Purposeful Essentials
Let me tell you about a new obsession of mine. Yes, another one. It is not hard for me to find something to love & love on it hard. I am what you call a Grade A Clinger. Before I dive into all the fun I have been having, let me tell you where this all stemmed from.
January 2019 was the start of a year that I claimed to be my own. A year that I was going to take charge of my life & start incorporating what I want my life to look like & put action behind it. We are now a few months in & has progress been made? Small amounts. What I am learning is that you will never get anywhere by sitting around thinking of the steps you’ll take, but you will get somewhere if you just start taking them. No matter how big or small, there is no deadline here. Just take the steps. That is what I did! I started taking the necessary steps to get my life to reflect the values I hold.
I began listening to podcasts. I started learning from others speaking & sharing their experiences. How did these people get to where they wanted to be? What are they doing today to get where they want to be tomorrow? Why does my life seem so unorganized, hectic, stressful, compared to these even busier bees that handle themselves so well? Where is my time going?
That is what I want so badly. Time. My biggest struggle is my infertility. It has created so many emotional & mental obstacles that I never imagined it would cause. It has created a ticking clock in my mind that will always remind me that I am falling behind. I don’t mean I am running out of time having babies. I am young. I know that. But I do know that my friends & family are having babies. Babies that get older every year. Babies that will turn into toddlers & kids & will bring their parents, my friends, into new phases in life. Phases that will push me out even further & further. It is a ticking clock that says every month your body should be doing this, but it is not. A ticking clock that alarms for every other woman this would mean your dreams have come true, but instead is just another sign my body has failed me. Or I have failed it. Having infertility means you watch every day go by slower & slower, only to have another year come around that was no different then the last. Even though you said it was going to be. Then you can’t believe its been another year. Then you can’t believe all this time has gone by.
I just wanted my time back. I just want my time back.
Many things in my life, including the unfairly high expectations I hold for myself, create so much hectic chaos that steals that little time I have. I am not talking about my full-time office job, my dream job of real estate, keeping up my house & supplying food for my family. I mean the chaos in my brain that rattles around day after day. If you look at me & you see me bouncing off the walls or you listen to me vent & you can’t keep up. That is exactly how my brain feels. It. Doesn’t. Stop. I know what my problem is. I think too darn much. I need to simplify.
How can my brain calm down when my environment & atmosphere won’t? What can I do to simplify my environment? First of all, I have too much stuff. Watching & listening to minimalist lifestyles intrigued me. I am not talking about the owning one pair of pants & having bare walls. But I am talking about everything I own bringing my purpose & joy. This then goes with not spending all my money all the time. I love to shop, yes, but my wallet does not. My brain rattles harder each month when the funds are low & the bills are high. By eliminating my need for stuff, I am also eliminating my need to spend.
When you are so focused on how many things you own, you aren’t able to enjoy the things you own. Let me say it again, I am all about purpose. Let your belongings serve more than just one purpose. It might be a pretty picture on your wall, but let it also be a memory you are fond of. Let it not just be a vase on the counter, but a family heirloom that hold a bouquet you buy for yourself to remind you you’re special. This has become my new philosophy & I am loving it. This is where the obsession began. I really was not expecting to get into that much detail about the backstory here, but I guess this is where we stand.
In my quest of serving my time filled with purpose, filling my home with purpose & un-filling my wallet with purpose, I fell in love with Young Living Essential Oils. I fell in love with having a home & body that is all natural, serving the green earth the Lord has granted us to the best of my abilities. I fell in love with the idea of living a life of less garbage. Literally. Low waste living. Buying these products allows me to physically make the things I need to clean my own, do my hair, wash my face, etc… It keeps my create juices flowing & I get to put them all in cute little containers to decorate with! Decorations with a purpose.
Dry shampoo, with a purpose! Let’s be real ladies, I use dry shampoo more than regular shampoo. Not because I never wash my hair, but because my hair is very fine & collects grease from a McDonald's five miles south. It gets expensive & annoying to have to buy a bottle of Batiste every time I diddle dally in Target. Now I am able to make my own that not only keeps my hair from being oily, it promotes a healthy scalp & hair growth.
As my products have been running low, that is when I replace it with a self-made, all natural, good for the earth, body & soul alternative. I have replaced my cleaning products – down to one cleaner, my dish soap, my entire face regimen, my hair serum, wave spray, & dry shampoo, & many more items to come. I have been able to keep my eyes from water falling from allergies with a roller vs. an eye dropper. I have been able to make headaches disappear that even Advil won’t touch. I can keep going….
Friends, I have found something that I can be both passionate about & creative about. I have found my time saver. My purpose filler. My goal-reacher. With essential oils I can live more simply, naturally & stewardly. I cannot wait to share with you all the recipes I have found & the products I have fallen in love with. If these ideas appeal to you as well, I hope you look into the perks of using essential oils. Let’s just say the fun has just begun!