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Four Tips to Help Find Your Joy

So, I was looking at different people’s blogs and websites and I realized I could be sharing more with you each week. I am not here to overwhelm your inbox, but I truly want to bring you value and give you some tips and help to hopefully make your days go more smoothly. I will be attempting to share one email each with a tip, share, checklist or something to help you along your flourishing life. I do hope what I bring to you each week will be valuable and you can find ways to implement what I share each week to enrich your life.

This week I have been really looking into organizing and it has been so fun. A friend of mine and I are going to begin a new adventure and help someone with the organization of their home. I have always loved organizing things and can fall into the trap of Pinterest boards and IG reels of organizing hacks and storage containers. Anyone else do this? Ha ha! 

It is a big passion of mine and until recently, I, well, forgot about it. I know that seems crazy to forget something about yourself, but I did.

Over the last few years, like many of you, we are picking up the pieces of a crazy few years with the Covid fiasco that hiit our world in 2020. I really didn’t think the whole ordeal affected me much, but looking back now, I have seen so many ways it has altered my life. I am so grateful the impact though in the broader scale, has changed our world as we knew it forever, was subtle for me. Or was it?

I am grateful it didn’t affect my health, though I know so many that the virus now has changed their lives forever. From permanent taste issues, to lung difficulties and loss of energy and some even death, it affected so many. It is hard to wrap our minds around all that took place and I am not going to talk much about it anymore. I don’t want to get into any debate about why it happened or what should or should not have been done.

What I did want to talk about is back to the ways I think the virus impacted us most of all. Emotionally, our world was turned upside down. So many people were isolated and lonely and truly lost. We really recognized how our need for community and interaction with others is so vital to our health. Mind and body, both of them are affected by not having the connection with others. I believe we all interact with one another differently than we did before this happened and for some, they will never be able to restore back to how it “was” back then. 

So, what does this have to do with me remembering about my love for organization? I guess it isn’t exactly about the organization love specifically, but about the fact I lost who I was for a bit. I have been walking through a journey of growth and acceptance of who God has made me. I have learned how to see myself as God has created me and not what I think others should think about me.

I am STILL a work in progress and sometimes (maybe more than I can count) I need to be reminded of my value in Christ and not what I do. He loves me and you for who He created YOU to be! He loves you and longs for you and I to trust Him for all we do and say. He equips us to move and do and become what He has designed us to be. 

Over the last few years of striving to become what I thought I should be, I think I lost a little bit of Stephanie. Now, I am not going to put myself down, because I have also made Tremendous growth! I am so grateful EVERY SINGLE DAY I stepped into growing into who I am becoming. I have learned so much about myself and all God gets to do in and through me.  I get to step into helping others like you see their value and use what I have learned along my journey to encourage and inspire others to do the same.I am re-discovering the good parts of me I may have set aside as I was leaning into who I was becoming. Honestly, I think I was trying to fit into a mold of who I thought I should be rather than who I am. Have you ever done that?

Now, I know organizing seems like a silly thing to lose about yourself, but I did. I spent a lot of time trying to do things that are me, but were maybe trying to fit a mold that wasn’t all me. I remember being asked a while ago what it is I like to do for fun and I really couldn’t think of anything specific. I didn’t really see any hobbies and felt like I was working and striving more and not really doing things I love. 

Now, let me say this before I go on, I LOVE coaching others and doing my podcast and connecting with you is truly a HUGE passion for me and I am grateful every day I get to do this as my “job”! The amazing community I get to be part of and the personal growth I get to step into is amazing and I would not have changed a thing!What I do see is that I get to step back into who I am, what makes Stephanie, Stephanie. What excites me and makes me geek out on reels and Pinterest boards. I get the opportunity to re-become who I am on the creative side. I get to live my full life and not just the “striving” part I was living. I know my heart has always been so full of passion because I truly believe what I get to do as I help others in their life create a healthy wellbeing is my purpose God has given me. 
Joy Comes From So Many Places

Finding who we are and what brings us joy can be so helpful. Embracing the joy in your life is a wonderful way to live out your day to day.  So now, I get to throw aside the WORRY of not doing Enough, not sharing Enough, not being Enough to not allow myself  to be me Enough. I get to step into my full person and create the life I truly want, full and flourishing!Before I let you go I want to make sure I am bringing something tangible for you to takeaway from my personal discoveries.

