positivity – Ruthann M. Wilson

10 Practices to Restore Rhythm and Meaning in Daily Life

Life moves quickly. It’s easy to overlook the quiet moments that bring meaning and connection. These ten practices are grounded in three core principles: reverence, rhythm, and rooted presence.

Each one offers a way to slow down and deepen your experience of your day. They are simple and accessible, designed to help you pause, listen, and be with your day in a more intentional way.

Whether it’s lighting a candle, placing your feet on the earth, or ending your day with gratitude, these small actions can gently reshape how you move through your day.

You don’t need to follow a specific order. Let your intuition guide you. Choose one practice each day, or return to the ones that feel most supportive.

1. Light a Candle with Intention

Practice: Before you begin your day, light a candle with quiet reverence. Let the flame reflect your inner fire: your presence, your purpose, and the energy you choose to carry into the day.
Journal Prompt: How can I tend to my inner flame throughout the day?

2. Sit in Silence for Five Minutes

Practice: Pause. Breathe. Listen. Let the quiet speak. Let it guide you.
Journal Prompt: What arises in the quiet when I stop trying to fill it?

3. Choose a Gentle Phrase to Carry

Practice: Select a simple phrase like “I am here” or “This moment matters” to guide you through the day.
Journal Prompt: What phrase feels like a gentle anchor for me today?

4. Place Your Bare Feet on the Earth

Practice: Step outside. Feel the ground beneath your feet: solid, steady, alive. Let it support you.
Journal Prompt: What helps me feel rooted and supported in this moment?

5. Make Tea Slowly

Practice: Prepare your tea with care. Feel the warmth, breathe in the aroma, and notice the quiet unfolding of the moment.
Journal Prompt: How can I let this moment of preparation become a ritual of care?

6. Let Yourself Cry, Laugh, or Rest

Practice: Honor your emotions. Let them move through you, whether through tears, laughter, or quiet stillness, without judgment.
Journal Prompts: What feeling have I been holding, and how might I let it move through me?

7. Write a Note of Appreciation

Practice: Send a short message to someone you love. Let your words be a gift.
Journal Prompt: Who has touched my life in a way I want to honor?

8. Place Your Hands Over Your Heart

Practice: Close your eyes. Place your hand over your heart. Feel its rhythm. Listen to its wisdom.
Journal Prompt: What does my heart want me to know or remember?

9. Do One Thing Slowly

Practice: Let one simple act such as walking, eating, or talking become a ritual. Slow down. Be present. Let intention guide you. When repeated with reverence, even the smallest gesture can become a doorway to meaning.
Journal Prompt: What opens in me when I choose to slow down?

10. End Your Day with Reflection & Gratitude

Practice: Ask yourself what felt sacred today. Whisper a word of thanks. Let the day close in quiet reverence.
Journal Prompts: What moment today held unexpected meaning or beauty? What am I quietly grateful for as I close this day?

These practices aren’t meant to be perfected or put on display. They are meant to be lived quietly, intuitively, day by day.

You don’t need to do them all. You don’t need to get them “right.” What matters is that you show up with intention and let meaning find its way into your everyday life.

I’m grateful you paused here. If it feels meaningful, you’re welcome to share it with others. You can follow the blog for new posts, subscribe to the mailing list for updates, or connect on social media to stay in touch.

All the best,
Ruthann

Envision the Month Ahead: Four Questions to Ask Yourself

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

What meaningful accomplishments will I have achieved by the end of the month?
With whom will I have intentionally spent time, and how did those connections enrich me?
What will I have released because it is complete, no longer brings me joy, or serves my highest good?
What daily practices will have kept me grounded and present throughout the month?

Consider making a vision board that includes words, images, and symbols representing your desired outcome (click here to see my post on vision boards).

If you need help setting goals, check out my post SMART Goals: Bring Your Desires to Life, where I share the SMART approach to creating written goals and structuring your time. SMART is an acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

Evaluate your progress on a weekly basis. In evaluating progress, think not only about what you have accomplished, but who you have become as a part of the process. Reflect on the changes in your mindset, your habits, as well as your overall outlook on life, as these are just as important as tangible accomplishments.

Acknowledge the challenges you’ve faced and the strength you’ve gained from working through them. Be patient with yourself and trust the process. Recognize that growth can sometimes be slow and nonlinear. Allow yourself the grace to evolve at your own pace. Take the first step, write down one thing you intend to accomplish.

Thank you for pausing here. If my writing has offered meaningful insight or stirred a shift in how you see, feel, or move through the world, 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

Career Journey: Things I’ve learned along the way

I’m grateful for a fulfilling career across multiple industries. In this post, I’ve shared a few practical lessons that helped me grow, adapt, and lead with purpose.

