“The Dynamic Duo”

What quality have you’ve been trying to strengthen in yourself lately?

It’s 2024. It’s a new year. It’s a new month. It’s a new week. And it’s a new day.

I’m off social media right now. It’s one of the things I chose to do as I entered into this new year.

I originally had a list of “resolutions” jotted down in my Notes app in my phone that I was going to start right when the clock struck 12 midnight on 1/1/2024. Since then, the only “resolution” I have stuck with was refraining from using and being on my social media (very proud of myself!).

The beginning of the year hit me faster than I thought – had a really bad cold Week 1 and then had 2 jury trials during Week 2. My energy was depleted and life was lifing! I didn’t feel like I had full control over things or how I felt. And that’s when it hit me…

Patience.

Grace.

Those 2 go hand in hand and they have been making strong appearances in my life lately. They’re like a dynamic duo!

The first few weeks of this year have taught me to be patient. To be patient in moments where I don’t expect anything to go “left.” To be patient with people I expect to act a certain way. To be patient with myself when it comes to juggling all of the things life throws at me.

“pa·tience” – noun – the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.

Learning to be patient has also in turn taught me to grant myself grace.

“Giving yourself grace means knowing when to forgive yourself for past actions and relieve any guilt that can come from breaking a promise, not accomplishing something, or whatever else is weighing you down.”

I entered into the new year with the wrong mindset. I had all of these things I wanted to do but didn’t know why I wanted to do them. And I didn’t take into account how those goals probably wouldn’t be sustainable. I didn’t leave room for the uncertainties or the unexpected. Have you ever felt like this? Have you ever wrote a list of goals but had no roadmap?

Being patient with myself, being willing to readjust, allowing myself to revise my roadmap, and granting myself grace are how I managed to not beat myself up over the past few weeks. They’re how I managed to remain hopeful and optimistic for what life holds.

Life is a journey and it requires patience. I’ve been working on my patience in many situations.

Life is a journey and it requires grace. I’ve been finding moments to be grateful and kind to myself even when I think I’m experiencing a setback.

I think you should strengthen your patience and practice granting yourself grace!

Happy 2024, yall! ✨

“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.”— Ecclesiastes‬ ‭7‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Moni Jay, Off the Record