Fill up to Spill out

  As 2020 is coming to a close, I can't help but look back on this year with so much gratitude.  This was the year that I decided to courageously pursue a dream of mine as a writer and author, self-publishing my very first book (written in 2019) and deciding to write and self-publish another.  Little did I know that I would be pursuing this author life in a year where we would be challenged, disappointed, and overwhelmed like no other.  Before 2019, I was not a writer or author, nor did I know that I could be one.  What I was and still am is a nurse practitioner and a mom of two girls, a wife and a follower of Jesus, a runner and a dog-lover, and a girl who adores Target, coffee, wine, and creating a home.  But in 2019, I started using writing as a therapeutic process to unpack my past, process my present, and grow into the person I was becoming as I pursued a better version of myself.   My first book, Transformed: My Story as a Farmer's Daughter with Big Dreams & an Even B

  Each year , I enjoy looking back on the year that is coming to an end, scrolling through the hundreds of photos I took on my phone, putting the final touches on a Shutterfly photo album, and looking over my calendar and planner taking note of all the things that filled it while starting my new one.  What I've learned over the years is that we can't look forward without first looking back.  We can't plan the following year without spending a little time reviewing the year that is coming to an end.  We can't make improvements if we fail to learn and grow, edit and change.     2020 was interesting to say the least.  I've heard a lot of people on social media talk about holding loss and disappointment (or pain and grief) in one hand while simultaneously holding joy and hope in the other, and that's exactly how I felt about 2020.  It was filled with frustrating change, tremendous loss and disappointment, unmet expectations, so much sadness, challenge and loads of u

I'm a HUGE book fan and found myself reading A LOT more books in 2020 (as I was writing my own!).  Wanting to watch less news and drama on TV and choosing to grow my mind instead, I turned to books (and podcasts), and maybe you did too.  This year was a tough year, but there were lots of great books, and I'd love to share what I read this year in hopes of helping you find some new books to add to your list for 2021.   Since I discovered audiobooks in the last couple of years, I have been able to read SO many more books.  It's a great way to multi-task as I do chores around the house, drive, walk the dog, or go for a run!  I can only physically read about 1 book a month, unless I am on vacation where I have more time to sit and read, but I can listen to several books a month if I am in the mood!   Allow me to share both the physical books as well as the audiobooks I read this year!  You'll notice that I am a huge non-fiction fan, but hopefully I can add some fiction b

  Introduction H ow do we truly become the very best version of ourselves?   That’s the big question I have been trying to answer over the last several years as everyone in the personal growth space seems to be telling us to “become the best version of yourself” and “live your best life.”  I’m a huge fan of personal growth, and I’m all about living my best life, but what is it that we are trying to achieve?  What does our very best self really look like? What is it that we need to be chasing?  What goal do we need to achieve in order to feel like we are living our best life?  Is it the dream job with a generous six-figure salary?  The beautiful house with the white picket fence?  The perfect marriage with 2.5 kids and a well-trained dog?  The ideal body with six-pack abs and long beautiful lashes?  A successful business?  A New York Times Bestseller?  10,000 followers so we can get the swipe-up?  A life filled with traveling and fun adventures?  All the latest greatest things?  Hustle-

It has definitely been a hot minute since I have updated my blog (3 months to be exact), but it's because I have been putting all of my time and effort into finishing my exciting new book.  Written during the global pandemic, I started and stopped this book a few times, not sure if I wanted to keep writing.  But weeks later, I would come back to it again and decide that this was actually the perfect time to write this book.  This book wasn't just being written for my readers, but this book and this process of writing it during a challenging season was just as much for me.  I was writing about all the things I needed to be reminded of myself; what brings me peace, joy, and purpose even on hard days and what truly matters when it comes to being the best version of myself.  Like the name of my blog, my new book is called Fill up to Spill out, Because we can't pour from an empty cup.  By Allison R. Smith This book is for women or really anyone that feels like they are always ru

As a healthcare provider, I frequently hear people say that they just aren't motivated when it comes to exercise or other healthy lifestyle goals.  They want to make some changes, but just don't feel excited about it.  This lack of motivation has been even worse during the middle of a pandemic.  Feelings of overwhelm, frustration, and uncertainty have consumed a lot of people's minds during the last 6 months.  Finding motivation is a struggle.  A lot of people just don't feel that motivated right now.   So how do you find the motivation to do the things you want to do and know you should do when it's difficult?  I'll share what's worked for me!     1. Understand your "why."  Why do you want to make the change?  Why do you want to do the thing?  What would it look like if you actually accomplished what you are wanting to do?  Your "why" is important, and if it's a big enough "why," you will stick to your plan.  You will do th

