Courtney Petrin
- Dec 28, 2022
- 2 min read

When I think about 2023...Grace and joy

As we say goodbye to 2022, I'm thankful for a busy year of parenthood, a full schedule, creative challenges, personal growth, and family.

Photos by Rana Mohammadian Tierney

When I think about 2023…

Two worlds come to mind: grace and joy.

Grace for myself and others.

Joy in small moments and carving out more moments of joy that are not attached to a benchmark.

So many women who are type A personalities are perfectionists. We are often in leadership roles or high achievers. We are our own worst critics. We are uncomfortable with being still and finding joy in the quiet moments.

That's been a journey for me for over 15 years.

Putting myself on a treadmill of goals for ten years did nothing but place damage my mind and body. During the last six years, I’ve made a huge change in my choices, self-care, mindset, eating, and everything. It was healing my mental health, trauma, and body. I'm still a work in progress.

The most significant change I’ve made has been to notice when my body is out of balance—slowing down to take in moments to allow myself to be grateful.

You can’t be thankful while climbing your self-gratifying ladder. You will end up miserable. You can’t be thankful for living in a fantasy that everything will be perfect. Nothing will measure up because the problem is your yardstick. The problem is your thoughts.

Be thankful for now. Be thankful for mistakes that helped you learn. Be thankful there is no such thing as perfect anyway. There is only doing your best.

Photos by Rana Mohammadian Tierney

Realize you don't have control. You have control over your actions, your words, and your thoughts. But you don't have control over others, events, or opinions. The need for control is rooted in fear. It's rooted in insecurity. Confidence is acceptance. It's not complacency. It's acceptance of the things we can control and let go of the things we can't.

Control is rooted in ego. It's pride. Ego tells us we need control. We are so important we can allow things to be as we want. I'm sorry, but that's not true. Believe me.

Then there is trust. The trust to let go, the trust to believe it will all be ok. Trust we are not perfect, and no one is.

That's true confidence. That's peace, that's grace, and that's joy.

So 2023, cheers to you…cheers to another year of embracing age and wisdom. Cheers to joy and grace…may you allow it to find you.

Have a New Year's Party Coming Up?I look

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