Every new year is a fresh new beginning. Cliche or not, I love the feeling that January 1st brings. People are driven and ready for what life can offer. There’s an optimistic vibe resonating in an often negativity-driven world. We need this now more than ever…..thank you, ALL of the months in 2020.
While I didn’t make a proper resolution this year, there is still a drive to work…focus on myself. Now more than ever, I’m trying to put my energy into what’s truly important. For me personally that consists of: existing in the present, finding joy in the little moments, gratitude, taking care of the body that God has blessed me with, keeping my home as toxin-free as sanely possible, reducing stress, and being financially sound.
These are not new concepts for me and I’ve been able to thrive in some areas while others still need more attention. Actually, much of the content you will find on this blog is my journey navigating through these ideals. I find it helpful to surround myself with things that enable me to stay on track. Buying guides are a dime a dozen with a million bloggers creating them constantly to get those money making clicks. While this post does contain affiliate links, I can say with 100% integrity that these items will change your life on some scale and I will try to explain why below.
1.doTERRA’s Home Essentials Starter Kit. Ok, so my family and I use our essential oils and doTERRA’s products about 30 times a day. You think I’m exaggerating, but I actually counted. Every household needs therapeutic grade essential oils at their disposal. I love modern medicine….most of the time, but we as a society rely waaaaayyy too much on a pill for every little thing. Headache…..pop a pill. Can’t sleep…..pop a pill. Ate too many burritos….pop a pill. doTERRA offers the highest quality in essential oils (no, the ones you buy at the gas station are not the same as these). You want to look for integrity, pureness, and quality when investing in oils and doTERRA checks all boxes. The Home Essentials kit comes with 11 oils: Breathe, Deep Blue, Adaptiv, OnGuard, DigestZen, Balance, Copaiba, Peppermint, Lavender, and Lemon. You will use each and every one of these once you have them and learn how. Plus, you get a great diffuser that enables you to release the oils into the air for an aromatic use. Lastly, if you are a new doTERRA customer purchasing this kit gets you a one year Wholesale Membership (like at Costco or Sams) for FREE! This allows you to purchase as many oils and products as you like at a 25% discount. I honestly can’t imagine not having these bottles scattered all over my house. They are essential to my health journey. If you are ready to get started, let me know and I will walk you through the process and answer all your questions!
2. 100 Days of Real Food Book. Lisa Leake’s blog, 100 Days of Real Food, seriously changed my entire mindset on eating. I had already decided chemicals in food were bad. Check. Now what? She gave me the basic guidelines of what it meant to eat whole foods as well as the delicious recipes I so badly needed. If you find yourself bouncing from diet to diet, still not feeling well, and sick of the whole thing, don’t give up. Try this method. Eating real food that has been given to us vs the kind that’s created in a lab is the way to go!
4. Leopard Running Shoes. Same principle as point #2. Feel cute= move those buns.
5. Financial Peace Book. Money. It’s a southern taboo topic, but let’s talk about it. About 7 years ago, we were broke. Living paycheck to paycheck, paying monthly minimums on every credit card we had, not tracking shit, wincing every time something unexpected hit the account, praying to the bank gods that we wouldn’t overdraft, broke. We got sick of it. The stress was taking its toll on our sanity and our relationship. I kid you not I found this book at a thrift store for $1 and it was signed by Dave Ramsey himself to “Tim” (my husband’s name). If you can’t see a sign like that when it hits you in the face, then you better watch out for the lightning strike. Game changer. Seriously. I could talk about this topic for hours with you, but if you’re sick of money stress and debt, get this book!
6. doTERRA’s Lifelong Vitality Supplements. Ok, so I grew up chomping on Flintstone Vitamins with the best of the kids raised in the 80s/90s, but as most of us don’t want to pack these in with our college toiletries, I had been off any type of supplements for a loooong time. I honestly didn’t trust them and didn’t see the point. I had heard many stories about how they basically go straight through you without benefit to the body at all. When I started using doTERRA’s oils about six years ago, I has zero interest in these. But, over time and hearing their praises over and over, I finally gave them a try. Two years later, I’m a believer! You can read about the ins and outs and my experience in this post. In today’s day and age due to how our food is grown and what we consume, you have to supplement your body to be healthy. Drugstore vitamins just don’t cut it. Don’t waste your money. These you can try for a month risk free as there is a money back guarantee. They are an investment, but investing in your health will always result in a huge return on your investment.
7. Glass Water Bottle. Water is everything. You need energy? Better skin? To lose weight? To SURVIVE? Drink water. It’s insane to me how many other liquid options are out there to drink when water is literally the only one we need…..coffee may be a debatable necessity and wine sure doesn’t hurt, but I digress. Drink more water!! The experts say to drink your body weight or half your body weight in ounces or something like that. My TMI tip: I know I’m hydrated when my pee is clear. So there ya go. Goal number one for today: drink some high quality H2O until that river runs transparent. Get you a cute new bottle (no plastic please!) add some slices of lemon or lime if you need to (no weird squirty flavored thingys!) and refresh that pruned up body!
8. New Crisp Notebook. I love my iPhone, iPad, and laptop, but there is something about writing things on a physical piece of paper that just feels different. I’ll be honest, I’m not terribly organized, so I don’t have a million notebooks carefully labeled for different purposes. Maybe someday. Right now, all I need is one. It is a multi-purpose tool where I basically get things out of my head. This may be a to-do list, business ideas, a quick mantra, or gratitude list. I keep it in my nightstand…..mostly to prevent the three year old from claiming it as her own….and jot down anything and everything I need to stop spinning around in my brain. It’s therapeutic and great to do before bed if you have trouble shutting things down for the night.
9. You Are a Badass Book. I had heard about this randomly, had zero knowledge on its contents, borrowed it from a friend, had mind blown, purchased it for myself and as a Christmas gift for my hair dresser. No joke. If getting your mind right, manifesting destiny, and harnessing your best life are on your radar, read it….then read it again. If you’re like me, I’m all like “hell yes!” while I’m physically reading a self care book in the bath at 9pm and then the next day’s realities hit and I’m right back into “whomp whomp” mode. You need to keep it on hand to reiterate and keep the ideas fresh. I also should take notes in that cute new journal I got.
10. Exercise Equipment. I’ll be honest, nothing says, “hello I’m a minivan rockin’, sneaking up on 40, in bed at 9pm, suburbanite” more than buying your first piece of at-home workout equipment. However, I highly recommend getting over the stigma and doing it! I’m all for supporting local gyms during this awful time, but Tim and I literally don’t have the ability to regularly leave the house (and our children) at this point in our lives. We thought for a hot second about investing in a Peloton and then quickly laughed that notion away…..maybe someday. For now, basic does the trick. 15 minutes a day. That’s all you need to start. Make the commitment and figure out how you can realistically make it happen.
Well, there you have it folks. This gal’s basic guide to ringing in the new year with the focus all on you. Listen up, especially you mamas out there: Self care is not selfish, it’s vital!! I sometimes have to remind myself of this multiple times a day. It’s ok to not be able to keep all the balls in the air at all times. It’s ok to ask for help. And, it’s ok to put yourself first. As the saying goes, ” You can’t pour from an empty cup.” And it’s so true. Fill that cup. Get your mind, body, and finances in order. Demand better for yourself because if you don’t, no one will. Cheers!
Please note that this post contains affiliate links. You can read more here.
