intentional living – Ruthann M. Wilson

Beginning Again: A Practice for Returning to Yourself as a Way Forward

There’s something tender about the first weeks of a new calendar year, the quiet hope, the subtle pressure, the sense that you should be further along than you are. But beginning again, as shared in this reflection, doesn’t require a grand gesture. It simply asks you to return to yourself as a way forward.

January often arrives with expectations to set goals, make resolutions, reinvent your life. But the truth is, most of us don’t need reinvention. We need a moment to pause and reconnect, quietly checking in before planning or moving forward.

Beginning again is not about fixing yourself or becoming someone new. It is about returning to what matters most and letting that guide your next step, a way forward rooted in what is true for you right now, rather than external pressure or expectation.

It is about noticing where you have drifted, where you feel stretched thin, or where you have lost your rhythm, and gently returning to what steadies you.

This is the heart of practice, small, honest returns that build clarity and momentum over time.

Beginning again is the practice of coming back to yourself with honesty and without judgment. It is choosing presence over pressure to rush ahead. It is acknowledging where you are right now and taking one small step toward what matters in this new chapter.

Beginning again does not erase what came before. It integrates it. It lets you begin where you are as a foundation for moving forward.

When you allow yourself to begin again, you stop waiting for the right moment and start moving from the moment you are in.

This practice creates room inside. It softens urgency. It invites clarity. And it reminds you that you can return again and again and again.

Beginning again is how you build a life that feels aligned, not through force, but through the rhythm and sacredness of returning to yourself.

Beginning again can be simple, gentle, and deeply grounding. A few ways to pause, reconnect, and begin again:

Pause and notice your whole self. Where are you right now physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually? What is true in this moment?

Name what is true. Without judgment, acknowledge what you are carrying or avoiding.

Honor your values. Identify one value you want to honor and let it inform what you do next.

Choose one small next step. Not the perfect step, the honest one based on where you are right now.

Pause and return often. Beginning again is not a single moment. It is a practice of intentionally returning to what steadies you each time you drift from your values, your rhythm, your truth, your faith, and the way you want to move through the world.

Reflective Prompt

Where in your life are you longing to begin again, and what is one small, honest step you can take from where you are right now?

Let it be gentle. Let it be yours.

Beginning again is not a reset. It is a return, a way of reconnecting and choosing to anchor your steps in what is true for you right now. Each time you come back, you strengthen your capacity to live with intention, clarity, and ease.

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Affirmation for the month
I begin again by returning to what is true in me.

To returning to what steadies you

Warmly,
Ruthann

Year-End Clearing: Making Room for What’s Next

Clearing creates the space where new light can enter. This opening is the threshold. Let this be a gently crossing.

Earlier this month, I shared Finishing Strong as a practice of looking back at what has been and forward to what could be. At its heart, it is a practice of reflection: honoring progress, celebrating resilience, completing what calls for closure, and opening space for what is new. Clearing complements that work.

Reflection helps us recognize and honor what has shaped us. Clearing makes space for what’s next. Together, they offer a grounded way to close the year with care and intention.

Clearing reminds us that beginnings are thresholds: a chance to release what no longer serves and create space for what is true now. Making room is not about adding more; it’s about accessing what’s already present and opening space through intentional release. Physical clearing becomes the doorway, a tangible way to create space for what is true in this moment.

As the year closes, clutter, whether physical, emotional, or digital, can weigh us down. Clearing is an act of self-care, a way of tending to yourself and your environment. It makes room for new habits, priorities, and intentions to take root. When we clear, we create room for clarity, energy, and renewal.

Simple Ways to Begin:

Choose one area to clear (e.g., closet, desk, inbox, calendar)
Pair clearing with intention: What am I making space for?
Use a simple framework: Keep what still serves you and represents who you are becoming. Release what no longer supports who you are or what you need. Carry Forward what you want to bring with you into the next chapter, naming it with intention so it has a clear place in what comes next.

Clearing is an act of self-care, a practice of release that opens space for what’s next. What you release matters as much as what you carry forward.

Last week, I cleared a dresser. As I moved through each drawer, I asked myself: What still serves me and represents who I am becoming? What no longer supports who I am? What do I want to carry forward into the next chapter?

Some items stayed, some were released, and a few were named with intention to carry forward. In that process, the dresser became more than furniture. It became a threshold, a tangible marker of transition. Each drawer offered a choice: to honor what had been, to release what no longer fit, and to make space for what is true in the chapter ahead.

Clearing Prompt

What’s one thing can you clear to create space for the chapter ahead?

If you would like to deepen your practice of finishing strong through reflection, you can read Finishing Strong: Year-End Reflection Practices for Resilience and Renewal.

Thank you for pausing here. If my writing has offered meaningful insight or sparked a shift in you, I would be honored to hear what stayed with you.

If you’re navigating change, seeking clarity, or longing for a more intentional rhythm, may this space meet you where you are.

You are welcome to follow the blog to receive notifications of new reflections, subscribe to the newsletter, or connect with me on social media, whatever feels most supportive.

May you honor what was and clear space for what’s next

All the best,
Ruthann

Finishing Strong: Year-End Reflection Practices for Resilience and Renewal

We have arrived at the year’s final threshold, a month that invites us to look back at what has been and forward to what could be.