Here are Four Tips to Help You Find Your Joy:

  • Seek God’s Presence:Turn to the Bible and seek the Lord as you are finding your joy. The true joy is found in Christ and Him alone. Read His word and fill your heart and mind with reflection, gratitude and praise to Him. Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
  • Reflect on Past ExperiencesNow, don’t dwell here, but take some time to reflect on past experiences or activities that have helped you feel fulfilled. Were you engaged, inspired or deeply content? What activities, places or people were surrounding the joy you experienced? The patterns and other reflections of your past can help point you toward what gives you joy.
  • Pay Attention to Your Emotions:Now, I don’t want this to be your only basis to finding your joy, but your emotions do play a part in discovering true joy. What experiences have given you a sense of joy, enthusiasm or fulfillment? Like me with my organizing, it isn’t a deep emotional connection, but I truly get excited to take part in organizing and it brings fulfillment and ease to my day. What are areas where you felt negative energy, a lack of fulfillment or heart? These emotions may be a sign for you to recognize what doesn’t bring you joy. 
  • Experiment and ExploreYou need to try things to know if it brings you joy! Engage in new things and explore different activities, hobbies and interests. When you experiment and try new avenues, you will be able to discover the sense of joy and fulfillment different activities bring. Don’t judge a book by its cover, try and explore and you may be surprised what joy you will find. 
Thank You!I truly am grateful I get to be in your space each week in my emails, social media and my podcast. One of my truest joys is serving others and helping them see what life truly can become. I hope this email encourages you and allows you to start to step into or rediscover what brings you joy! 

Love, Stephanie

TV and the Relationships We Create

Last night Matt and I finished a short television series we had been watching over the month. I won’t make any apologies for the time we watch a show together. I don’t watch a ton of TV, but I enjoy the time Matt and I have at the end of the day watching a show, laughing, crying or being in suspense, (depending on what we are watching). I don’t think we should use a ton of our time watching TV, but I truly enjoy the stories and the peak into a different life than mine. 

Relationships and Community are Key

I love comedies and shows that allow me to laugh, but I think it is the relationships built amongst the characters that pulls me in. I love the back and forth. Will they or won’t they get together stories like Nick and Jess and Jim and Pam. I love the friendships built like Ted, Barny, Robin, Marshall and Lily or Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer. The scene or gathering place where each of the characters meet together each day like the office, the study table or the restaurant brings comfort and familiarity. Our lives would be so empty if it wasn’t for relationships and community. 

This particular show ended and I couldn’t help but be inspired by the impact the main character had on the rest of the relationships they were connected to. I thought, Wow, could I leave that type of legacy? Do I make an impact like on those who I surround myself with? Does my life encourage others to grow and become who they are meant to be? It has always been my desire to encourage others to be their best selves. Well, maybe not my whole life, but as I have learned and been poured into by others, I now want to help others do the same. I think this is why the show was so impactful to me. The journey or the road we travel is not perfect. It is bumpy and full of roadblocks and curves along the way, but our perspective can change so much of the outcome we receive.

When I watched the story arc of this show it was so cool to see others be inspired to become better. They were encouraged to be who they were designed to be and live a life they wanted to live. They learned how to stand up for themselves and be vulnerable. The characters learned to soften their hearts and be open to new things. They were encouraged to believe in the unknown. It was powerful and I am so glad we took the time to watch the show. 

I don’t know where you are in your life, what seems to be your path. I don’t know if you feel like you are in the valley or if you are rounding a sharp turn, I just know that there is an end and a lesson to learn as you walk through it. If you are walking your journey alone, it is time to reach out. I guarantee you are not the only one who doesn’t have all the things figured out. If you don’t know who to surround yourself with, then start giving yourself. Love on those around you. Give a smile to the stranger in the grocery store. Show kindness to those you meet. Be the co-worker who brings life and joy and love in the workplace. Even if you don’t like your job, what could you reframe in your mind to shift your approach to each day? What could you believe in today that could impact your future or the lives of those around you?

