Finding Your Purpose And Living Your Best Life

When I first started this blog in the beginning of the year, I wrote about my theme being ‘Living With Intention.’ So here we are. Over 1/2 of the year gone, and I’m doing my best to hold back all the tears. If you’ve been following along on my blog and Sweet #3’s journey, you’ll know the challenges and triumphs we’ve faced. But what also came with helping my child live his best life, full of abundance, also led his Mama to dig deep to figure out how to live my best life. How crazy is it that I had no idea what this year would bring with our Kylan Jack (or myself), and ‘Living With Intention’ was the most perfect theme to have this year!

Being diagnosed with Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome at 11 and not having any treatments or medications work, just made me believe this was just how life was going to be for me. And I grew to accept that. Now here I am, in my 26th year after being diagnosed, and I’m just now figuring it out. I’ve been sick of feeling sick, but it took me having my 3rd child to realize maybe if I take care of myself, I can be a better Mom and Wife. It’s been a journey, but I’m starting just that.

I love all of my children just the same. They are all so uniquely different and make me laugh on the daily in many different ways. God knew just what this Mama needed when he blessed us with each of our kids, but the journey we’ve been on with Kylan Jack has finally led me on my own journey of BE-ing well. I never in a million years would have guessed that it is one of my own children who opened my eyes to trying to figure out how I can live a better life. I never realized how much I put my own well being on the back burner and just went through the day to day motions of believing this was just going to be my ‘normal,’ until these past 6 months.

But here’s the hard part: Doing The Work You Need To Do, To Get To Where You Want To Be.

I definitely didn’t wake up one day and say ‘I’m living my best life and I feel amazing!’ I had to dig deep to find my purpose. I’ve been searching 37 years to know what my purpose really was. I love serving people and making people laugh and help them feel amazing on the inside and outside. So why not serve myself first so I can serve others more abundantly? I love being a mom and taking care of all of their needs. So why have I been struggling to take care of my needs first, so that I can take care of their needs even better? I love being a wife, but having 4 little bambinos and not feeling good much of the time has caused us often times, to just go through the motions of the days and not prioritize our time. Together. Without our little ankle biters in tow. It wasn’t until a parenting class we went through at church, when we realized that the minute my husband gets home from work, we don’t even take 5 minutes to focus on each other. Ask how our day was. Give a hello and a kiss. And it’s not even difficult! You just have to intentionally put it into your routine. We’re still learning, and fall short some days, but we’re doing much better!

My journey to be well and live a more abundant life started when I became a Mom. Babies tend to do that to you. But 8-1/2 years and 4 babies later, made me intentionally dig deeper to figure it all out even more. I am not intended to sit on the side lines feeling miserable while my babies grow up. I’m not intended to go through a marriage just for it to be put on the sidelines because either I don’t feel well or we’re too distracted with our kids or things that don’t matter. I’m not intended to serve those I work for and the community we work with, with half of my BE-ingness.

This morning I was brought to tears thinking about the amount of changes I intentionally have made to create a better version of myself. And it’s just the beginning! It’s only been 6 months y’all! 6 months that I’ve been working on myself.

It all started with a parenting class at church in January, that led to Chiropractic Care in March, after having our Sweet #3 have a full Neuropsychological Evaluation done in February, and diagnosed with a Language Disorder and Social Anxiety in March, and having him start Chiropractic Care himself. Which led me to May’s Book Club reading The 5 Second Rule. Which led me to small changes around the home, that eventually turned into bigger changes, like meal prepping in June. To joining a 6-Week Get Fit challenge through CrossFit in July. To now today, deciding I’m going to drink a gallon of water a day. Y’all, that is going to be the hardest thing for me to date! I don’t drink water except what’s on my toothbrush with my toothpaste. True story.

I’m definitely not perfect. It’s almost 2pm and I haven’t made our bed yet. I usually make it right away. There are clothes that need to be folded. I usually fold them right away. (Since reading The 5 Second Rule, of course) But it’s not about being perfect every day. It’s about living the life you’re intended to live. It’s about falling and getting right back up. It’s about believing in yourself and not settling with what you think your ‘normal’ is. It’s about not comparing yourself to anyone else, because everyone’s journey is different. It’s about getting out of your head and changing the mindset you’ve been conditioned to have about yourself. It’s about working on yourself FIRST, so you can serve others around you with greater capacity. (My husband is probably reading this and thinking “I’ve been telling you this for the past 9 years!” — he’s been telling me this since our first born. Whoopsies!)

Here’s to finding my purpose and the journey of living my best life. And of course, Living With Intention.

~xoxo