Be where you are

Know what’s expected of you and do it well. Being present means making the most of your current role: learn, grow, excel, and enjoy the work in front of you. It has a way of opening doors and drawing people and opportunities to you that will enable you to grow into your next role.
Learn from the past. Plan for the future. Live in the present by making the most of where you are right now.

Develop transferable skills

Develop skills that are relevant across roles and industries (e.g., communication, collaboration, problem-solving, adaptability, etc.). My career has spanned several industries including pharmaceuticals, telecom, consumer goods, and hospitality, made possible by developing and applying transferable skills.

Stretch Through Projects and Roles

Welcome assignments that help you stretch and grow. Growth doesn’t always come through promotion. Sometimes it’s a lateral move or a stretch assignment that helps you build new capabilities and prepare for what’s next. Embrace the journey of growing into your next role. Be as open to a lateral move or stretch assignment in your current role as you are a promotion if it will help you grow and ultimately achieve your career goals.

Listen & Learn

Feedback is a gift. Be open to constructive feedback from peers, managers, leaders, etc. Solicit feedback in a way that it is constructive and enables you to grow (e.g., behavior-based, example-based, suggestions for improvement, etc.). Ideally, leaders should include feedback gathered from business partners, peers, etc. as a part of mid-year and/or year-end conversations. If you’re not receiving regular feedback, ask for it, and be open to what you hear.

Surround yourself with people who want to see you grow

Spend time with people who genuinely want to see you grow. We all need inspiration, encouragement, reality checks, and people with whom we can be vulnerable in our personal and professional lives. Spend time with people who genuinely want to see you grow and be that person for others too.

Own Your Career by Knowing Yourself

Know your values, gifts, talents, passions, abilities, and areas of opportunity. Define what success means to you and revisit that definition as you grow. Your vision may evolve, and that’s part of the journey. Create a plan of action to bring your vision to life. Consider working with a mentor and/or coach. Know the difference between the two and work with them accordingly.

Thank you for reading. If this message feels true or timely, you’re welcome to share it with someone who may benefit by clicking on a share button below.

All the best,

Ruthann

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

Gratitude: A 30‑Day Practice to Begin and End Each Day with Thanks

Gratitude is a simple yet profound practice that can shift how we experience life. By beginning and ending each day with thanks, we invite peace, contentment, and a deeper awareness of the blessings already present.

Being grateful is a simple practice that can have a profound effect on your life. Everyone has something to be grateful for – food, shelter, clothing, family, friends, health, career, financial abundance, transportation, new beginnings, new opportunities, life lessons – just to name a few. When we focus on what we have and feel a deep sense of gratitude for it, we are able to shift into a state of peace and contentment even if life is not exactly as we wish it to be.

For the next 30 days, I invite you into a gentle rhythm of gratitude, twofold in its simplicity:

Begin and end each day with gratitude. You may be thinking that you are too busy and not able to add anything else to your schedule. I hear you! It doesn’t have to take a lot of time. As an example, in the morning, I simply give thanks for the gift of a new day as soon as I open my eyes. In the evening, I review the day and express gratitude for whatever I consider to be gifts, blessings, or life lessons. I enjoy writing things down as it gives me an opportunity to review what I have captured over time. Create a daily practice that works for you and your lifestyle.

Express gratitude to others. Make a point to call, send an email, send a text, write a handwritten note to someone each day expressing gratitude.

If you miss a day, it’s okay! Work toward creating a consistent practice over the next 30 days and beyond.

Gratitude is a daily choice to notice, honor, and give thanks for the gifts of life.

Thank you for pausing here. If something in these words offered insight or stirred a shift, I would be honored to hear what stayed with you.

With gratitude,
Ruthann

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

Boost Your Day with Positive ‘I Am’ Statements

Words are powerful! What you tell yourself on a daily basis influences the way you experience life. Positive “I am” statements are extremely powerful in building and maintaining your self-esteem. I offer three affirmations to begin and end each day as a part of your self-care practice.

I am worthy

I am loved

I am enough

Learn more about affirmations The Power of Affirmations (Video).

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All the best,

Ruthann

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

Daily Acts of Faith: Empower Your Journey

I believe life is a personal journey of faith and process of empowerment.

Simply stated, faith is our ability to move forward with positive expectancy. What is positive expectancy? It’s belief and trust in a favorable outcome.

Faith enables us to dream big, set goals, and trust the process of bringing our dreams to life. It also enables us to stay open to more than one outcome. If things don’t go as planned, trust (a key component of faith) enables us to ask “What did I learn?”, “How did I grow?” and use the lessons learned to keep moving forward in faith that you are being guided to your highest good.

