Res • cue /'reskyōō/ verb - to find, save, recover; to set free from, deliver, to liberate; 

Well there she is...in all of her glory.
RESCUE... the word (and symbol +) I've chosen for 2019.

Yep.
I plan to rescue ME...
which makes me the rescuer AND the rescuee.

If you remember, last year I chose the word "FREE".
Even a year ago I had this underlying desire to "rediscover, unbury and reconnect
with the girl I once was." The primary emphasis being on my health.

Ironically, I even used the word "rescue" a year ago when I said, "I am running fiercely to meet her; to grab her hand and continue the journey together...I'm sprinting through the wide open prairie to wear she is standing and has been waiting for me to return. And I know when I reach her...I will not have rescued her...she will have rescued me."

With much disappointment in my heart to have to admit this...she's still waiting for me my friends.

So yeah...I started January feeling so much disappointment because although I made some progress in 2018 with regards to my health, it's not even close to what I envisioned "FREE" to look like or better yet...feel like.

But...I can tell you after spending the entire first month of 2019 "planning, dreaming, diving into what really matters to me this year and especially what steps I need to take to make important things happen" I have definitely felt a shift.

Instead of allowing myself to be stuck in disappointment, I've adopted this mindset I recently wrote during some brainstorming/journaling:

"...maybe what I need to do is surrender to the place I am at right now. Perhaps let go of the unmet expectations and the failures related to my health. And just start where I am at. Let go of what worked or what didn't work and just listen to my body. And start exactly where I am...as ugly or as messy as I believe it to be."

Besides, remember the Reflect + Release post when I said, "We feel all the feels, we reflect on the progress or lack thereof and then...we close the chapter with gratitude."

Today I am grateful for...
- the self-care steps I implemented in 2018.
- the things I learned and tried that did not work well for me.
- the hope and expectation I feel for 2019.
- the renewed commitment to becoming a better version of me.

The word "RESCUE" has a sense of urgency associated with it.
And that's exactly how I'm feeling about tackling what's ahead for me.

I'm on a "Rescue Mission" my friends...a "Search + Rescue" specifically.
Aside from writing the rescue symbol (+) on my wrist every morning as a part of my new morning routine, I've been using some other tools to help me carry out my rescue plan this year. I'm excited to be sharing those with you soon.

What's your word for 2019? I'd love to know what's inspiring you and what goals you are looking to reach this year!!

PS - Let's stay cozy + connected in-between posts...find me on Instagram for daily inspiration.
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KEEPiNG iT REAL
I've got about 50 Hershey products to photograph and style and I'm definitely feeling a tremendous
amount of pressure to meet a January 8th deadline. (it's a working weekend for me my friends).

Good news is...I vowed "no sugar" in January despite the daily temptations of the chocolate I'm surrounded by...and I DID it!! I stuck to my promise.  It's amazing how powerful the "+" symbol I've been writing on my wrist has been. *wink*

iNSPiRE | My One Little Word for 2018

Hello January 2018!
I welcome your opportunities, your joy, your blessings, your happy memories + good health for myself, my family, my friends in real life, my friends that join me here on my blog and on social media. I embrace and welcome all of the good you have to offer each and every one of us and I celebrate the chance to do some good, to create some good and to feel some good. *wink*

Time for a new focus word and mine this year is....FREE.
And boy did I struggle for whatever reason to pick just the right word this year.
My word typically finds me without me searching.
Not this year.
Maybe because I knew it really needed to be a good one...
one with power...
but one that I would love to see written and spelled out...
because you know I love hand-lettered anything and I'm such a visual person.

(Heck! I even picked my children's names based on how it felt hand writing it out on a sheet of clean white paper). *wink*

But why the word "Free"?
I needed a word that represented an "unearthing" of sorts.
I needed a word that stood for "letting go", a "rebirth" AND an "elimination + purging" mindset.
A word that symbolized a "peeling away of layers".
A word that represented "healing".

I was searching for the perfect word to harness some beautiful energy for the journey ahead to rediscovering...and unburying...and reconnecting with the girl I once was.

Specifically to the girl who has buried her good health under layers of disappointment + shame, to be completely honest.
As I recently wrote in my journal, "I've been storing food reserves for a very long winter apparently." - lol  And this needs to stop. Self care is my number one this year. Period.
Everything else is secondary.
Essentially, if I can get a handle on my overall health everything else will see improvement.
I've played the victim to my own insecurities and unfortunately allowed myself to become a prisoner in my own body; a prisoner to my fears. A prisoner to my doubt. A prisoner to lies I had convinced myself to be truth.

I need to break out of the prison and be FREE!
I can visually see it in my mind.
I can see the girl I once was...the one I left behind. I'm looking at her. She's looking at me. Our eyes have locked and I am running fiercely to meet her; To grab her hand and continue the journey together;  To remind her I haven't forgotten her. I have NOT left her behind. I am back.

I'm running back to rescue the girl who's optimistic, cheerful, trusting heart has been crushed by life experiences.

I'm sprinting through the wide open prairie to wear she is standing and has been waiting for me to return. I can see this vividly in my mind. I cannot let her down. I cannot leave her standing there anymore. And I know when I reach her...I will not have rescued her....she will have rescued me.

Can you feel the passion in my words?  I hope so...because I can feel it in my fingertips as I type.

A spent hours upon hours looking up words that might be the word I was looking for!

Tend, restore, pure, clean, cleanse, reclaim, shift, return, reset, refresh, rebuild, dig, peel, chip, core, shed, center, root, foundation, excavate, create, carve, mold, chisel, unveil, beauty, unmask, claw, fight, war, take back, unbury, raw, stripped...and well.

I had convinced myself that my word was "well"! 

Then I changed it to "grit"!

And then I ended up at "free"!

"Well" was so awesome in so many ways but ultimately I decided it was too "soft".

So I then I did a 360 and chose "grit" which was a super tough and energizing word...but not "pretty" and appealing to me visually.

And then "FREE"....defined as:

No longer confined.

Not a slave.

Unimpeded.

Of power + energy.

Not bound.

Not subject to or constrained by.

Unrestrained.

Uninhibited.

Release from physical obstruction, restraint or entanglement.

Remove something undesirable.

BINGO!! That's it. 

It's an action word.

It's definition touches on everything I'm focusing on.

And it's aesthetically pleasing to my eye. *wink*

From my journal, "Free. That's nice on the ears and eyes and it touches on my 3 H's:

HEALTH + HEART + HOME"

HEALTH - free from my physical prison - aka fat layers + less than desirable level of health

HEART - free from guilt, pain, hardness, numbness

HOME - free up space in my life by continuing to simplify, declutter + getting rid of things.

I know that was a lot to read and take in.

I'll finish with this last sentence...

From my journal: "This year ahead is going to be really hard physically AND emotionally because of the awesomeness I'm looking to uncover within myself." 

Yes!! Amen to that! And if you are looking to uncover your awesomeness too perhaps choosing a word might be something to help motivate you!

If you do the whole choosing a word thing each year and are looking to uncover your awesomeness too, I hope you have found one to keep you energized.

And if you've never tried it...I highly recommend it. Tip: Choose a verb. It's got more power behind it. More action. And that's what choosing a word is about!

xoxo,

Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL

I'm definitely going to have to come back to this post and read it when I need a boost of energy and will power. Writing this has pumped me up all over again!!

I've added exercise into my life 2-3 days a week and have been eating so much better for the month of January. I'm a little behind in some goals I set for myself but writing this post has given me some renewed energy to make it happen.