Words to Live by in 2021: Genuine, Passion, Balance

This year has started off on so many interesting notes for me. I kicked off the year unsure of any resolutions or goals that I wanted to accomplish. This is not me. I am always the one with a list of resolutions and goals, starting a diet, and exercising. In this season of my life, I just wasn’t feeling it. I was not ready to commit, and did not want to over publicize any goals just to let myself down. I know, Debbie Downer.

I decided I needed to give myself a break and focus on things that could really make noticeable changes in my life without tracking just committing to small daily actions and affirmations. That is when I decided on these affirmation words.

Genuine, Passion, Balance

A little cliché, but not as much as live, laugh, love, right? I knew that with manifesting each of these three words daily, it could make a difference in every aspect of my life for the better.

When I say manifesting, I feel like that is the “trendy” word of 2021 so far. But I feel like it really works. If you are new to it, manifesting is the theory that through regular meditation (for me prayer) and positive constructive thought, you can make your desires become a reality. So as cheesy as it sounds, I have been repeating in my prayer and doing different small activities each day to manifest these characteristics into my daily thought.

But why these 3 words you ask? Well that my friends took some time and why I did not really get started on the first day of 2021.

The first word I decided on was genuine.

Do you ever feel like social media has led us to be people we don’t really want to be or constant comparison to what we are not. If you have somehow escaped those feelings, please share with me your secrets. With everyone’s best always on display, it is easy to fall into a rut that we are not good enough or that we need to be more like someone else to get that same amount of attention. THAT IS NOT TRUE. I type that in all caps to remind myself and to grab your attention to let you know you are YOUR BEST. People love you for who you are. Not who you pretend to be to impress others. Your friends and family love the real you. The genuine you. The one who is completely comfortable in their own skin and gives their best to those who they love the most. Giving your best and being genuine is hard. I am not saying that I am at my personal best right now. I struggle, we all struggle with being genuine and giving our best. But with daily reminders that you are enough, you are working each day to be your best, and that you are your genuine self with others we can make a life that is best for us. My genuine self is not going to look like your genuine self. That is what makes the world so grand. It takes each of our wonderful and perfectly crafted personalities to make the world turn. So be true to yourself and genuine around those you surround yourself with. If you cannot be genuine around those you are spending your time with, maybe it is time to change your circle. Find those who value you and want you to be genuine around them. Those are your people. Manifesting being genuine over the last two weeks has brought these thoughts to my attention.

Being genuine turned in to what my passions are.

If you saw my Insta story not too long ago, you know I spent a few minutes one morning really talking about diving into your passions in 2021. My morning prayer and affirmations along with working with an amazing group of people who share my passions, brought that to my attention that morning. I encouraged everyone to find their passion in the new year. Once you get back down to your genuine self, it is easy to find what you are passionate about and spend your time on it. I realized my passions are family, community, and connection. It is easy to figure yours out when you take a step back to meditate on what you choose to spend the majority of your time on. When I stepped back to think about my passions, my boys and husband, community service/involvement, and spending time with other people who have all sorts of beliefs varying from mine stood out to me. I have always been a people person. I have been speaking with strangers in lines since I could speak. I even barked at a lady once when I was a toddler at Walmart just to connect in my own weird toddler way. (Side note: I am never questioning where my kid’s weirdness comes from.) That is where my blog, new hobbies, and community involvement all stem from. My passion to connect with people and turn that connection into a positive experience for them. So naturally passion became the second word in my manifestation for 2021. I hope my passion and genuine self can bring more togetherness in 2021, and a positive experience for everyone who I interact with throughout the year.

Getting so passionate brought me to balance.

Since I am so passionate, it is easy for me to get carried away with trying to do it all at once. I get so excited and so many irons in the fire with different projects I can over extend myself and my sanity. I have to remind myself that passion can only be productive when you balance it. Everyone has to take breaks, everyone has to have time for themselves, and every one needs time to clear their mind. My recharge time is my time alone in the mornings before everyone else wakes up. I am a morning person, and there is no better time to clear my head and prep for the day than the quite hours in the morning with a cup of coffee. This helps me stay balanced and grounded while prepping for the craziness and rush of the day ahead. If I do not get this time, I can DEFINITELY tell a difference in the structure and dedication of my time in the day. I can also tell a difference in my connections when I am not in balance. My connections with others become strained and passions turn into chores. I start to tuck myself away and not stay connected and in tune. That is why balance had to be added to the equation in 2021. Without it, I cannot be my best, genuine self.

With the circle of these three, I am hoping to stay grounded and humble while chasing my passions in 2021. One word that didn’t make the top 3, but is definitely a number 4 is grace. I am giving myself grace this year. No one is perfect, there is no way that I am going to be able to fully dedicate to each of these words every day. That is too much on one single person. Life for anyone can get out of hand sometimes no matter how hard you try to balance the seesaw, but I am choosing to give myself grace instead of getting angry and quitting. Like I said, everyone can slip but through giving myself grace I am giving myself the power to overcome the negative and get back on track to the path of the best me.

So here is to 2021, friends!

May you be genuine. May you find your passions. May you find your balance.

XOXO

-Paige