I’m not even gonna lie, I have been obsessed lately. This quarantine/pandemic was getting to me. Mentally, physically, and emotionally. I felt myself drifting to a place of fear and anxiety. I was scared for my family and for myself. I was overwhelmed at work. Everyone knows this last 6 months has been nothing less than difficult. Lots of choices that we’ve each had to make without knowing what the final outcomes would be. Let’s be real for a moment the world has seemed very out of control lately.

In my head and my heart, I knew I needed better for myself. I knew I needed an outlet. A way to find some control in my life so that I could let go of the things I can’t control. If you know anything about me, you know I’m a little type A…okay maybe a lot! I like things right and I like them done well. I’m an all or nothing kind of girl. I decided it was time for me to focus on me for a while; that’s one thing I can control. I decided to become obsessed!

Galatians 5:22-23

One of my dad’s favorite verses. It’s only just now that I have found so much meaning in it. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Y’all, these are the things that will make you happy! Finding these feelings…well, finding these feelings helps you let go of what you can’t control and focus on improving what you can.

Three months ago, my friend Meridith and I started a journey together. We committed ourselves to finding self control. In that, we found so much more! Meridith and I committed to Beachbody’s 80 day Obsession, we committed to good nutrition, to focus on self-care, and to finding joy.

Y’all we did it! Today was day 80!

In our 80 days we found it. We found the fruit of the spirit. We learned how strong we were. We learned that self-control is like any other muscle, you have to practice working it daily. We learned that even on the hard days, you stay committed and you will feel better because of it. We learned that we need only to compete with ourselves in life. Focusing on ourselves lead to ripple effects all around.

In finding me, I found happiness. I found peace and patience, joy and gentleness. I found my limits. I found self-control! I’ve found that I really enjoy getting up early to spend time with God and be alone in the stillness. My family is happier and they have become healthier. In my commitments, Jason found time to commit to himself as well. Together we found enjoyment in working on our family’s health and well being.

Overall, we’ve learned that we are stronger than we think, we can achieve anything we commit to, and we can be happy even in a world of chaos. Y’all, our minds and body’s are powerful things. If we focus on something and work at it long enough, we can achieve it. I can honestly say that through my commitments, I have been obsessed, obsessed with finding the fruit of the spirit, and I have found it.

80 days may have passed, but I know I’m only still at the beginning of this journey!