Inhale. Now, exhale. There you go, you just started fresh! 

Whether it’s a Monday or gearing up for bringing in the New Year, I always feel invigorated in starting again. I’m not just excited for the new year. I’m excited about today, and if God permits, tomorrow, too.

Now is always a great opportunity to recenter yourself spiritually as you organize your life and look ahead. If you’re watching this in 2021 or sometime in the future, the same applies to you! It’s never too late to start over. 

Everyone was ready to jump into 2021 since March 2020 but a loving reality check is that 2021 isn’t going to make the struggles of 2020 disappear. In the pain and in the waiting, God was working. In isolation, God was there. That’s something to celebrate! In the midst of tough times, we can still prepare, we can pray, we can get excited! 

You don’t have to do the most to start off on the right foot. So in this video, we’ll focus less on doing and more on being. “Being” in itself is an action word. The best thing you can do for yourself is to be in God’s presence and get back on track with Him.

Step 1: Reflect

It’s important to look back before we look forward. Therefore, the first thing I do is go through my journals. I cry, I smile, I feel all the feels! I’m more of a chronicler type so when I have my saddest moments, I write about them. In my most victorious moments, I write them down, too. I read through the year’s entries and reflect like it’s a book.

You don’t have to do this but I take it a step further and open a Google doc to list out my struggles (spiritually, mentally, emotionally) and my wins. It’s a great way to measure growth and to really analyze who you are as a person. 

I’ve done this for a couple of years and have realized that I am always able to look back and thank God for how far I’ve come. My planner plays a big part in that but I’ll get into that later! 

Step 2: Take inventory

Take inventory of your mind, your body, and your space! 

When I say take inventory of your body, I mean think about how your body is feeling. Do you need to be more active, sleep, tea, or vitamins? In this quarantine, I needed it all. I bought myself an elliptical because I realized I’m more of a machine person. I’m still working on getting more sleep; that’s a struggle! But one thing I’ve been super proactive about is what I’ve been putting into my body.

Just 1 in 10 Americans will reach the recommended amount of vegetables in their diet daily and it doesn’t help that I never was a fan of veggies since I was a child! Needless to say, I’m happy TeamiBlends reached out to help me with this! 

I started off with their Superfood Greens Powder, Teami Greens, which is packed with green nutrients to help get your daily intake of veggies, promote natural energy levels, support regular digestion and overall well-being! From today to January 2nd, you can use my code ADORN50 50% off (minimum $100)! The following codes don’t expire:

ADORN20 20% off minimum $40

ADORN15 15% off minimum $29

As for taking inventory of your space, organize your life by going through all of your things, piece by piece. Take your time with this.  Tackle what’s been on your to-do list – but only what’s important. Don’t stress yourself trying to rush. When you declutter your space, you also clear your mind! 

Step 3: Pray and plan.

I enjoy my prayer and planning process and I created a video about being aligned with God’s plan if you’d like a better idea of how to do both. The purpose is to commit yourself and your year to God. No, the purpose is to commit your whole life to God, actually!

With that being said, the final thing I do is set up my planner! My favorite planner ever is Horacio Printing, a Christian brand whose mission is to help individuals unlock their inner artist and connect with their God-given purpose. They pledge 10% of every product sold to A21.org, an incredible non-profit organization that is making a difference by fighting human trafficking globally. 

I’ve collaborated with Horacio Printing since 2018 and I’m so glad to team up with them again by offering two planners and two of my books to two of you! Head to this Instagram post and follow the directions to win! For a bonus entry, take a screenshot of this video, repost on your social media and tag me @adornedinarmor! 

If you don’t want to wait or you don’t win, don’t worry! Use my code ADORN for 15% off.

One of my favorite features of my Horacio planner is how they allow you room to write out your blessings! At the end of every month, you can write out all of your praise reports! This portion of the planner helped me so much, especially in my darkest times. I’m overcome with gratitude whenever I look back and see how God has carried me. 

In my prayer and planning process, I write my dreams, goals, and plans and commit them to God. I pray and give God permission to have His way with my life. I tell Him yes to His way and His will. I write and I ask for Him to teach me to trust in His plan step by step.

• Define what gives you joy and brings glory to God!  

In step one, I spoke about reflection. Well, in that review period, you probably have noticed what brings you happiness. It’s important to define that but it shouldn’t be something that just makes you feel good, it has to be something that brings glory to God. Whatever those things are, incorporate them into your daily routine.

• Other things to consider for your planner:

I don’t think about resolutions; I think about goals. If you need to, also consider any habits you want to incorporate or shake off.

Consider doing a massive brain dump. Empty your mind of the ideas floating in there and get it on paper or maybe on the computer. Once we see things, it’s a lot easier to organize. It’s important we clear our minds so that we can create new things. It’s even more important that we are diligent with the ideas God puts on our hearts so that we can implement them in His time.

That’s how I prepare for the new year! I reflect, take inventory, plan, and pray. The most important thing you can take away from this video is that when we keep our eyes on God, He takes care of the details. 

This is your time to dream again. The best is yet to come!