My friends, we are given one life and how we choose to live each day is up to us. It is time to live a full and flourishing life. 

Thank you for joining the journey with me!

Love,

Stephanie

I don’t post much on the blog, but did you know I had a weekly podcast? You can follow me or subscribe to my podcast here.

Tardiness and the Lessons We Learn

Today all the signs pointed toward not going to my workout this morning. I left too many things to do before I would leave to drive to the gym and the consequence was I missed my workout. I left the house late and knew it was probably pushing my luck to get there on time. However, I thought I would try and jump in my car to begin my journey.

I noticed the notification for my front left tire pressure was still low. (It had popped up yesterday, but I assumed it was because it was a cold morning, our first frost, and it would be back to normal today, which it wasn’t. I was driving toward the high school where I always pass and the school speed limit sign began to flash. I was now only 2 minutes from my house,  but another sign I should just turn around.

I kept pressing on and drove on the winding road to then get behind a truck turning left into traffic. This intersection is not my favorite as it is hard to see and when someone wants to turn left, you usually have to wait a bit. I typically go down a side street when this happens, but I didn’t for some reason. I finally was able to turn right to continue on and after several minutes had passed. I could have easily turned around, but I didn’t. 

I then drove down the road and didn’t get the light by the school which is pretty amazing. I drove down the straight toward the city I was going to do my workout and dealt with a bit more traffic than usual. Typically, this traffic would frustrate me because my tardiness would somehow be their fault for going slow. (Now, I will say please go the speed limit at least! ha!) I suppose it is a speed limit, but in my mind you should at least go the speed posted.. Okay, I will let it drop there. Ha ha!

I traveled down the road a bit more and got the next light, but I usually am stopped at that one so it was no surprise. I looked at my time and the pace we were all traveling and I actually was moving along pretty well. I thought for a moment, maybe I will make it to the gym in time? In all reality, there was no way I would be on time, but maybe I could just start the workout a bit late so I could warm up? Maybe I would just miss the instruction of what to do and then skip the first round of whatever the instructor was providing today?

I kept plugging along and started to wonder what I would do if I didn’t make it on time. Do I go into the gym anyhow? Do I disrupt the class already in progress? I then thought I will wait and see when I get there and decide what to do next. I got through the next light with great surprise, but looked at the time and I was already 4 minutes late. I thought okay, I will just pop in there and just join in when I can. But then there were 4 large semi trucks trying to merge into the lane I was in and I needed to be exactly where they were to turn into the parking lot. I quickly had to move into the next lane to let them merge over. Those trucks were coming whether I moved or not, Ha! So, I scooted out of the way and I longingling glanced over as I passed my turn. I drove to the next set of lights and drove around the other side of the parking lot of my destination. 

At this point it was already 6-7 minutes past the time the class began and I could see they were just beginning the round of exercises. I was too late to jump in and would cause all kinds of disruption if I had gone to the gym so late. So, I chose not to go in and sat in my car. I only looked into the windows for a short minute and then decided to move on. I wondered if I could use the bathrooms when they were done to change, but didn’t want to do that. My next stop had a restroom, but I didn’t want to change in there. I don’t find the restroom clean enough to want to change in there. So, I made due with how I was and made it to the next stop where I am now. 

So, why am I telling you this story about my morning? I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a reason I was not supposed to go to the gym today. Maybe it was to allow me to see how important planning ahead is to arrive somewhere on time? Maybe it was a lesson on not trying to plan too many activities before I need to leave for a destination? Maybe I was supposed to be home for some reason and the signs to turn around kept coming? What if I would go to the gym today and hurt myself? Was this the Lord leading me in a different direction this morning? 

It is hard to describe how I felt on my travels this morning. Normally, I would be stressed and frustrated around my tardiness, but I was calm and centered, I didn’t feel pressure to be there in time like I normally am. It could have been because I knew I wouldn’t be on time, but I am not sure that is what it was. I had so many opportunities to turn around, but here I sit now writing all of this to you. 


What if?

What if the things that happen through our days are happening for us and not to us? Well, I actually have learned how to embrace this concept of things in my life. I am not perfect at it, I am still learning this principle. However, what if my missing the gym today was to teach me to stop and listen to the Lord? What if the strange travels were helping me to fully understand and trust in the Lord’s leading? Could I have an important lesson I needed to learn today? 