Like the name of my blog and social media accounts, Fill up to Spill out, I am always in pursuit of what fills us up so we can spill out to others.  Not just what makes us happy, but the things that truly fulfill us so we can be a kind human and serve others for the glory of God.  Not things that give us fuel when times are easy, but things that truly give us life when life is different and challenging.  When life is uncertain, like we are experiencing right now.   What's filling you up during this crazy season of change and uncertainty?  What's giving you life so you can keep living life with courage and kindness?  What's keeping you calm and allowing you to look ahead with hope and positivity?  What are you putting into your cup that's serving you so you can live your purpose?   I'll share with you what's going into my cup each day.   1.  Coffee... coffee goes into my cup each morning.  First I drink the coffee, then I do the things.  What better way to start

Life is full of different seasons, and we often have to grow and adapt with each season of life.  Just like farming, there are seasons of planting, growing, and harvest, but there are also difficult seasons filled with drought or storms leading to sadness and hardship.  But no matter the season, we still have a purpose, and the world needs our unique, beautiful purpose.   Everyone has a purpose and when we lose that sense of purpose and people to share it with, we often become unfulfilled.  We NEED purpose, and we NEED to continue cultivating it no matter what season we are walking through.   2020 is not like we imagined it would be.  Many have lost jobs, changed jobs, or are working in a job that has required more out of them.  Everything is different.  Most things are hard.  There is fear and uncertainty, tension and division, anxiety and frustration.  There is loneliness.  There is loss of purpose.   Identity and security might feel lost, but there is purpose to be gained in all of

I have always been someone that does things the hard way and learns things the hard way as well.   I often take on huge projects and pursue big goals just so I can figure out how to do them and ultimately accomplish them for myself.  I believe that I can do hard things even when they sometimes end up overwhelming me.  This independent, hard-working, driven (and yes stubborn and crazy) side of me gets things done and doesn't give up, but it also sometimes results in disappointment and frustration.  Instead of asking for help or seeking counsel from others, I do it the hard way - the long, painful hard way, only to find out there was a much easier way.  I live and learn, become stronger and smarter, but sometimes in the absolutely toughest way.  But that's how we grow, right? I am also this way when it comes to people.  I like to believe that all people are good.  I seek out the good while overlooking certain things that bother others and should bother me too.  I assume th

What an absolutely crazy time we are living through right now.  6 months ago, we were excited about a new year and a new decade, reminiscing over the last 10 years and looking forward to next.  We were making plans, filling up calendars, setting goals, and vision casting for the future.  We were definitely not planning for a global pandemic, an economic crisis as a result, or the protests and in some cases destruction and looting over racial injustice and inequality.   The last 3 months have been different and challenging and emotionally exhausting for many.  Over 100,000 people in our country have lost their lives due to COVID 19, millions have lost jobs, businesses have been forced to close, everything has gone virtual, masks have become the newest accessory, social distancing has become the new "norm," and we continue to live in a country where racial injustice and hate still exists. Never in my life have I gone 3 months without physically going to church.  It's

Last year around this time, I came up with this crazy idea of writing my very first book.  My pastor was in his final year of battling cancer, and one thing he would often tell us was to never leave this earth without sharing our story and our testimony.  In fact he would jokingly tell us that if he was the one to do our funeral and found out we had never shared our testimony with anyone, he would thump us on the forehead.  He definitely had a sense of humor, but he was also so good about being transparent and encouraging, showing us not only how to live well, but also how to die well too.  He shared painful lessons of sin and forgiveness, growth and change, fear and faith, bitterness and God's love during the 20 years I knew him.  He taught in a way that was both challenging and inspiring, and we adored him.   I've always been a lover of books and reading other people's stories.  There's something about reading someone's personal journey through life that allow

We all have questions and concerns about Covid 19 whether we are being directly affected by the virus itself or the way that the world is responding to it.  For me, besides the fear of losing my job or my job as I know it, my 2nd greatest concern is what this is doing to our kids. We are all experiencing loss during this pandemic, and our kids are no exception.  They too feel the personal loss of life the way they knew it.  We as parents are not only navigating life through our own feelings of loss, but also taking on our children's emotions as they experience loss. Loss of school, teachers, friendships, sports and activities, church, community, awards and accomplishments, graduation and celebrations, events they had been looking forward to, routines and structure.  Our kids are also experiencing great loss. What is this doing to our kids?  Will they look back on 2020 and remember the loss, hardships, stress, fear, change, and uncertainty?  Or will they remember simpler t