August seems to be a month that beckons a fresh season, evokes a crisp, blank planner, initiates new routines, provokes reflection, or spurs on making the most out of the remaining months before the year comes to its close.
Regardless if you’re a parent, student, educator or have purposefully blocked out those anxious feelings you once had as a child returning to school after a summer of midnight snacks and sleeping in, the whole BACK-TO-SCHOOL movement just does something to ya, am I right?!
The first half of the year seems to go by in a flash so it helps to pause and take inventory of the past 6 months.
Questions I try to think through:
Do I enjoy what I do?
Am I content?
What went right?
What went terribly wrong?
Am I making the most of my time?
How did I grow?
What have I learned?
Did I make an impact?
Did I serve my community well?
Was Jesus at the center of everything?
Taking that time to really check in with myself not only helps me feel more centered, but it also provides clarity moving forward in the next season. Especially as a busy mama, business woman, etc. it’s super easy to fly from one season to the next. To be honest, sometimes the lines start to get blurred and I pour time, energy, and heart into things that end up being fruitless because they weren’t in line with what God’s been calling me to, what my family needs, or even what’s best for me.
Has that ever happened to you?
Here are some questions I like to think through as I look at the months ahead:
How can I make more of an impact?
Where can I improve?
How can I make more time for (fill in the blank)?
How can I better serve my people?
How can I assure Jesus is glorified in all that I do?
What/Where do I need to change?
What do I need to implement to better support myself, my family + my community?
What do I need to feel more confident?
Taking inventory + asking some tough questions is SO GOOD for understanding where you came from, where you currently are, and where you want to go.
August, for me as a previous educator, always marks the beginning of something wonderful, yet oftentimes accompanied with a bit of anxiety and a lot of what ifs. Although I am currently not in a teacher role, when this month rolled around those same feelings seemed to surface except this year with a different context surrounding.
I, at first, was so thankful to NOT be returning to the classroom. I, at first, was overwhelmed that I get to work from home with flexible hours and be with my baby girl. At first, I was so incredibly excited for the future of my business and the possibilities of where it could take me. But, per usual, those pesky What Ifs soon followed:
What if my business stays stagnant?
What if I’m meant for something greater?
What if I’m not trying hard enough?
What if I’ll never get to celebrate 5 figure months?
What if the investment isn’t worth it?
What if I’m not making a difference?
What if I always live paycheck to paycheck?
What if
What if
What if…
Sure, these What Ifs are valid. But that’s the beauty of What Ifs– there’s always the other side!
What if my business skyrockets!
What if I am living out my purpose through this business!
What if I am putting everything I have into this business!
What if I get to celebrate 6 figure months!
What if the return on investment is ten-fold!
What if I make enough money to spend + save + serve others!
See what I did there? All I did was shift my perspective to see the flip side of what was a rather gloomy set of questions.
I may not ever be able to avoid the What Ifs. However, I can control how I choose to finish the question and look to the future with an immense amount of hope + determination.
From this much more positive, empowering view, I can better acknowledge my needs, my family’s needs and my community’s needs. I can appropriately determine next steps not from a place of desperation but rather inspiration. I can all the more celebrate the small + big wins and be proud of my accomplishments even if I’m not quite where I want to be just yet.
August just does something to me. And if it does you, too, I hope you choose to turn the What Ifs on their head and proceed in confidence that the best is yet to come, yet recognize what you’ve done to pave the way is deserving of the highest accolades.
xo,
Mary Dea