Over the last several years I have learned how to shift my perspective toward learning to look for the lesson or the growth a situation brings. I could have just been in turmoil during my entire drive this morning, or I could embrace where I was and let the Lord lead and guide me toward what I am to learn. How did my traveling to the gym today be something that happened for me? When we learn to shift our focus on what we can control and not on what we can’t, it can provide so much more freedom. 


Where Do You Need to Be Open for Growth?

What is an area where you need to let go and look for the opportunity for growth today? Think about the situations that come your way and stop for a moment and ask how the situation is happening for you. This takes practice, but it does help you look at the things that are happening around you in a different light.

It is much like how the Lord leads us in drawing toward Him in our lives. We want to seek Him as we walk through life. We get to look to the Lord and ask for His guidance as we walk through our days. We can ask ourselves how is the Lord leading me in the situation I am in? What is He teaching me? What can I learn or gain from what is happening? Here are a few scriptures around looking to the Lord for guidance. 

Psalm 37:23-24 The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

Psalm 32:8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.

Psalm 37:23  The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 – “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”

There are many other scriptures we could focus on, but I thought these were a great start,

Though my morning was not what I expected, I am taking it all in with a big breath and trust in the Lord and how He will guide the rest of my day. We cannot know the what if’s of life and yet we cannot let the unknown stop us from moving forward. We get the opportunity each day to stop for a moment and look at how the things that are coming our way can actually be for us. Whether they are meant to protect us or help us grow, we get the chance each day to shift our perspective and look for the way it will happen for us rather than against us.

I hope this encourages you to look at the things happening to you today in a different light. I would love to hear if this shift of perspective allowed you to see something differently today.

Love,

Stephanie

Maybe Forgotten, but So Important

On my way to my workout in the morning I often listen to a podcast. It is about a half hour drive to the gym I go to, so I decided to use the time in the car for my mobile university. I don’t always do this, but most days I do and am fired up and ready for the day and my workout by the time I arrive. This morning I was finishing up a few podcasts I had started and something hit me. I may have missed sharing an important key for you this month as we focused on overwhelm. I then did my devotions after my workout. (Yes, the days I travel to do my workout I have been doing my time with God a bit later.)

I go to Panera after my workout, grab my coffee, put on some quiet reflective music and spend time with the Lord. It is amazing how much noise canceling headphones can do for you while at a public space! I listen to a mix of instrumental christian music and it has been so uplifting as I read and spend time with the Lord.

Today, after I finished my devotions I realized what I have been sharing about overwhelm could be shifted a bit. Though I am giving you some helpful tips on my podcast to move out of overwhelm, and I will continue on Monday with more ways to move you through the feelings, but I wanted to emphasize something today. Though it was implied, I don’t know if I really encouraged you to trust in the Lord FIRST and More. It was an underlying thought for me, and I assumed you were already bringing your overwhelmed feelings to the Lord, but why should I assume you are doing that? Honestly, we often do all the things (the worry, the counsel, the complaining, the wishing things were different, etc.) we do all of those things before we bring things to God. I am not saying you didn’t go to Him first, but often we don’t.


What if we put everything we are worried and overwhelmed about into our God box? What if we fully surrendered our need to control and shifted it back to God? What if we let go and let Him lead? What if we chose to be in gratitude for everything we had? I mean everything!

In my devotions this morning the author was referencing Job. If you don’t know the story of Job, I encourage you to read the book of Job. In Job 1, verses 20 to 21, Job’s reaction is so amazing. I do not know if I would have reacted to all of the trauma hitting me the way Job did. I mean, my reactions to my overwhelm were not close and what I was facing was nothing compared to what Job went through all at one time! Within a few minutes he lost his children, property, livestock, and most of his servants. Seriously, so much! This really hit me when I read these two verses this morning. 

“Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to WORSHIP He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. PRAISE THE NAME OF THE LORD!

