life: on holiday survival.

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Has anyone else noticed a plethora of “holiday survival guides” floating around the Internet this year? And does anyone else cringe when they see them?

Sorry (not sorry), but if you think the holidays are about finding the best time to go to the mall or how to have enough willpower to avoid eating a brownie - you’re missing the point.

It’s so strange how we’ve turned the holidays - once a time filled with so much magic and joy when we were children - into yet another feat we need to overcome. Like we need to FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT and STRIVE STRIVE STRIVE to make the holidays this perfect little 4 week streak at the end of the year.

I’m guilty of it myself. Over the past few weeks I’ve gotten down on myself for not being in the “Christmas spirit” enough. It’s those expectations, man. They’re what’s killing us.

Along with these high (usually unrealistic) expectations we put on ourselves, the holidays can be so filled with…

commercialism
regret
loneliness
overspending
overindulging
comparison (helloooo social media)
missing loved ones
…and so on.

Yikes. Sorry for being such a debbie downer.

Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE CHRISTMAS. Like, Buddy the Elf sorta love. But this year, I’m realizing that I’m beginning to love it in a whole new way, for whole new reasons. Of course I want that magical, overjoyed feeling I got as a kid. But I’m learning that as I get older - the source of that feeling is what really matters.

My relationship with God. My family. My friends. My blessings to be counted and counted and counted again. Those are the things that make Christmas magical.

I had this whole list of Christmas-y things I wanted to do this year - decorations/lights to drive by, movies to watch, cookies to bake, etc., and sure - I may still do those things.

But you know what’s at the top of my list now?

To simply SLOW DOWN. To be still. To unplug from technology. To stop thinking and re-thinking and over-thinking my job and relationships and finances and life and just *takes breath*…BE.

So I don’t know about you, but I’m not making this holiday season just another one to survive. I’m going to embrace these last few weeks of the year - whether they “look” the way I wanted them to or not - and finish out 2014 from a place of rest.

Who’s with me?

inspire: nearing the year’s end.

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It’s been a hot minute since I did an inspirational themed post, huh? I must say that amidst the style, recipe, and relational posts - getting all kumbaya with you is my favorite thing about GML.

Anyway, the other day I posted this on Instagram - basically a mini blog post - so I thought I would share it here as well.

Gracie Gordon

oh hey, December. does anyone else have a love/hate relationship with this month? I’m a Christmas fanatic (so there’s that) but then there’s the whole reflection on the past year that I’m usually not so much a fan of. this time of year I always find myself looking back and wishing for more out of the past 11 months - that I had made more, did more, was more. but you know what? that’s where grace comes in.

I’ll never be the “more” I want to be, but I don’t have to. my God is more - more than enough…more than the “more” I can even imagine. so here’s to the end of looking back with regret. I (let’s) choose to look forward with hope, expectancy, and fulfillment in what HE has done rather than what we can ever do. here’s to December.

Can you relate to this? Tell me something AMAZING about your 2014!

inspire: how to stay on course.

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A lot of people struggle with not knowing what they want. I’m not one of those people – I know quite surely what I want my life to look like.

My problem, though, is that I so often find myself doing the exact opposite of what I actually want. Sometimes I wonder if it’s a matter of self sabotage or just a basic characteristic of being human. I’m thinking it’s most likely the latter.

I recently heard a great message from Maria Durso where she talked about the most difficult journey we can take being the 18 inches from our head to our heart. She went on to say how part of having a relationship with God is growing to the point of having your mind (thoughts) in alignment with your heart (feelings).

Unfortunately, though, it’s not always that easy. Sometimes – at least for me – there are circumstances where I have to trust my mind over my heart, or vice versa.

I think my problem is not so much overthinking – it’s overfeeling. While I definitely think it’s important to know how to listen to your heart, I can often let my feelings/emotions override certain truths.

I want to be in better shape, but I also want to eat whatever I want.
I want a chill night out, but end up at a club until 4am.
I want to take certain steps professionally, but I let fear stop me.

…the list goes on.

I’m assuming at least some of you can relate, so here are some things I’ve been working on that I think really help when it comes to staying on course.

1) write down your truths.

If you’re anything like me (very much a heart person), your emotions can very easily override what you know to be true. So I think it really helps to write down your truths - the things you know for sure - and refer back to them when your feelings might be telling you otherwise. Have yourself answer questions like:

What do I really want my life to look like?
What makes me the happiest?
What is my bigger purpose in life?
Specifically, I want relationships like ____
I want my career to look like ____
I want to look/feel ____

2) keep yourself out of tempting situations.

If there are particular areas in your life that you know you struggle with, try to avoid them! I’ve learned from personal experience that no matter how strong I think I am in a certain area…I’m not. So whether you need to avoid going to bars, or stop buying the boxes of cereal you binge on late at night, or decide not to see that guy/girl anymore, find as many ways as possible to stop the unhealthy situation before it even happens.

3) surround yourself with supportive people.

This is key. Whatever goal(s) you have, it is SO important to have people in your life that are on the same page! Or at least people that understand and want to encourage/support you in the right direction.

4) keep your eye on the prize.

I must admit that I can all-too-often fall for instant gratification. Don’t get me wrong – not ALL instant gratification is a bad thing. The problem is when it overrides and contradicts your ultimate goal.

They say the best way to reach a goal is to visualize it, so try to genuinely imagine your life the way you want it to look. It’s kind of that whole “fake it ‘til ya make it” mentality, which I really do believe works.

Can you relate? Which of these tips do you agree/disagree with most?