Give Yourself Permission to Start Fresh Before the New Year.

You know when your house gets so messy, that it seems pointless to tidy up, because it really just needs a total overhaul? So you put off things like hanging up the laundry, because you need to clean your closet, and it doesn't make sense to add more clothes until you clean it...which, you have no idea when you'll actually get around to doing.

Just me? Cool.

Anyway, I think we treat life like that sometimes. We get to a point where there's so much we want to or need to change, that we just change nothing. We want to be healthier, but we refuse to so much as go for a walk until we've had a chance to construct an entire workout plan and spend $300 at Whole Foods on healthy groceries. We want to be more domestic, but we're going to keep ordering takeout until we get around to making a month-long meal plan. We want to spend more time bettering ourselves, but we're not going to so much as crack open a Bible until we've had a chance to look up a devotional and buy a book or two to read through.

See what I mean?

That's why New Years is so powerful. It offers a chance to look at every area of our lives, decide where we want to change, make meticulous lists and goals, and then overhaul our whole lives. And it's great! Having a brand new year can be the best motivation to make changes that we really do need to make.

But also, give yourself permission to start fresh today. Before the new year. To make a change without the craziness of year-long goals and reevaluating every inch of your life. You can start fresh whenever you want to.

New Years does hold a special kind of magic for starting over, but so do you. So don't live the next two months unhappy about something. If you don't like your life, change it. No matter what the calendar says.

Do you find it easier to start fresh at New Years or on your own time?

Any Day is a Good Day to Celebrate a Fresh Start.

Sometimes, I miss January.

Not really January, exactly, since it's kind of the buzzkill of all months. But I miss the motivation and enthusiasm for change that comes in January.

In January, I wake up excited to tackle my to-do list. I'm motivated to examine every area of my life and see how I can make it better and what needs an overhaul. In January, the idea of cleaning the house excites me, because it's a resolution and I'm going to tackle it head-on. In January, waking up and spending the day making binders and lists and meal plans and writing out goals seems like the perfect thing.

But it's August. And my dishes and laundry are slowly overtaking my house. I have no idea what's for dinner, and I'm days behind on my to-do list. Work is piling up, and oh yeah, I'm having a baby.

And it's August.

So the idea of spending my time writing out goals and resolutions and decluttering the house and making meal plans just doesn't seem as enticing, you know?

Sometimes, you have to have New Years in August.  

You have to reclaim your days, even though it's not January and there isn't a Christmas tree in your living room. You have to decide what you want to change and then change it, even though it's 95 degrees outside and not the crisp winter weather that usually accompanies change.

Here's to the inspiration, motivation, and enthusiasm that January 1st so often brings. And here's to having that, and maybe more, on August 5th.

Here's to reclaiming your days and overhauling your life whenever it's needed, no matter what the calendar says. Because any day is a good day to celebrate a fresh start.

Mondays are for Fresh Starts & Free Stuff.

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Mondays get a bad rep. 

It's true--the day that takes away free time and not having to set an alarm probably isn't anyone's favorite. But I've started liking Mondays more and more lately. 

Mondays are a fresh start. They're the beginning of a brand new week. They're full of potential and ideas and dreams, if you want them to be.

So yes, you may have to wake up earlier than you would like. You may have to go to a job that you spent the last two days trying to forget about. But you're alive, and you've got a brand new week to do whatever you want with. And that's just exciting. 

Pour yourself an extra cup of coffee or two, and take on this week. It's gonna be a good one. 

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And, since encouraging words aren't always enough to turn a Monday into something happy, I have not one, but two giveaways for you to enter! 

Enter to win $40 of Christmas money: HERE.

Enter to win $100 to Better Life Bags:

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What's your favorite thing about Monday?