Estimated Reading Time 8 Minutes
Hey You! I’m Emily Romrell and this is The Vibrant Life Podcast. Happy New Year’s Eve everybody! Are you channeling your inner Taylor Swift and feeling 2022? I hope wherever you are, that you’re safe, happy, and spending time with people you love. That’s what it’s all about peeps, making memories and living life’s joyful little moments to the fullest.
And if you’re looking for some help to start the year off right, you should check out The Vibrant Life Goal Planner. This all-inclusive goal tracker, calendar, and personal journal will maximize your potential and help you create a life you truly love. Make this planner a daily companion and you will be amazed at the growth and progress you can achieve. I have a link in the show notes or you can visit my site EmilyRomrell.com.
Also, my friends, if you’ve enjoyed this podcast over this last year, I would so appreciate a quick review on apple podcasts. It helps to get the show out to new people. While you’re at it you should hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode. And make sure to tell your friends and family to listen in. Thank you so much for your support!
Okie-Dokie, there are only hours left of 2021 and then we’ll ring in the new year with burgeoning hopes and dreams of what may come. It’s always an exciting time and at least for me, it’s a period filled with feelings. I’m extremely nostalgic and I often find myself reliving memories from the past year. Also, I can be hard on myself sometimes. It’s easy to focus on where I’ve fallen short rather than what I’ve accomplished. But I’m working on that. Then there’s the excitement/anticipation/anxiety of what the future holds. And after the last couple of years who knows what we can expect?
So yeah, emotions can run high. But that’s a good thing because where there is emotion there is energy and if we play our cards right, we can use that energy to our benefit. We can truly be deliberate in living a vibrant life.
In honor of the last year, this episode is all about personal reflections. I’ll be pondering on some of the lessons that I’ve learned in 2021. The impressions that left their mark on my mind and my heart and how I hope to use them to pave the way forward into 2022.
1. Self-Love
Over the last couple of years, I’ve chosen a word or a phrase as a theme for the year. It’s a powerful way to dive down deep into your personal development. This year my focus was on self-belief, self-confidence, and self-love. And to be very honest, these things have always been hard for me. For some reason, I’ve always found it extremely easy to love others but rather difficult to love myself. That inner self-talk, peeps, it’s critical. Obviously, I still fall short and I’m still a work in progress, but I can also honestly say that I’ve made some significant strides over the last 365 days.
There are a few different things that have really helped in my quest for more self-love. Everything in life is connected and when you improve in one area, then you will improve in others. The following lessons that I’ll discuss shortly all contributed to helping me gain more self-confidence and self-love, but I do want to mention a few habits that really made a difference.
Pray To Know How Heavenly Father Feels About You
This is something that is tender for me but it is so life-changing. Prayer is powerful and if you have an open heart and an open mind, then Heavenly Father will tell you how loved you really are. There is a great quote from Russell M. Nelson where he talks about this. His invitation is so encouraging:
“Ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, how He feels about you and your mission here on earth. If you ask with real intent, over time the Spirit will whisper the life-changing truth to you. Record those impressions and review them often, and follow through with exactness.
“I promise you that when you begin to catch even a glimpse of how your Heavenly Father sees you and what He is counting on you to do for Him, your life will never be the same!”
As I have personally prayed to feel Heavenly Father’s love for me and to see his hand in my life, I have been amazed as I’ve experienced too many tender mercies to count. Sometimes it’s been the feeling I get as I read a particular scripture or listen to a conference talk that has just the right words I need to hear. Sometimes, the answer is a person who reaches out at just the right time. Sometimes it’s the heart pang I get when I look at the beautiful world around me, when I see the mountains or the light of the sunset shining on the lake, and I know that the world was made to be so beautiful because of the great love God has for each of us.
If you haven’t yet, I would invite you to pray and ask God how he feels about you. If you are sincere I believe you will be answered in personal ways that will astound you.
Cultivate An Attitude of Gratitude
This goes right along with praying because when you are truly grateful for what you have then it’s easier to feel the love that God has for you and that leads to more self-love. Also, when you are genuinely grateful for the blessings in your life, that energy of gratitude rubs off on the people around you. So everyone ends up happier and healthier.
