Looking Back on a Year of Ever Upward

Since my 30th birthday I’ve made a very conscious effort to spend time on my birthdays to really reflect on the last year. How much has changed?

The struggles. The joys. The growth.

And, today as I turn 35 I look back at the past year in pure, wholehearted awe.

I have laughed more, cried more and just amazingly felt more of everything this past year.

There have been the struggles:

• Major difficulty and heartache in a close relationship.
• More than 230 rejection letters from agents and publishers.
• My dad’s accident.
• Managing an evolving career while also paying the bills.
• Coping with the lifelong losses and feelings of infertility and a childfree life.

There have been the joys:

• Our first childfullChristmas.
• Another year of dates with Chad.
• More laughs and love than I can measure with the dogs.
• Our first year in our family home MasonHouse.
• Finally, getting published.
• Seeing Ever Upward in print, in my hands and with my heart.

There has been the growth:

• The spark of Emerging Women.
• The light of The Daring Way™.
• Meeting two of my role models; Brené Brown and Elizabeth Gilbert.
• The start and clarity of Ever Upward the blog.
• The guest posts, the friendships, the connections, the love of Ever Upward.
• My continuing work in my recovery.
• My continuing growth as a therapist.
• The clarity that has come from fighting for, practicing and embracing my ever upward.

And, the yet to come:

• Struggles
• Joys
• Growth
• …amazingness.

Tonight I celebrate Ever Upward at the book launch party with friends, family and even strangers. Tonight I will make sure to stop, to take it all in, to take a breath and truly feel the love, the light and the magic. But, most of all I will make sure to stop and take that breath and to feel me.

Because more than any other year of my life, I have walked into myself more than ever this year. I have struggled, I have overcome, I have grown and I have owned it all.

The always healing, the always growing, the always trying ever upward me.

Housekeeping

Ever Upward available now!

Ever Upward Launch Party is tonight!

30 Day Toolkit to Living Ever Upward here!

Fertility Compassion Survey is collecting all responses.

If you found this post enjoyable, inspiring, helpful, hopeful, interesting or even infuriating ;), please take the time and the chance to share it through your social media! More shares means more eyes, means more people helped and the message heard on a wider scale. Thank you! Justine