Change begins with YOU.

In order to create a world that values all life, we need to start with our own.

I developed myLife Planners back in 2014 in response to the frustration I felt about how days/weeks/months/years of my life were spent for a company’s profit. It didn’t feel right. And the more I look and reflect, the more I see how our language and systems have rebranded archaic ideologies, allowing those with power to determine others’ fate by creating an economy that needs ‘workers’.

I want to hone in on the word, ‘workers’. When you think of your own life, your body, mind, and spirit, does the label ‘worker’ bring you joy?

We have been sold an ideology that we benefit from a system that views your value based on what you ‘do’ for the profits of a company. Sure, you’re paid to ‘work’ for an income… but when the income no longer provides basic needs for survival (food, shelter, water, and safety), the system breaks.

Open your eyes, and you can see the patriarchal system breaking all around us. We need to replace it with a structure that focuses on a nurturing ethos and ensures basic human needs are met. This transition has been in the making for decades with the development of democracies around the world. A transition towards matriarchal values, which are based on valuing the voice of people instead of profit. It’s time we acknowledge the established hierarchical system for what it is: a game board for the financial elite and the people in power they control.

Where do we start? With your own life.

Empower yourself to create a life that meets your needs. It all starts with the choices you make every day. How you spend your time and money. We all have insight and answers inside each of us, and disconnecting from the digital world for some quiet reflection as you plan your days and week ahead is where you can get your cues from your own internal knowing.

1. Start by blocking off time in your week, and maybe even daily, to wonder. Whether it’s journaling, reading a book that interests you, or connecting with a friend to talk through ideas, you CAN write down the when and where. Give yourself the space to wonder.

You don’t need someone to tell you what matters in your own life.

You care the most about your life and always will. No one else cares as much about your life as you do, and expecting that is a recipe for disappointment.

When it comes to planning your life, it isn’t about producing more; it’s about choosing what matters most. Because your life will align with what you choose to hold space for.

2. Write down everything that is screaming for your attention. Then, with an understanding of what matters to you and what you are called to do, look at the lists and let your brain do what it does best, sort and organize, so you can get clarity and be able to prioritize where you put your efforts and be liberal with delegating or removing what you know won’t get done.

3. With a list in hand, it’s time to plan with intention by scheduling what matters first.

4. And the easy part, follow your own directions and focus on one thing at a time.

I created, designed, and publish unique day planner systems that you won’t find in any big box stationery store. Not because they aren’t good enough, but because the traditional production and distribution model goes against what myLife values most… life. More specifically, yours. I likely don’t know you personally, but that doesn’t mean your life experience doesn’t matter to me. The better those around you are doing, the better each of our own lives will be. It’s a ripple effect.

Every choice and interaction you make in the world has an impact. We are a webbed network of souls on earth who, at our core, all desire a peaceful life. Not just for others, but for ourselves. In fact, that can be the biggest hurdle as a society working to deconstruct from patriarchy, give ourselves peace of mind and grace that we’ve been conditioned to seek from others in authority.

Focus on YOU.

Build your life one idea at a time and don’t be surprised when the world around you begins to align in a spirit of autonomy and support.

---

Written by Crystal Perzylo-Reynolds, Stationery Nerd, myLife Planners

Crystal works with organizations that adapt to the changes their industry throws at them by taking the lead in their own story. They avoid, or at least question, the latest marketing trends and instead create their own opportunities to address social and technological changes.

Content provided by Women Belong member Crystal Reynolds