Staying focused on your goals and staying open to more than one outcome is not easy. It requires trust in the process and guidance from within. I believe we cultivate and strengthen our connection to inner guidance through a daily practice of silence. I invite you to read my post Give yourself the gift of silence if you would like to learn more.

So, what are daily acts of faith? They are actions that you take on a daily basis to stretch and grow out of your “comfort” zone. Acts of faith are rooted in a vision of a desired future state.

Suggestion to get started:

Think about one area of your life where you feel stuck or discouraged.
Envision a desired future state and write it down or find an image that captures what you envision. Give yourself permission to dream BIG.
Create a powerful affirmation that aligns with your future state and work with it on a daily basis. I invite you to watch my video on The Power of Affirmations (Video) if you would like to learn more.
Each day, for the next 30 days, commit (in writing) to taking three actions to move toward your desired future state.
Hold yourself accountable by reviewing your commitments and actions at the end of each day.
Create time and space to listen to inner guidance.
Assess your progress using this process in 30 days.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you know someone who might benefit, please share it by clicking on a share button below.

All the best,

Ruthann

Reflect on Your Year: The Power of Gratitude

It’s been a tough year, to say the least. It may be difficult to see your blessings through all of the challenges, but they are there. If you keep a gratitude journal, take time to review and reflect on what you have captured over the course of the year. If you don’t have a gratitude journal, take time to reflect on the past year and note whatever you consider to be gifts, blessings, or life lessons.

Questions for reflection:

Who or what was my greatest blessing?
What did I learn? How did I grow?
How was I a blessing to others?

Gratitude is the key to creating a joy-filled and abundant life. Giving thanks for everything that has been provided to you will increase your appreciation for your life and help you cultivate a mindset of abundance that will take root and blossom in your life.

Wishing you peace and abundant blessings.

Ruthann

Transform Doubts into Actionable Steps for Success

Let’s shift & move forward.

Replace “I doubt it will happen” with “I believe it will happen”

Beliefs are powerful things; they are the vehicles through which we create our lives and filter our experiences. Whatever we believe to be true is the reality from which we create our lives. Fear and doubt are a part of life, but they don’t have to rule your life. The best way to move through fear and doubt is to take action.

Exercise: Today’s challenge is an invitation to renew your belief in your ability to succeed. Identify something that you have been putting off because you doubt it will actually happen.

💥 Envision a desired future state and write it down and/or find an image that captures what you envision. Keep your vision in a place where you can see it on a regular basis.

💥 Outline the steps needed to bring your vision to life as well as a date for completion.

💥 Create an affirmation that aligns with your future state and work with it on a daily basis.

💥 Each day, commit to taking three actions to move toward your desired future state.

💥 Hold yourself accountable by assessing your commitment to action at the end of each day.

Don’t wait until you are “ready” to begin. Start small, gain momentum, and bring your vision to life. Plan and prepare for it or something better to happen. Believe in your ability to succeed.

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All the best,

Ruthann

Shift Your Mindset From ‘It’s Too Hard’ to ‘I Welcome a Challenge’

Let’s shift & move forward.

Replace “It’s too hard” with “I welcome a challenge”

Our thoughts are powerful. They shape our reality each and every day. If we think something is too hard to accomplish, it will, in fact, be too hard to accomplish. When faced with something that appears be “too hard” to accomplish, shift how you are thinking about it. One of the ways to shift your thinking is to declare “I welcome a challenge”. Welcoming a challenge activates your creativity and problem-solving skills.

Exercise: Think about something in your life that feels too hard to start or take the next step. Declare “I welcome a challenge”. Welcome [whatever it is] as an opportunity to learn and grow. Identify at least one thing you can do today and take action.

All the best,

Ruthann

Shift Your Mindset: From ‘Have to’ to ‘Choose to’

Let’s shift & move forward.

Replace “I have to” with “I choose to”.

The power to choose what is best for our own lives is our greatest power and means of changing/transforming our lives. If your life is filled with “I have to”, it’s time to shift how you think about what you are doing or stop doing things that don’t enrich your life.

Exercise: Write a list of things that you are doing that are draining your energy and/or feel like obligations in a less than positive way. Reflect on why you are doing the things on your list. What is the benefit to you or those you love/care about? Write the benefit next to each activity that you have listed. It will serve as a reminder of why certain activities are important and why you are choosing to do them, even if they are challenging. If there is no real benefit to you or those you love/care about, consider eliminating it.

What will you shift or eliminate today?

All the best,

Ruthann