092 - Finish Strong
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Show Notes:
Today, I'm going to set a record for my shortest podcast of all time and I'm totally okay with that. I hope this encouragement is just what you need today.
Before I jump in, I wanted to remind you about two things.
Number one, the Nancy Ray Book Club 2021 is live! You can click here t0 see all of the books that I am going to be reading this year, and I am inviting you to come along and read them with me. I do a podcast episode about each book that I read every month, and I'm really excited about the lineup for next year. I think it's going to be really good.
The second thing I wanted to let you know is my Contentment Challenge is starting in January. You can find out all of the details by going here. This I think is going to be my sixth or seventh time doing the Contentment Challenge. I hope that it's an encouragement to you. If you decide to do it with me, a lot of people have done it several times over, and it's just a time to give up shopping and to give up a focus of all material things so that we can recenter our hearts on the thing that is most important, which is the Lord, the relationships in our life, and cultivating a grateful heart and an attitude of contentment with all that we have.
Today, I am simply going to read to you an email that I send to everybody in my email family every single December. It's the same email every year. I've been doing this for probably five years and every time I send this email, I get emails back with “thank you”s and tears and “I needed this.”
So, I've kind of decided to make it a tradition here on the podcast just to read it to you, to speak it over you at the end of this year, as you prepare for the holidays as you close up the year.
And just so you know, you can always join my email list if you want to be added for weekly inspiration, podcast episode reminders, and practical tips. So today this is for you, and I think these words are particularly needed this year.
For the full episode, hit play above or read through it below!
Don't stop.
Keep going.
You're almost there.
Finish every project, set up your email autoresponder, follow through until all your work for this year is done. Clean out that inbox, tie up all your loose ends, don't give up on 2020 before it's over.
It's not over yet, and don't start looking ahead to 2021 too soon, because you might miss the gifts that are right in front of you.
I'm a goal-setter and planner by nature, so I'm telling you the same things that I'm telling myself today.
Finish 2020 strong, don't rush it. As crazy as it has been, it has been a gift.
Be thorough with these final days, savor every moment of this beautiful candle lit, song-filled, cinnamon tasting season. Finish your work, and then be with your family.
2021 will come soon enough.
Work & Play Cornerstore
Now, it's time for the Work and Play Cornerstore, which is where I share a book I'm loving and a thing I'm loving. I'll get a small commission for anything bought through these links, which help me to continue to bring this podcast to you every week. But the price is normal for you, so it's a win-win.
And I thought it'd be fun today to add a good book, as well as my top three things that I think should be on your Christmas list this year, especially if you don't have any of these items. These are my favorite things.
So the book I'm going to be adding is Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist. It is a book of recipes with stories interspersed as well and how those recipes mean something to her in her life. I love the way the book is written. I've tried so many of the recipes, not one has failed me. It is a delightful read and I love it.
Okay, the three things that should be on your Christmas list.
First, my joggers. They're these black joggers that I got an Amazon. I think they were around $20. I would venture to say I wear them six out of seven days a week. I'd probably need two or three pairs. They are so comfortable. They're wonderful. So I'm going to link those in the show notes and in my Amazon store.
The second thing is my bra. I discovered this bra this year and it is so comfortable. It feels like I'm not even wearing a bra. It's just the most comfortable thing ever, so I'm going to link that. You can get them at Target or order them online.
The third thing is my Deebot. My Deebot is the off-brand of the Roomba and it goes around my house once or twice a day and vacuums up everything, and it has really just taken down the time that we vacuum and sweep and I love it.
And that's it, my joggers, my bra, and my Deebot. So there you go, three things you can add to your Christmas list.
Hey, just one more quick thing. If you have never left a review for my podcast, I would so greatly appreciate it! That can be your Christmas gift to me. Okay? Just go and leave a review for my podcast. I would so appreciate it. It really helps other people to find this podcast as well. So thanks for doing that.
I'm going to close with words from Shauna Niequist, actually in another book that she wrote called Savor, but I love this encouragement. She says,
“You have stories worth telling, memories worth remembering, dreams worth working toward, a body worth feeding, a soul worth tending. And beyond that, the God of the universe dwells within you. The true culmination of the super and natural.”
I hope that you feel that these last few weeks in this year, that you have stories worth telling, memories worth remembering, and that God is with you in this Christmas season.
Thanks for listening and I'll see you next time.
