4 Tips To Transform Your Life With Grace & Not Grit

"Grace is the power that calls us to change then gives us the power to pull it off" - Max Lucado

Introduction

As we approach the end of 2024, I want to give you a little story of grace, gratitude, and some winter cheer to warm your hearts.

Our lives and growth don't have to be as harsh or forced as we've perhaps been conditioned to believe. It seems that the more we try to manage the path of life, paradoxically the more struggle and resistance we end up creating for ourselves.

Our biggest breakthroughs usually come through acceptance, grace, trust, and gentle persistence rather than constant pushing and striving.

This perspective offers you a fresh alternative to our culture's "hustle" mentality. Sometimes the most powerful changes come not from forcing your way, but from gracefully allowing yourselves to be led to where you're meant to be, and departing from where you are not.

The Early Years

There was once a time when I believed achieving goals would mean it had to be all about aggressively taking action. As I've (gracefully) matured, it only felt right to bring grace into every corner of life.

It's true that to grow we need to be challenged, physical exercise is one example, yet it's also wise to know when to stop and take a rest day so your muscles can repair. Our lives work in much the same way.

The Divine Whisper

One day, quite unexpectedly, a voice whispered to me as I chatted with a client: "You are more than this." I was startled by the voice—where had it come from? That moment marked the start of many significant life changes to come.

Trust in Divine Prudence

At that time, everything, or so I thought, was exactly as I wanted. Life was busy, managed, and controlled. Indeed, God my higher power had a very different plan, and I knew I had to trust in what I now call "divine prudence." Now, to most people, what I did to dissolve my life looks, on the surface like complete insanity.

The Journey to Grace

The why and the realisation eventually arrived (God's timing, never mine). All along the path of life, you are being led to an inward place of "Grace", you may not be able to see it yet, but this is my truth. It calls for the, sometimes painful stripping away of everything and everyone that no longer serves your highest good and growth.

Easy? Definitely not, but the experience is transformational, and what follows is a life and personality change from the old into the new.

Ephesians 4:23-24: 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

The Grace of Winter Snow

Like the recent snow falling peacefully from the skies outside our home in the Scottish Highlands, I observed how gracefully, purely, and gently it landed on the ground, persistently building in-depth and volume. Like life, when all the conditions are right within you, everything will begin to come to light and fall into the right place.

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4 Tips for Living Life with Grace

1. Trust Your Inner Whispers

"Then one day a little voice whispered... 'You are more than this'"

Pay attention to gentle nudges and quiet insights
Don't dismiss the thoughts that feel divinely-inspired
Listen in silence to hear your inner wisdom

2. Allow Natural Momentum

"Like snowfall... no force, no resistance needed"

Release the need to push or force outcomes
Focus on creating natural conditions for growth
Trust that small, consistent actions build up over time

3. Welcome Divine Prudence

"I knew to follow and trust in what I will call 'divine prudence'"

Be open to paths that may seem unconventional
Trust that divine timing usually differs from your timing
Have the courage to follow spiritual guidance
What looks like "insanity" to others might be wisdom for you

4. Practice Graceful Release

"Stripping away everything and everyone that no longer served my highest good"

Gently release what's not aligned with your values and growth
Release with grace rather than resistance
Trust that what's meant for you will never pass you by.

Life happens most beautifully when you allow it to unfold naturally and trust the process.

Conclusion

Grace, gracefulness, gratitude... I believe these are keys to unlocking a successful life. The sometimes challenging and painful times hold deeper meaning. All your faithful steps and actions eventually construct a life with depth, beauty, and continued positive momentum.

Wishing you a peaceful holiday season and love and grace for 2025.

Lisa Precious- Founder of Smiley Blue

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