Hard to believe a few weeks ago those that live in Texas were in chaos along with me. So many had no water and no power with below freezing temperatures. And yet we are still clearing clutter from it all, both physically and mentally, clearing clutter.

I had a million things to do the Saturday before the winter storm hit Texas, but my mind was on preparing for that winter storm. See, Texas is not built for this. I grew up in Ohio where we dealt with winter storms a lot. However, living in the south has taught me it can be a big deal. Texas builds for their region and climate. Winter storms of this magnitude are not usually in our region. And so, the storm came. It wasn’t like I could carry on in my normal weekly routine. Most of my Clients and I had either no power, no water or none of both. Life as we knew it came to a STOP. One minute I was calm and the next minute I was over it. I learned real quick this situation which was out of my control was either going to make me stronger or make me curl up in a ball. My husband reminded me of the Circle of Influence and the Circle of Concern. As we go through our lives, we should operate in our circle of influence. I was going through my circle of concern. We had zero control over the weather, losing power, and losing water. However, you can change how you view it and how you react to it. Yes, even without a shower we can smile.

Why do we put so much time and energy into the zero-control circle? It makes us stress and anxious for no reason, we can’t control it. We can feel frustrated, angry, sad and depressed. That is when I knew it was time for some yoga and meditation. Off I would go to use the 3 biggest tools I had to help me get through this stressful moment.

· Meditation

· Breathing

· Journaling

I had control over, my mind and my breath. Off I went to visualize about a beach and surrender everything I had no control over. After, I was off to do what I had control of – boil water and smile even with a dirty shirt on and no shower for days.

Have you been there? Not always a storm taking your power out or no running and clean water for a week, but your life is interrupted and not going as you planned.

• Not having control.
• Not having control can bring fear.

The last year had me facing a lot of fears, insecurities and yes, some doubts. I realized this was normal.

Fear can help us:

• To choose to stop, pause and think.
• Fear can help keep us safe which is not always a bad thing.

Fear can also stop us from bettering ourselves and reaching our goals.

I decided this year that I was going to Move Forward. My mantra became, “I am moving forward.” Yes, one step at a time. I realized through meditation that I had some fears and decided my word to focus on was going to be RELEASE. Surrender my fears and move forward. It is now or never.

Life is funny because just as I was getting in my groove of moving forward, I along with others experienced a week in Central Texas like I have never experienced before. The 2021 Winter storm decided it was going to come in and make us all stop our routines once again. Yes, again! I realized it has almost been a year since the pandemic uprooted almost every aspect of our lives. From school, work, working out at the gym/studio, to social events. Over these past months, we have had to navigate a new norm. This made a lot of us venture out of our comfort zones. A lot of us had to learn how to do Zoom, FaceTime and other online adventures. We began to hear common phrases like, “Can you hear me?” I can see you but can’t hear you.” Yes, we all have been there.

It has been quite the year and adventure. Many of those adventures out of our comfort zones. Some out of our control.

I learned a lot in the last year with the pandemic and winter storm. I learned about what I can and can’t control. I learned about comforts and needs I take for granted every day. Running water, power, then clean water. No power meant no technology. What I worked for all year, my online studio, was brought to a sudden stop. Not only were we not having movement classes, but now I wasn’t having my online social groups that kept me going through the pandemic this last year. This was out of my control with no power.

As a wellness coach, I started to think about the Circle of Concern and the Circle of Influence with healthy habits. I have minimal influence when it comes to my clients making changes to their health. Can I influence that change? Maybe, but that change has to come from them.

How can we impact our life in a direct way? We cannot change the past, however we can change the future in a direct way. Isn’t it great that we have a Circle of Influence when it comes to our health? So, what are you going to-do about it? Go ahead, develop a direct plan for your health.

· What are your Goals?

· How are you going to get that Discipline?

· How can we control our Self-talk and actions?

· How can we control what we eat and how much we exercise?

· Get a journal and start writing out a plan. It is time to take action.

· Meditate and breathe.

· Concentrate on what and where you can make a positive influence.

Is it scary? You bet it is. Any change is uncomfortable and scary.

I read somewhere that the nervous system determines what registers as trauma, not the rational brain. You can say, others have it worse, but you deserve to take time and self-reflect acknowledge it is hard or was hard for you too.

Mediate, breathe, journal, rest and breathe some more to help navigate life.

Because of what you are going through is so overwhelming, your mind, body and spirit may feel exhausted.

Your emotions- listen to them, honor them and then surrender them.

Move forward my friends with as much grace, and courage as you can. Focus on how you react to what you can't control. Focus on what you can control, and what you can and will do.

With gratitude and so many hugs,

Kimberly Moser