Job‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬ (Emphasis mine)

When tragedy hits your life, is this your reaction? Do you fall down and worship? I will honestly say I don’t act this way. When I was in my state of overwhelm several weeks ago, I was set in self-pity. I was not worshiping the Lord. Now, I called out to God and asked Him for guidance. I pleaded with God for relief for the angst I was feeling, but I was focused on ME, MY pain, MY frustration, MY disbelief things were working out for me… Do you hear the common word in those sentences? “MY” Me, Me Me! 

If we learn anything from Job, we realize his example is the one we get to pattern our lives after. Now, I know it will take practice to really put aside self to be in a place to react to things like Job, but his example shows us, if we fully rely on God, He will give us the strength to walk through whatever overwhelm we are going through. 

One of the ways we can really push through overwhelm is gratitude. I have talked about this before, but I challenge you to stop, grab a piece of paper and start writing down your gratitude. What are you truly grateful for? I think when I say we focus on what we can control, a huge area we can control is our gratitude. What all are you able to thank the Lord for today?

My goodness, do we have so much to be grateful for. If Job can fall down and worship the Lord and thank Him during such turmoil, we can thank the Lord too! You have the capability to read this blog, which means you have a phone or some other device, you have access to the internet, you have a space where you can read this safely, you may be drinking a coffee or some water while reading this. You have a working toilet, running water, heat or air for your home, a home, clothing beyond what is on your back… should I go on?

Now, I am not saying whatever you are going through is not difficult and the pain you feel is absolutely real, but there is another side of the pain. There is comfort from the Lord. There is hope in His plan, timing and direction. You have so much to be grateful for my friend. This feeling you are contending with will pass. You get the opportunity each day to wake up, rise and make decisions to move forward as you trust in HIm.

My friends, no matter how overwhelmed you feel, stepping into gratitude, turning your focus off of yourself and back to God will change the perspective for you! I would love for you to reply with a few things you are grateful for. Keep on the journey to Flourishing my friends! 

If you didn’t know, or haven’t had a chance to listen, here is the link to my podcast. Listen Here.

It’s Time to Refresh Your Soul

August is already half way done and school is starting for so many. I am sad to say that my favorite season of the year is flying by! What is your favorite season? I do really enjoy the beginning of Fall as well, (Whether it is putting on a comfy sweatshirt in the cool of the day, enjoying a hot cup of coffee, hot cider or pumpkin flavored something, the Fall is pretty enjoyable) but I certainly love warm days spent outdoors in the summer. Who are my summer lovers?

This week on my podcast I shared about finding refreshment for your soul, especially when you are in a different season in your life. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to this week’s episode you can listen here.

In the episode I gave some tips on ways to refresh your soul each day. One area to implement refreshment for your soul was meditating on scripture. I encouraged you to implement meditating on God’s Word in our daily lives and I shared a few scriptures. I created a lovely printout of some scriptures you can meditate on any day, but specifically during a time where you could use refreshment and I wanted to share them with you! You can click here and I will send you the free printable for you to use as you add meditation into your life.

I know that adding verses into my day, meditating them, and bringing them to memory is so helpful. The more you meditate and memorize scripture, the more you can be intune with the Lord as you navigate your days.

As you take time to meditate on scripture I want to make sure you understand the benefits. I know we know that hiding His Word in our hearts is a great way to draw ourselves closer to him and honestly live a full life, but I did find some specific ways that meditation on His word can influence your day. 

Here are some benefits of meditating on scripture.

  1. Inner Peace – Meditating on scripture can help calm your mind, reduce stress, and give you peace.
  2. Guidance – God’s word gives you wisdom and guidance for various aspects of life.
  3. Renewed Perspective – As you fill your mind with scripture it can shift your perspective toward the desires of God and not your own.
  4. Increase your Faith – By meditating on His Word, you will be come closer and more dependent on Him and his promises.
  5. Gratitude – So much of scripture reminds us of being thankful and grateful for the blessings in our lives.
  6. Personal Growth – Meditating on scripture encourages self-reflection and personal growth and allows you to examine your values, behaviors, and goals.
  7. Strength in Trials – We know so much comfort comes from being connected to the Lord. As we meditate and memorize His promises we will find strength in His presence. 
  8. Connected to the Lord – Let’s face it, as we are meditating on His Word, it allows us to know Him more intimately and be more connected to Him. 
  9. Encouragement – So many scriptures help motivate and encourage us to look to Him to empower us through our lives. 
  10. Affirmations – I talk a lot about how we view ourselves. As we meditate on His word, we are reminded that we are created in His image, are deeply loved and have value. 

