Little by little, a little becomes a lot. Embracing this concept is an important step in your journey to becoming healthy, fit and happy. Alexandra Kuykendall uses this concept in her book “Loving My Actual Life”. Believing that what we focus on is what we become, she looked for areas in her busy life that could be improved. Each month for 9 months she chose one aspect of her life and asked herself what small changes she could make that would help her enjoy life today, because tomorrow is not a promise. It is not a dress rehearsal for the future. She chose things in areas that impacted her everyday life like parenting, meals and organization. Not wanting to completely upend her life, she made small changes that would be sustainable over time. It was an experiment. What could she try? What worked and what didn’t. At the end of each chapter in her book she asks the reader questions to help them build insight into their own lives.
Building on the positive effects of that 9-month experiment, she went on to write “Loving My Actual Christmas” and “Loving My Actual Neighbor”. In her latest book, tentatively titled “Seeking Out Goodness”, she looks for Gods goodness in the world. It comes out late summer to early fall.
Alexandra along with Krista Gilbert founded The Open-Door Sisterhood, a community of women working to be world changers for good, right where they are. They co-host a podcast with the same name.
She finds her inspiration in her everyday life. She watched her mom, who is in her 70’s, take care of her step-father. It reminded her that she needs to take care of her body so she will be able to care for people when she gets older. Watching her stepdad deteriorate reminded her that the body is temporary. We have to be mindful of our spiritual life because that is what carries on when our physical life is done. The better care we take of ourselves the better quality of life we get. If you feel selfish taking time for you now, realize that you can serve others better, stronger and longer if you pay attention to your body.
Something she found important was finding quiet time to work or do workouts. By finding “pockets of time” in the middle of a busy day she is modeling how to make it happen for her children.
Alexandra wishes people could see the influence they have. The world is big, but we forget that God has placed each of us right where we are for a reason. On the podcast they say, “You are a world changer for good ,right where you are”. You don’t need a big title. You don’t need to write a bestseller or have a million viewers on You Tube, to make a difference. You will have the greatest influence on the people who see the real you, the ones around you when you wake up, when you go to bed. They see your imperfections. They need to see you ask God for Grace. They need to see you being humble in asking for forgiveness. Have integrity right where you are. Anyone, no matter what their position in life, has influence, so take that with a passion and decide you are going to be a world changer. Be an encourager for those around you, see where God is at work and join him in it. That is how we make change. Be the change you want the world to be.
Resources:
AlexandraKuykendall.com
Facebook: @Al
