Ruthann M. Wilson

Giving Thanks: Gratitude Practices for Thanksgiving and Everyday Life

Thanksgiving is a beautiful reminder of gratitude, yet the practice of giving thanks extends far beyond one day. Whether for friends, family, health, or life lessons, gratitude connects us to joy and abundance every day. Thank you for being part of my journey and allowing me to be part of yours.

Gratitude Practices to Try

Daily Gratitude Journal: Write down 3–5 blessings, lessons, or gifts each day to cultivate appreciation.
Gratitude Rituals: Begin and end your day with a moment of thanks for people, experiences, or simple joys.
Express Thanks to Others: Share a note, call, or message to let someone know how much they mean to you.
Gratitude Walk: Take a mindful walk outdoors, noticing and naming things you’re grateful for in your surroundings.

Peace and abundant blessings,

Ruthann

In-Progress, LLC | Walk your path with intention, at your own pace

Fall Reflections: Harvest, Release, and Completion

Each season brings gifts and opportunities for growth as we journey through the year.

Autumn is a season of harvest, thanksgiving, reflection, completion, and letting go of what no longer serves you so that you can fully embrace the new year.

I invite you to begin the process of bringing this year to a close by reflecting on the year relative to your goals. Celebrate what you have accomplished to date and make a plan, if you don’t already have one, to complete what needs to be completed by the end of the year.

Give thanks for your blessings as a part of this process. If you keep a gratitude journal, take time to review what you have captured over the course of the year and how your life has changed as a result of your blessings. If you don’t have a regular gratitude practice, consider starting a daily practice of writing 3-5 things you consider gifts, blessings, or life lessons in a journal or notebook.

Set aside 15-20 minutes of silence each day in coming weeks to explore what you need to release so that you can fully embrace the new year. Begin your quiet time by asking what is complete and ready to be released. Expect that you will receive guidance. When you ask a question in the context of sacred time, it is no longer a simple question. It is an invocation for revelation. Capture your guidance in a notebook or journal and move into action with confidence that you are being guided to your highest good.

Autumn is a wonderful time to clear clutter in preparation for the new year and new opportunities. Be willing to let go of things that no longer bring you joy or serve your highest good.

Start setting yourself up for an amazing new year now.

Questions for reflection

What have I accomplished this year?
What didn’t I accomplish that I really wanted to? Why?
Who or what has been my greatest blessing? Why?
What is complete in my life and ready to be released so that I can embrace the next phase of my journey?
- Assess all areas of your life
How can I begin releasing what is complete with gratitude and love?
- Trust your inner guidance

Take the survey

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All the best,

Ruthann

Link to Spring Spring: Start Fresh

Link to Winter Winter Themes

Link to Summer Hello Summer!

How Intention in Prayer Fuels Personal Growth

When you pray, move your feet.

—African Proverb

When we pray with a goal in mind, we are engaging the power of intention in the context of all things being divinely possible.

The word intention comes from the Latin word intendere which means to “stretch out”, “to extend”. Intention inspires vision and guides action.

If you believe your prayers reflect what is best for your life, affirm your beliefs by living your prayers. For example, if you are praying for peace, envision what peace would look like in your life and commit to thinking peaceful thoughts, speaking peaceful words, creating and maintaining peaceful relationships, and creating and maintaining a peaceful environment. If you are praying for a new job/career opportunity, envision your new job/career and support your prayer with actions like updating your resume, creating a list of companies to send your resume, networking, and so on.

Prayer that is outcome focused and not supported with action is empty prayer. It is important that we pray and take action.

Engage the power of the written word to help you manifest what you desire. Create a plan of action that will enable you to move from where you are to where you would like to be. Consider using images and/or symbols as visual reminders (vision board) of your desired outcome.

Work toward your goals, but don’t be attached to a particular outcome. Being attached to a specific outcome can get in the way of you receiving an even bigger blessing than the one you had in mind.

The essence of prayer is faith in a divine presence working in and through our lives. As such, stay open to guidance and trust that you are being guided to your highest good.

Question for reflection

What is one thing you can do this week to move your life in the direction of your prayers?

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All the best,

Ruthann

The Journey to Authenticity: My Journal Reflections

JOURNAL ENTRY: I realized over the break that I am living a double life.

I have kept a journal most of my life. I have found it to be an invaluable tool for recording my dreams, clarifying my thoughts, and processing my feelings. It has also helped me to see how much I have grown over time.

As a part of the writing process for Be True to You, I reviewed some of my older journals. I was looking for themes in terms of what I was journaling about as well as statements that were related to breakthroughs and turning points. One of the statements that I found during the process inspired this post. I made a note in my journal that I felt like I was living a double life. I was driven by a need to be accepted and, in the process, not openly sharing the part of me that loves to explore a variety of topics and finds inspiration in many things.

At the time of my journal entry, I was exploring spirituality through a different lens (e.g., the Divine Feminine, symbolic systems, etc.). My interest in the topics was real, however, I wasn’t comfortable sharing what I was exploring because the topic was outside of “normal” conversations within my circle of friends and family. I did not want to be seen as “eccentric” or a “new ager”. In reality, I was judging myself and assuming what others might think about me. I noted in my journal that I was out of integrity by not sharing that part of me. I made a decision to stand in my truth and start sharing my interests with others; not only for my personal integrity, but as a way for them to get to know me at a deeper level.

For the most part, it seems the more authentic I am with others, the more authentic they are with me. Being authentic and vulnerable opens the door for deeper and more meaningful relationships.

