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Round up of words from 2020
Sharing encouragement and inspiration with you is one of my great joys. It helps me to know what is going on in my head too! This online space is not the only place where I share words. I will be taking a break from publishing words (apart from social media so stay in touch there) for the rest of the year. Before I do, I wanted to round up all of the words I’ve shared in other online spaces for you to peruse here. Maybe you’ll find some encouragement to see you through this season too. Kin Women What freedom means to me Find out who you are and do…
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Unexpected anxiety at this stage of the COVID-19 situation
Find the audio version of this post on your favourite podcast app: Inspiritment from Jo Koepke I expected the anxiety and stress that came as the virus arrived in our city and decisions needed to be made. I anticipated the stress that was threatening while trying to work increased hours and homeschool. The brewing anxiety that hit in the past week caught me off guard. I am so grateful that the situation in my city seems to be easing significantly and the restrictions are slowly being rolled back. I should be celebrating. Instead, I am processing this unexpected anxiety. Maybe I’m not the only one? I have reflected on this…
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Owning my experience in this season
Find the audio version of this post on your favourite podcast app: Inspiritment from Jo Koepke Anyone else just want to crawl into bed and sleep through the next several months? Or lose yourself in distractions to avoid facing the hard realities and work ahead? I have been fighting these pulls with varying levels of success this past week. I wake up hoping it has all been a weird dream. It is easy to slip back into a victim mode and allow myself to make excuses for why I can’t or why I react or how I behave. Instead, I am owning my experience in this season. I sometimes think…
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Create more than consume
Find an audio version of this post here. Have you ever stopped to consider how much information, entertainment and external noise you consume in a day? There is a staggering amount available in the palm of our hands and that is increasing at rates my brain cannot process. I have started to recognise the impact this level of consumption has on my headspace, my emotions and my creativity. I have acknowledged my distraction addiction many times. This intention on my 2020 manifesto takes it a step further. I want to create more than I consume.
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Distraction addiction- pressing in over numbing out
An audio version of this blog post is available here: https://jokoepke.substack.com/ Does anyone else battle with distraction addiction? Or is it just me? So often I realise at the end of the day that precious hours have been sucked away by distraction. The frustration at myself builds and I try many strategies to deal with this, with varying degrees of success. It’s easy to blame my phone and technology. I have admitted my phone addiction before and even speak on overcoming it for groups, such as MOPS. Phones and technology are certainly designed to be addictive and distract us from other things we could be choosing to do. They need…
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Holy hustle- unpacking my 2020 manifesto
Have you found yourself pulled between two seemingly incompatible mindsets that surround us in social media and the world at large? On one hand, there is a call to rest, slow down and take care of yourself. On the other, there is a push to hustle, work hard and relentlessly pursue your goals. How do you know which is the right way to go? I wholeheartedly believe in the importance of rest and recharging our minds, bodies and souls. I can relate to the need to step out of the frantic pace that can pull us along and have us spinning. I have experienced the need for white space and…
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A foundation of rest- unpacking my 2020 manifesto
Did you create a set of intentions or resolutions for your year? Last week I shared my 2020 manifesto with you and some thoughts on the whole new year thing. Over the next few weeks, I want to take you through the elements that I have chosen to include so that you can be inspired in your own journey. It won’t look like mine and you may not focus on the same areas but we can share ideas and encourage each other on. Foundation of rest Here’s a revelation for you- I am not superhuman and neither are you. So why do we try to live our lives like we…
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The pursuit of a life lived well- sharing my 2020 manifesto
Has the start of a new year overwhelmed you with the messages of resolutions, goal setting, reflection and the pressure to completely transform your life simply because we hit January once more? Or maybe you love this kind of thing and spend hours digging into it, trying new tools and making plans. No matter which side of the spectrum you are on, there is an opportunity before you. Whether it is January or June, a Monday or a Friday, we have choices to make and opportunities ahead of us. This time of year can be a time of reset for us but the change doesn’t come overnight. It is the…
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Take the Weltschmerz and grow
I am in the midst of a week that feels full to overflowing with logistical decisions, unexpected errands and significant preparation needed for many things. I have felt the stress building and the brain freeze set in as I try to prioritise, plan, shuffle and cut things down. My default is to shove these feelings away and stuff them down deep. My default is to numb out and ignore. I choose not to do that as I grow. As I have created a bit of space to listen to my soul and see what it has to say, I recognised a deeper current of emotion that is amplifying the stress…
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What is it going to take?
What is it going to take to make those changes in your life that you know are needed? What is it going to take to start to uncover some of those mindsets and habits that are hovering in your blindspot, holding you back? What makes the difference between a dream becoming a reality or staying unexplored on that mental shelf? Courage. Fear is such an insidious presence in our lives that we stop recognising it often. It is this fear allowed to stay hidden behind excuses, defensiveness and faulty thinking patterns that ends up driving our behaviour and decision making. I see it in my own life time and time…