My friends, meditation on His Word really is essential if we want to have a solid relationship with the Lord. As we spend time in His word and learn to carry it with us through our day, we will be fully aware of His amazing presence in our lives. This is a fantastic way to live a flourishing life! 

Make sure to click Here to get your FREE pdf of scriptures you can use for memorization and meditation. I hope these verses will be helpful as you continue to navigate your flourishing life.

Thank you for joining the journey with me, my friends! 

Stephanie

Rooftop Moment & Peaches

Okay friends, we are fully into August now and I see the end of summer coming so fast!! My aim is to have at least one post up a week and honestly, It didn’t happen last week, so I am combining two posts into one. I did have one ready to go last week and I never took the time to share it here. So, I wanted to share about my podcast episode last week and today’s in one post. Thanks for your understanding and patience as I continue to grow my consistency!

I wrote the first half from my hotel room as I reflected on the closing of one of my most favorite weeks of the year. I spent the last week learning, growing and connecting with my coaching community. These people are so important to me and I love every moment I get the chance to be with them. I laughed so much with these amazing friends that my stomach muscles were sore. I love the way each of them share their lives and allow me to be myself and honestly, allow my best to be shown. 

I often share about my journey and community and it is honestly hard to not to talk about it because of how much this community has changed my life for the better. I hope you have a group of people like these amazing friends in your life. It saddens me that I had to say goodbye to most of them until we can meet face to face again. I look forward to finding others closer to me who want to be part of our community so I can introduce them to this amazing life that can have. Listen HERE!

Last week I shared my raw thoughts about experiencing a rooftop moment and the encouragement for you to find yours too. I will share my thoughts on a few things that helped me be in this awe and gratitude and hope to help you find yours as well. Listen to Rooftop Moment Here!

  

This week,  I am sharing about a situation years ago when I didn’t make choices that I am proud of today. I will talk about some principles I have learned along the way that have given me tools that now, had the same situation come up I could have avoided or at least lessened the situation’s outcome.

I will share a few principles and actions that I have now learned and that may help you as something arises that could cause you to react in a certain way.  All I will tell you now is that it has to do with Peaches, a Leader and Responsibility.  (Sounds like the beginning of a joke, doesn’t it?)

So, to hear what I have to share about peaches, (Also, the fact that I am talking about peaches has nothing to do with the fact that I was in Atlanta last week. However, one of my coach friends bought a bag of Georgia peaches and shared them with us. It was the best peach I have ever tasted!) Anyhow, to learn what peaches, a leader and responsibility has to do with anything, you’ll have to listen here

I truly appreciate you walking the journey with me. Please remember to share this with anyone you think would find encouragement from what I share. Also, if you take time to like, review and share my podcast, this will allow me the opportunity to help others like you move toward the life they want. 

Thanks again for allowing me to be a small step in your journey of a flourishing life.

Travel, Rest and a Freebie!

Sharing a quick update and giving you more details to help find rest in your busy day!

The past few weeks have been a bit crazy around here. I am excited and sad to say we took my son Ryan to the airport last Tuesday to start his next contract. We could not be more proud of him, but we will definitely miss him. He is in NYC for a month and then will head to his ship Azamara Journey and perform around the world as the ship sets sail from Amsterdam to Japan and a whole bunch of amazing places in between! I told him to take pictures and I sure hope he does!

Today, we are on our way to my Optavia Convention in Atlanta. I am so thankful for my coaching community and this is one of the Highlights of my year! If you follow me on social media @steph.book and Facebook you will see all of my highlights as I get to experience the fun!

Atlanta will be so fun, but enough about travel, I hope your week is going well and you are enjoying your summer so far! If you didn’t already see, my next podcast episode is up. You can listen to the podcast here. I have a FREE Relaxation Guide I am giving away too, so make sure to check it out if you haven’t yet.

If you are not a podcast follower, I thought I would share a few highlights I shared in the episode this week. 

