace this practice.

Why did it take me so long? I questioned myself about this. Here's what I decided. I made myself work out first thing in the morning, because that is when I found that I was most consistent. Why? Because didn't trust myself or hold myself accountable to keep my own promise to work out 4-5 days per week. It isn't that making a decision to work out first is wrong. It is that only one thing can be top priority. I was making my appearance top priority. God does not take second place if we have our priorities in the right order. Does that mean your time focusing on God and his direction for you has to be when you get out of the bed? No. It means, if that is the time that you will be able to focus best on being a Christ follower, maybe you should use it.

I have found that the workout routine I have been doing for the last 3 years isn't fun for me any more. Honestly, I'm tired of being sore. I'm tired of what it required of me mentally while it drained my energy. Did it afford me confidence? Yes. Was I proud of the work I found I could do? Yes. I also found that I need more quiet in this season for me to show up for myself and others in the way that supports my core values.

I heard Dave Hollis say something a few days ago. It may be in his latest book "Built Through Courage." He said when he first took the enneagram test, he identified as a 9(Peace keeper). Now, he realizes that he identified as a 9, because he was in a high stress state. In a healthy state, he now identifies as a 3(Creator). I have let that role around in my mind for a few days. Sometimes we can take quizzes to learn about ourselves, but we should not let those labels define us. We are uniquely created. You were made different from every single person ever made. Figure out who you are and live it out.