Each month, I set aside time to reflect on the previous month: memorable moments, lessons I learned, how I spent my time, how I’m different, who/what I’m grateful for, improvements for next month, and goals to work toward. I try to be intentional in my personal development, and posting each month is a way to keep me accountable (as a nice reminder, it’s also built into my favorite planner 😉 ).

Three Lessons I Learned:

• Trust in God’s plan. We’ve been waiting on an extension, and it’s just a tad stressful (if the extension doesn’t go through we’ll be leaving Italy in May… with a lot to wrap up before then). Joe and I have had to trust God’s will through the process. There was literally nothing we could do about it. Just trust in His plan.
• You can’t control how others act, only how you react. Instead of trying to change someone, focus on making your reactions more kind, loving, and other-centered. Your reactions might, in turn, even change how others act.
• Community is important. That is something I’ve been missing here in Italy, and it has made it so much harder to adjust. I love Joe tons, but having a single person be the sole person I interact with for most of the week can get difficult. I’ve recently joined a women’s Bible study,  and Joe and I started attending a home group together. Plus, I have some lovely yogis attending my classes each week!

Top 3 Highlights:

• Explored Vatican City with my sister when she came to visit.
• Hung out by the Pantheon and just listened to street music.
• Met my Dressember goal of $1,500.

Monthly Motto:

Dreams don’t work unless you do.

What big lessons have you learned over the past month? Share in the comments below!