Is there a part of you that you are hiding/not sharing with friends and family because you are afraid of disapproval, rejection, or judgment? How might you begin to bring that part of you forward?

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All the best,

Ruthann

Walking a Spiritual Path: Cultivating Clarity, Purpose, and Confidence in Life

What Is Spirituality? Defining Awareness, Belonging, and Higher Presence

It depends who you ask. Spirituality means different things to different people. I define spirituality as awareness/consciousness of a higher presence working in and through our lives. It is experienced as a sense of belonging to something greater, timeless, and infinite in possibility. It is the means through which we feel a deep sense of purpose and connection to all of life.

What is a spiritual path? Truth, Empowerment, Heart-centered living

Heart-centered/Truth-centered path and process of empowerment.

How to walk a spiritual path: Practices for Clarity, Reflections, and Authentic Growth

There is no right or wrong way to walk a spiritual path; it is a deeply personal path that is influenced by your values, beliefs, trust, experiences, introspection, reflection, and practices. It is an internal process of awakening and discerning what is true for you and living from that truth.

Truth is the light that guides your way.

Are you seeking a deeper sense of clarity, purpose, and direction for your life? Do you feel stuck in one or more areas of your life? Do you feel less than confident about making changes to your life?

Be True to You: A Practical Guide to Pursuing an Authentic Path is designed to help you step into your power, clarify your vision, and move forward on your path. Click here to learn more about Be True to You.

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All the best,

Ruthann

Visualize Your Future: The Power of Vision Boards

A vision board is a visual representation of your desired outcomes. It is a powerful tool for staying focused and bringing your goals to life through the use of words, images, and symbols.

Your vision board can represent what you desire for your life overall, be specific to a life area (e.g., health and fitness, career, relationships, etc.) or a quality that you would like to magnify in your life (e.g., peace, love, joy, etc.). The key is to include words, images, and symbols that are meaningful to you. Keep your board where you can see it on a daily basis. It will serve as a visual reminder of what you would like to manifest in your life.

In my post, Be Intentional, I encouraged you to spend some time thinking about and visualizing where you would like to be in the next three months. I invite you to create a vision board that represents what you visualized for your life three months from now or whatever time frame works best for you.

What you will need:

Your goals/desired outcomes (click here to read about SMART goals)
Poster board, cork board, or large piece of paper
Glue, tape, push pins (depending on the type of board you are using)
Words, images, and symbols that you cut out of magazines and/or download from the internet
Colored pens and/or markers for handwritten words and/or images
Scissors

Alternatively, you may also decide to create a digital vision board via software or app.

There is no right or wrong way to create your board. It is a creative process that produces a visual representation of what you would like to manifest in your life. Have fun and enjoy the process! Search the internet to see examples of vision boards (also known as treasure maps). The link below will take you to Google images for vision boards.

Google images for vision boards

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All the best,

Ruthann

Daily Gratitude Practice: Cultivate Joy, Abundance, and Appreciation

Gratitude is more than a habit; it’s a way of seeing. By giving thanks for the blessings, lessons, and gifts in your life, you cultivate joy, appreciation, and an abundant mindset that blossoms daily. A simple ritual of writing 3–5 things you’re grateful for can transform the way you experience your day and your world.

Thirty-Day Challenge:
Begin and end each day with gratitude. It will transform the way you experience your day and your life.

Daily Gratitude Video

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Peace and abundant blessings,
Ruthann

In-Progress, LLC | Walk your path with intention, at your own pace

The Role of Intention in Achieving Your Goals

*Downloadable worksheet at the end of the post.

The word intention comes from the Latin word intendere, which means to “stretch out”, “to extend”. Intention inspires vision and guides action.

To be intentional is to be willing to stretch yourself and grow. It is a process of stepping into your power, clarifying your vision, and consistently moving forward on your path. Do you know where you would like to be in the next three months? Six months? One year? Here is a quick way to get started.

Spend some time this week thinking about and visualizing where you would like to be in the next three months (or whatever time frame works best for you). Get clear as to what you would like to change, why you would like to make a change, and how you plan to make it happen.

I invite you to create a powerful intention to pull you forward. State what you intend to accomplish within a specific time frame.

I intend to _____________________________

Based on this intention, I commit to taking the following actions:

1. ___________________________________

2. ___________________________________

3. ___________________________________

If there is a gap between your intention and action, see it as an opportunity for personal growth rather than a personal failing; recommit to your intention and begin again. Consider using images and/or symbols as a visual reminder of your desired outcome.

*Downloadable worksheet: Be Intentional

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All the best,

Ruthann

Who Looks Inside Awakens: Tap into Your Inner Wisdom

“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”

—Carl Jung

Are you living your life from the outside in? Do you feel disconnected from your true self and power within?

A new way of living begins when you choose to live from the heart and guidance within. Your heart is your spiritual core, center of truth, inner compass, and extraordinary guide.

You tap into the wisdom of your heart when you ask questions like ‘What is true for me?’, ‘What is best for my life?, ‘What do I value most in my life?’. Your heart knows the answers.

Take the first step:

Be still. Be quiet. Be open to inner guidance.

Thirty-Day Challenge:

Take time each day to listen to the wisdom of your own heart.

Commit to 15-20 minutes of daily silence.

Learn more – YouTube

Who Looks Inside Awakens: Tap into Your Inner Wisdom

Go Deeper on Your Path

Be True to You: A Practical Guide to Pursuing an Authentic Path

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Clarity is powerful and it comes from within

All the best,

Ruthann

In-Progress, LLC | Walk your path with intention, at your own pace