Episode 721: Your Next Chapter Won’t Write Itself (Mindset & Self-Care)

EBT721 – Your Next Chapter Won’t Write Itself

Intro  00:01

Hey food bloggers. Thank you so much for joining me in this mindset and self-care focused episode here on Eat Blog Talk. One of the reasons I started a blog talk was to hold a space to talk about the importance of mindset and self-care. Being an entrepreneur can be a lot. If we are not taking care of ourselves, then getting actionable information about SEO Pinterest or whatever else is all moot. I will meet you back here every Wednesday to discuss various mindset and self-care topics. So you have the energy and space to tackle the rest.

Hello friends. How are you today? I hope you are having a wonderful week and day. Thank you for joining me in this episode. Today’s episode is extra special because it’s my birthday. Not at the time I’m recording, but at the time that this is being published. And it’s a big year. Oh my goodness, such a big birthday year.

[00:00:57]   

You can guess the number. I’m not going to tell you. I just think there’s something so special about birthdays that invites in reflection. Birthdays mark a turning point or a threshold or a quiet moment where we can ask ourselves what kind of story am I writing with my life? This is a question that we don’t ask ourselves on a day to day basis.

[00:01:23]   

But birthdays are a great time for this. So today I would love to talk about what it looks like to pick up the pen and write the next chapter of your life with intention. Maybe you feel like you’ve been coasting lately, or you’re stuck in a rut. Maybe you’re in a messy season or an anxious season.

[00:01:47]   

Or maybe things are amazing. I really hope they are. And even if they are amazing, maybe you’re just ready for some more clarity and alignment and more you in your life and in your days. This episode is your reminder. Your next chapter is waiting no matter where you’re at, but it’s not going to write itself.

[00:02:09]   

You get to decide who you are becoming and how you show up for it. So let’s talk through some points about your next chapter and how to intentionally pick up the pen and write it yourself. Number one, reflect before you write, before you take any leap forward, you have to look back with honesty and compassion and ask yourself a few questions.

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You could ask what did I love about the past year? Maybe what felt heavy, draining or out of alignment? And what lessons am I taking with me into the future? I have been doing this for myself leading up to today. A lot of everything I just mentioned in 2025, actually journaling, sitting in silence and reflecting on my life.

[00:03:06]   

It has been a year of massive self discovery for me and partially because of the big number that I’m hitting today. Here are some of the things that I have learned about myself this year. I realized how often I default to overworking and overdoing. I have realized how deeply I crave rest and ease and peace.

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I’ve realized how powerful it is to stop trying to prove myself. I’ve realized how depleting and draining it is to continue doing things that do not feel aligned. I’ve realized how slippery the slope is for me sometimes and that I have to be really careful about staying on top of my self care or things can go south really quickly.

[00:04:02]   

I’ve also realized what is important and what is not and I’ve realized what things I need to release in my life that I’ve been holding on to some of these things for a very long time. For you, you can try this. Take just 10 minutes and write a letter to your past yourself.

[00:04:24]   

You can pull out these things that you realize about yourself. You can thank her or him. You can forgive her or him and celebrate her or him. And let that be the closing of a chapter, making yourself ready for the next chapter ahead. Number two get clear on the chapter you want to write.

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So often I feel like we let our lives get written by habit or by other people’s expectations of us, or by fear. But what if this chapter could feel different? Here are a few things to ask yourself. What do I want more of? What do I want less of? And what kind of woman or man do I want to become?

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When you go through these questions, don’t do it with a hustle mentality. That entrepreneur hustle mode. You don’t have to do it with an idea that you need to fix yourself. Instead, do it from a space of alignment and just choose to live with intention. Instead of being on autopilot. You can try this create a chapter vision.

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You can even give it a title if that feels right for you. And just write a few sentences that describe how you want this next season to feel. Number three, let go of the stories that are holding you back. Every new chapter requires a letting go. Maybe you need to let go of a story you’ve been telling yourself.

[00:06:07]   

Here are a few examples. I’m just someone who burns out. I don’t follow through. I need to stay small in order to keep the peace. Whatever it is, ask Is this serving me? Is this helping me write the life I want? If not, it’s time to put that story aside, the first one I mentioned, I’m just someone who burns out.

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Yeah, that was a story that I have held onto for decades. For way too long. I am choosing to release this story once and for all, and I know it’s going to serve me well. I choose to rewrite the old story and replace it with I live in balance and peace. Try this.

[00:06:57]   

Name the old story, then write its opposite. Read the new story out loud to yourself for the next week. Every day. Number four. Build the chapter you want with small, consistent moves. Big shifts do not come from grand gestures all the time. Maybe sometimes, but most of the time they don’t. Instead, they come from quiet, daily decisions.

[00:07:25]   

So saying no when you mean no resting before you crash, not after you crash. Reaching out to someone who fuels you and gives you energy. Working from inspiration instead of from pressure. If you want a life that feels light, purposeful and fulfilling, you’ve got to start living that way now. In little ways.

[00:07:51]   

And it really does matter. The first two points I read. So saying no when you mean no and resting before you crash have been huge for me this year. In years past, I’ve had the intention of saying no when I mean no, but not following through. And I’ve had the intention of resting before the crash without actually doing it.

[00:08:18]   

But now I’m actually listening. I’m doing it. Dang it. I’ve been littering my summer with intentional nos and rest at the first sign. It feels so good I cannot even tell you. So try this. Choose one small daily action that supports your next chapter. Add it to your calendar and make it happen.

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Number five. Trust that you are the right author for this chapter. The perfect author. You might not have all the answers. You might feel unsure, messy, unqualified. That’s okay. You are the exact person meant to write this next chapter of your life. No one else has your voice. No one else has your heart.

[00:09:05]   

Nobody else is you. Stop waiting for someone else to define your success or give you permission or show you the perfect path. You are the path, and you have to trust in that. Try this. Every morning for the next week, write this affirmation. I am the author of my life and I trust where I am headed.

[00:09:31]   

In conclusion. Birthdays are just a beautiful place to pause in this timeline of our lives. So today I’m just pausing to say I am ready for this next chapter. I want it to be lighter, slower, more present, more rooted in purpose, less driven by pressure. And I’m picking up the pen to write that story for my life.

[00:09:56]   

If you are feeling this too. Join me. Let’s stop waiting. Let’s stop hoping it will magically get easier and just fall into place. Let’s pick up the pen and start writing the life we actually want to live. I would love to hear from you. What’s the title of your next chapter? How are you going to go about writing your next chapter?

[00:10:17]   

Send me an email. I always love hearing from you guys, even if it’s just a more broad comment about these mindset episodes or whatever you want to say. Stop in and say hello. [email protected] thank you so much for listening and I’ll see you in the next episode.

Outro 

Thank you so much for listening to this mindset and self care episode. These mindset episodes are now available on YouTube, so watch it over there. Search Eat Blog Talk on YouTube and we’ll see you there.