by Tari Faris, @FarisTari
Tomorrow I turn 44. I am no longer barely 40. I am a solid mid-40s. I have become the age where half of the people I meet will think – Wow, you’re old. While the other half think – You are still so young.
Having a birthday in December is unique because as I look back over 2019 I am also looking back over the year I was 43. It had some huge wins like PUBLISHING MY FIRST NOVEL!
It also had some heartbreak and losses.
But as I examine my year—my life even—I have to make sure I am living the life I want. Not just living the life that is thrown at me.
In the past few weeks, three people I know from different areas of my life, died too young. The oldest of them not even thirty. It was heartbreaking and thought-provoking.
Every day, whether I have one more day on earth or 60 more years, is a gift. A gift from God to accomplish His purpose in me—if I choose that.
Every day with my children is a gift. Every day with my husband is a gift. Every day as a writer is a gift. Every day I get to wake up and pursue the calling God gave me is a gift.
What will I do with that gift? How will I spend today? Will I spend time with Him? Will I strive toward the call He has laid before me? Will I do what I can to care for all that he has entrusted to me (my family, my writing, my health)?
That is why I am SOOOO excited that this year’s My Brilliant Writing Planner includes value-based planning to it. What is value-based planning? It is laying ut your values first then allowing your todo list to come from those values.
And as an insider, I have been using a modified version of next year’s planner for the past few months and let me tell you, it has changed everything. Every week I make sure my to-do list aligns with the values I have established.
It has helped me focus on what matters and let go of what doesn’t. It helps me treat every day as a gift. It helps me keep first things first. Honestly, it is a game-changer for me as I pursue the life I want.
As you look forward to 2020, what are you doing to perdue the life you want?
If you aren’t sure how to answer that question, I would encourage you to check out the My Brilliant Writing Planner. Planners aren’t cheap, but they are an investment in the life you want. And right now, it is free shipping through the end of the year. Also as a special gift to you for reading this blog, you can get it for $20 OFF!! Just use the code: LHTWAN20
Would I wish to be twenty- nine again? Honestly, no. I have grown so much in the past fifteen years. I am wiser. I speak less and listen more. (Think that it isn’t possible that I used to talk more? Trust me, I did.) I have learned from so many godly women that the Lord has placed in my path. I would not trade fewer wrinkles for that growth.
I am not trying to brag – after all, I still have a long way to go. And I can’t wait. I hope that I will be able to look back when I turn 50, 60, and every age after and say, “I am living the best life I can that is based on my values. Thank God for the growth. Thank God I am another year older, wiser, closer to my savior.”
I don’t want to stop time.
I don’t want to stay young.
But I do want to be purposeful. I am tired of letting time slip through and missing moments of ministry, mommy-hood, life. I am grabbing 44 with both hands and running toward 50 I don’t want to cross that line kicking and screaming. I want to cross it running full steam, filled with the joy that I have lived another year, loved another year, and focused on the values I have established.
That year starts now. It can start for you today too.
What Secrets Are Hiding Behind the Doors of this Small Town?
Real estate agent Hannah Thornton loves the historic community of Heritage, Michigan. Unfortunately, selling houses is not one of her fortes. She sees each house and the larger town of Heritage as something to be valued, not sold-off to the highest bidder. When a business mogul arrives in town determined to exploit the land and build a new strip mall, Hannah is determined to stop him from bulldozing her town’s past. At first no one supports her efforts—not even her best friend, Luke. Can Hannah help the town of Heritage see that true value lies in the things you cannot put a price tag on?
Even though Luke Johnson has grown up in Heritage as a foster child, he never truly felt like he belonged. Anxious to earn his place in the town and in Hannah’s heart, Luke applies for the job of assistant fire chief. But Luke does not anticipate the interview process to unearth secrets from his past he has kept carefully hidden. Will the pain of being honest be worth the risk? Can he pull down the walls he’s erected around his bruised heart?
Tari Faris has been writing fiction for thirteen years but has been creating fiction in her head as long as she can remember. She signed with Revell for her debut novel – You Belong with Me – which will be released in September 2019. She is represented by Wendy Lawton at Books & Such Literary Management and is a member of ACFW and My Book Therapy. She was the 2017 Genesis winner, 2016 Genesis finalist, and 2014 Genesis finalist. In addition to her writing, she also works for My Book Therapy as a special project manager and contributor to LearnHowToWriteANovel.com . When she is not writing or working, she spends time with her amazing husband and kids. In her free time, she loves coffee, rockhounding with her husband and kids, and distracting herself from housework. You can connect with her at www.tarifaris.com