We know rest is essential for a health wellbeing, but how do we implement it? See the list below for a start on how you can begin to create rest in your life. I think that creating habits to create rest in your life is key. Remember, this is just a summary and you can learn more in the podcast, but here are a few tips.

  • Make a Commitment: If you are not focused on creating rest in your life, you won’t move forward.
  • Schedule it: You want to actually put our rest into your  schedule. If we can make an appointment with others, we can make an appointment for rest for ourselves as well.
  • Set Boundaries: Honor your commitment you have made for yourself for rest. 
  • Prepare your Mind: Make sure to be focused on creating rest for yourself.
  • Find a Quiet Space: When having downtime, find a place free from distractions. (This includes your phone!) 
  • Make a List: Create a list of activities that allow you to find relaxation. Remember, relaxation is according to Dictionary. Com “an activity or recreation that provides such relief; diversion; entertainment.”
  • Actually Rest: This step cannot be skipped, you need to actually rest. You have prepared yourself, created a space, thought of relaxation activities and more. Now you need to implement it and create rest for your day! 

I truly hope that you will find ways to bring rest into your habits and encourage you to listen to my podcast for helpful tips surrounding rest. I do have a special FREE Relaxation Guide that gives you more detailed suggestions for ways to implement rest in your life. You can find that here.

I do appreciate you and I look forward to continuing to walk this journey of a flourishing life with you. As always, please forward this to anyone you think this would encourage! Don’t forget to follow me on social media to see more of life, my convention and pics from Ryan as he sends them our way!

Thanks for joining along the journey for a full and flourishing life! ​

Rest is Essential

My goodness, the summer is flying by. It is hard to believe we are almost to mid-July! I hope you have been enjoying your summer so far.

We have been adding in quite a bit of family time in our house as my son is getting ready to leave for a contract that will being him away for 9 months. I am so grateful for my family and how much we get to enjoy our time together. I do not take this lightly and know that we are so fortunate to have a family who truly does enjoy spending time together. My husband and I were talking the other day about how happy we are that our kids enjoy spending time with us. I don’t take for granted that my kids (really they are 25 and 20) enjoy time together and with their parents. I really love our Book Club and know we will miss Ryan while he is gone.

Rest is Essential

Over time I have been learning about the importance of Rest and in today’s podcast I will talk a little about what I have learned and how essential it is to implement rest in our lives. My focus will be on two areas of finding rest and they are not about sleep! I know we typically jump right to sleep when we are speaking about rest, but today I wanted to move in a different direction. I know at some point I may talk about the habit of sleep, but for now we will focus on finding ways to find rest in our lives. You can listen to the podcast here. I do hope you find value in the podcast and you will share it with others. I truly hope to help others discover how to live a flourishing life and we can do that together as you share this with others.

You can listen here.

Until next week, thank you so much for walking this journey with me.

I hope you have a beautiful and flourishing day!

Summer, Science & Soundtracks A New Podcast Episode

Happy Friday! 

I hope your week has gone well. This week really flew by for me and I cannot believe we are at the end of June! If you are affected by this crazy poor air quality due to the Canada fires, I hope you are safe and keeping away from harm. The haze in the air is unreal, isn’t it?

I wanted to share the link to my next podcast. I so appreciate you taking the time to listen and the feedback (good and constructive) as I learn and grow in this space.

In today’s podcast, we will look at summer, a little bit of science and soundtracks. I’ll share about something that happened to me when I was younger and how the situation shaped so much of my thinking before I learned to shift my perspective. 

I hope to help you recognize some of the lies that you might be telling yourself and learn how to shift them towards something different. You can listen here:

To know more about what is going on with me day to day, you can follow me on Instagram @steph.book, here on Facebook or join my Facebook group here

I do hope that you find value in what I share and pass it on to anyone you think it would encourage.

Thank you for joining me on a journey to a flourishing life.

I’m Back & A Bit About Reviewing

Well, hello, friend! I have been absent for quite some time. You may even be wondering, “Who is this and why is she posting all of a sudden?’. This is Stephanie Book and I am so glad to be back with you.

