Happy New Year!

Wow another year passed! 2022 sounds so foreign still. The New Year, for me, always brings with it excitement for the future, fresh resolve & motivation to work towards goals, and also a little regret that the old year has passed if I’m being honest. The close of one year always brings me to reflect on all we did and didn’t do, where we were vs. where we are, and, finally, a survey of how truly blessed i am. I tend to feel like I’ve fallen short by the time I get to the end of the year. I almost get into a New Year ‘funk’ between Christmas & New Years, and I have to think others experience that too. (We just like to focus on the glitter and champagne and resolutions a lot more.)

I’m usually a pretty positive, pick yourself up, bright side type of person, but I have my times too when it’s just more difficult to flip the script. Last week when I finally watched one of my Christmas favorites, White Christmas, I was reminded of what can flip my script. As I listened to Bing Crosby sing ‘Blessings’ God smacked me over the head with a mindset change. In the song he sings, “when my bankroll is getting small, I think of the times I had nothing at all. So if you’re weary and you can’t sleep, just count your blessings instead of sheep.” How powerful and how true.

We tend to spend so much of life waiting and wishing and wanting for ‘the future‘ or ‘what’s next’, or we regret and agonize over the past of what we did wrong or didn’t do, and we throw away & under value the life that is being lived in the here and now. They say ’life’ is what happens when you’re busy making plans. Counting all the blessings big and small in the here and now was just the medicine i needed for my New Year’s/past year/Christmas-is-over funk.

Whether you are on fire & pumped for a New Year of chasing goals, or maybe you’re stuck in a little funk as you survey the past year; take a minute to count your blessings. Maybe your kids are healthy, you love your dog, you have a roof over your head and food in your belly, clothes to keep you warm, your legs and eyes and arms work and can carry you through your day; whatever it is; let it make you pause and find appreciation and contentment in the here and now. That doesn’t mean you lose your fire and excitement for the future, it just means you aren’t letting excitement for the future rob you of the good in life presently.

I spent a portion of 2021 running on burnout mode, and this blog is one of the things that got totally tabled during that time. I can’t promise to always share things relevant to hair, but I will always share things that go with your lifestyle(including hair things!) I‘m heading into the New Year refreshed, with some new resolve, and a solid mindset towards my personal & professional goals. So, here’s my challenge for you, don’t start the New Year in the past or the future; if only for 5 minutes, be in the present. Write down 5 blessings in your life(more if you want to!) and, if you want, share them(or one of them) in the comments.

Here are my 5: God’s promise of a future and plan for my life, both on Earth & eternally. My husband who loves me through the good and the bad. All of our animals who bring me so so much joy & comfort. We and our families are all healthy and safe. We both have jobs that provide for our family and are moving us closer to our goals. Okay, now your turn! I can’t wait to hear from you.

Happy New Year y’all!

all the blessings always,

Hailey