Each December, I revisit the practice of Finishing Strong. I return to it personally and share the practice as a way of inviting others into reflection. At its heart, it is a practice of reflection and renewal, evaluating progress, celebrating resilience, completing what needs closure, and opening space for what is new. It is intended to help bring the year to a close with intention and set the stage for the year ahead.

This year has carried deep challenges, personally and professionally. I said goodbye to close loved ones and to a company that shaped nearly a decade of my life. There were times when I felt off balance and not very strong in the midst of these changes. As I return to this annual practice, I find myself wondering how strength might look and feel as the year comes to a close.

If your year has carried loss or sudden change, my heart goes out to you. May you honor what you feel and give yourself grace and space to move through it. Perhaps you too are arriving at this threshold carrying what has been hard. If so, give yourself the time you need to honor your feelings with compassion.

We all meet thresholds differently. Change, whether chosen or unexpected, always asks us to release something familiar and step into the unknown. The unknown can feel exciting or frightening, depending on how we meet it.

I invite you to begin this practice wherever you are. Strength isn’t measured by how hard we push, but by how intentionally we align with what matters most.

Four Invitations for Finishing Strong

Evaluate progress toward your goals
Pause to acknowledge what you’ve accomplished and where you’ve grown. Progress is not always linear. This year, consider how your goals have shifted, evolved, or deepened. Some goals may have reached completion; others may have transformed into something new. Evaluation is less about milestones and metrics and more about recognizing the rhythm of growth.

Celebrate what you have accomplished to date
Celebration honors resilience as much as achievement. Pause to notice the quiet strengths, the small wins, and the ways you showed up consistently.

Complete what needs to be completed
Endings carry wisdom. Ask yourself: what calls for closure? What tasks, commitments, or patterns are ready to be released? Completion is not only about finishing; it is about honoring the cycle of letting go, so space can open for renewal.

Make room for something new
Beginnings are thresholds. As you prepare to step into the next cycle, pause to release what no longer serves, so that space opens for what is true for you. Making room is not about adding more; it’s about accessing and releasing things you no longer need or use, things you no longer feel connected to, and things that keep you stuck in the past.

Reflection Prompts for Your Own Practice

Pause and honor: Where have you grown this year, even if progress looked different than expected?
Celebrate resilience: What small wins or quiet strengths deserve recognition?
Seek closure: What tasks, commitments, or patterns are ready to be released before the year ends?
Name a new intention: What practice, project, or way of being feels true to carry into the new year?

Finishing strong is not about perfection; it’s about alignment with what is true for you. As you close this year, may you honor what has been, release what no longer serves, and carry forward only what steadies your steps into the year ahead.

Thank you for pausing here. If my writing has offered meaningful insight or sparked a shift in you, I would be honored to hear what stayed with you.

You are welcome to follow the blog to receive notifications of new reflections, subscribe to the newsletter, or connect with me on social media, whatever feels most supportive.

All the best,
Ruthann

Monthly Reflection: Begin with the end in mind

We are all given the gift of twenty-four hours each day to spend as we choose. It is a gift that we treasure through the choices that we make. In the busyness of life, it’s easy to operate on autopilot and forget that we have the power to choose how we spend our time.

Time is one of your most valuable resources and it is inextricably linked to your life. The way you spend your time is the way you spend your life. The key to making the most of your time is to stay focused on what truly matters. It is an intentional process of reflecting on how you are spending your time relative to your values and goals.

As we begin a new month, I invite you to set aside 15 minutes to begin with the end in mind. Ask yourself the following questions with the end of the month in mind.

💥What have I accomplished?

💥Who have I spent time with?

💥How do I feel?

💥What do I need to start, stop, or do more of so that I can feel (whatever you identified)?

Create a daily structure that will enable you to bring what you have envisioned to life. Evaluate your progress on a weekly basis. Be patient with yourself and trust the process.

All the best,

Ruthann

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

Consciously Create Your Day: Intentional Choices to Shape How You Feel Each Day

What you do on a daily basis matters. Days become weeks, weeks become years, and years become a lifetime.

We are given the gift of twenty-four hours each day to spend as we choose. It is a gift that we treasure through the choices that we make. In the busyness of life it’s easy to operate on autopilot and forget that we create our lives one day at a time.

This week, I invite you to set aside 15 minutes in the morning to begin each day with the end in mind. Ask yourself the following questions:

How do I want to feel at the end of the day? Write down three feelings you would like to have at the end of the day.
What do I need to ‘start’, ‘stop’, or ‘do more of’ so that I can feel (whatever you identified)?

Set aside 15 minutes in the evening to check in with yourself. How are you feeling? Is there a gap between how you want to feel and how you are actually feeling? What will you ‘start’, ‘stop’, or ‘do more of’ the following day.

At the end of the week, evaluate your progress. Be patient with yourself and trust the process.

Need additional support? “Bring it All Together on a Daily Basis” (Chapter 6, Be True to You) is designed to help you consciously create your day.

Thank you for pausing here. If my writing has offered meaningful insight or sparked a shift in you, I would be honored to hear what stayed with you.

You’re welcome to follow the blog to receive notifications of new posts, subscribe to the mailing list to receive new posts and updates directly to your inbox, or connect with me on social media, whatever feels most supportive.

All the best,

Ruthann

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