I took some time to evaluate and decide what direction I wanted to take my blog and explore some different avenues. I needed some time to focus and find my direction. Lots of time and life has gone by, but I feel more focused and ready to step back in. I will be posting some blog posts, but if you haven’t heard, I started a podcast. I am so excited about this step and have wanted to do this for a long time. You can hear my first episode ​here​ or click on the podcast button above.

Flourish in Health podcast is where I will help others see their lives beyond where they are and learn to move from places where they feel stuck toward a flourishing life. I hope to walk the journey with you as we learn to recognize our true identity of who God has made us. Then apply a reframed mindset to combat the lies we have been believing about ourselves. We will walk the journey of health physically, but most of all mindfully. We will apply new habits of thinking and a turn toward a life that is flourishing.

I would love for you to check it out, subscribe, leave a review and share it with others you think it may encourage. I appreciate you and I know that together we will continue to build a flourishing life. Ok, enough about the podcast and on to what I wanted to share.


Where is the Year Going?

Anyone else feel like this year is flying by? I mean, how are we already at the end of June?

I don’t know about you, but around this time of year I take a look back and see what the year has brought me so far. It is good to reflect and you are able to learn so much. I hear so much about reviewing your week, month, quarter and year, but I really don’t do it as much as I would like. Typically, I do a few reviews in a year, but I want to create a new habit to review more often.

In my coaching business we use a MAP that helps us review and I am thankful for that. I have done this MAP every single month since August of 2018 and I can go back and learn so much from them! I have been able to see the victories and the ups and downs of my coaching business. (Remember success is NOT a straight line! But, that is a topic for another day!) My MAP helps me see how important it is to review and I can definitely see the benefits if I do a review in other areas of my life as well!

So what does reviewing do for you? Here are a few things I believe a regular time of reviewing can do for you!

The Benefits of Reviewing Our Progress:

Celebrate what you have done

Yes, a review will also help you see what you haven’t finished, but I like to start with what we did do. We are so quick to judge ourselves without any chance of celebration for what we have accomplished. This is why I know that if I reviewed each week, month, and quarter, it would make the yearly review so much easier. Here is our first benefit of reviewing our progress, We are able to see what all we have accomplished, be grateful and then celebrate. There will always have a to do list that never seems to be completed, but if we focus on what we have done and what we have created, this will make a big impact as we move forward! This is why there are so many benefits of reviewing our progress.

We will always have a to do list that never seems to be completed, but if we focus on what we have done and what we have created, this will make a big impact as we move forward!

Recognize what you love to do

When we review, we are able to see our patterns and habits and recognize what we love and what’s important to us. Our second benefit of reviewing our progress is to find out what we love to do. Where has our time gravitated toward? Where did you spend your pockets of time? What did you always make time for? Did you decide what makes you happy? What came together without thinking? (a habit was formed)

One thing I do track is my movement each week and month. As I look over the weeks and months, I can see the days that I typically skip the workouts or have less motion. This will allow me to set goals for baby steps of improvement and help me question why those days may be filled with less movement. You can ask yourself questions to learn and grow. NOT to blame and shame yourself (remember we are focusing on what we did Do first!) Plus, I have learned that movement is a priority to me and I make it a priority most days!

See where you can grow

After we have been grateful for what we have done and taken time to celebrate our wins, then we can have a clearer view to set the next goals and steps for the week. Our final benefit of reviewing our progress is to see where we can grow. What did we learn about our habits? Where could we use some improvement? What are we loving that we want to make sure we have made time for? See? This review allows us to see so much more than a list of things we didn’t accomplish!

I know I am going to focus on reviewing more and so I am going to set a goal for July to review the end of each week for 5 minutes. My goal is to go through each of these 3 areas and see what I find out.

If you review, I would love to know how

often you do it and what all do you evaluate!


So, a quick review of reviewing! Ha!

  • Celebrate What You Have Done
  • Recognize What You Love to Do
  • See Where You Can Grow


After reviewing you would want to gather what you have learned and create a plan of action for your next step. We will talk about this another day.

Do you review? If so, how often? How do you see this could be a benefit to you? Journal on these questions and let me know! Remember, we are on a journey together and the best way to be together is to connect with one another!

As always, thank you for joining me on the journey. I hope you see your amazingness today! 

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