Help Others To See Their Self-Worth
And as I mentioned, one thing leads to the next. It’s fascinating how connected we all are. One thing I’ve learned for sure is that when you make an effort to lift others up, you end up lifting yourself as well. And when you help others to see their worth, somehow you feel your own self-worth and self-love more strongly.
For me, it’s all about the little things. If someone is on your mind, text them and say hi. When you’re around others try to be observant and give sincere compliments. Let people know when they look good, or when they do something that makes a difference. It doesn’t take much, but it helps so much.
Over the last year, I have really tried to incorporate these three simple habits into my life, and I am here to tell you that I am much more confident and I love myself better.
Asking & Receiving Help
I don’t know why, but I’ve always been pretty clumsy and when I was a teenager, my bumbling and blundering was at its height. So I got into quite a few accidents. There’s one experience, however, that stands out and that I’d like to share with you today.
When I was sixteen, my church took our youth group to a place called Martin’s Cove in Wyoming and we did a Pioneer Trek. We reenacted what it was like for early members of our church to push handcarts through the desert. Well, we were literally off the bus maybe twenty minutes and had pushed our handcarts maybe twenty feet when I got my foot caught in a rope and twisted my knee.
I should mention that I was born with bad knees and I have a weird thing where if I turn just right my kneecaps will dislocate. I’ve actually had surgery on both of my knees to help correct that problem.
So on this trek, my knee dislocated and I was pretty miserable. But I learned a lot. Rather than pushing the handcart, I ended up riding on top of one for three days. I do want to say that my church leaders were amazing and took extremely good care of me. Everyone was so kind, but it’s not pleasant to ride on top of an old-fashioned handcart with an injured knee.
I had to depend on everyone else to get through the experience. And as I sat up on the handcart praying that I wouldn’t tip over or fall off, I thought about the men who had to let their wives pull them because their legs were too frost-bitten to walk. It must have been so hard for them. Back then especially, men were expected to be the providers and the protectors. So what must it have been like to be forced to watch your wife and children pull you along when you couldn’t? Very humbling, right?
I’ve thought about that pioneer trek often this last year because I’ve needed a lot of help that I didn’t expect. I’ve had some health problems that really threw a wrench in my plans for my life. And I wouldn’t have been able to keep going without the help and support of wonderful people around me.
It’s often easier to be the giver than the receiver of help. It’s humbling to admit that we can’t always make it on our own. But here’s the truth, my friends. No one ever makes it alone. We all lean on others at one time or another. Like it says in the song, Lean On Me: Lean on me When you’re not strong And I’ll be your friend I’ll help you carry on… For it won’t be long Till I’m gonna need somebody to lean on.
As I’ve needed some extra help this past year, my heart has been deeply touched. And I am more determined than ever to help others as much as I can to pass it forward. I’m learning that it’s okay to be vulnerable, it’s okay to ask for help if you need it, and it’s all a big cycle of love. And the more you do give, the more that love comes back to you in wonderful ways.
To Find A Friend, Be A Friend
The last thing I want to talk about is the principle of you get what you give. We’ve been dealing with Covid for a couple of years now, and I’m sure each of us in different ways has felt more isolated and alone than ever. It’s been a wild ride and it’s not over yet.
I’m a very friendly person, but I’ve never been really outgoing. I struggle with anxiety and it’s hard for me to make a effort socially. But during this last year, I have made several wonderful new friends. This is what I’ve realized. If you want friends you have to be a friend. You have to actually go out and try, even if it is hard.
But the amazing thing is that when you are genuine and sincere in your offer of friendship to others, they reciprocate that back to you in wonderful and surprising ways. In my past, I’ve sometimes felt invisible and wondered why more people didn’t notice me or interact with me. But as I’ve made the effort to reach out to others, they in turn have opened up to me. This is something that seems obvious but can be difficult in practice. At least for me, it has been. But the rewards for making the effort are endless.
So there you go. These are just a few of the life lessons that I’ve been working on in 2021. I’m so grateful for the opportunities that I have, for the family and friends that support me, and for a life full of wonder and a complete range of experiences. I’m excited to see what this next year will bring. I hope you are too.
Happy New Year, My Friends. Live The Vibrant Life!
