Happy Thursday!
Can you believe we are already eleven days into the last month of the year? December has a way of showing the gap between what you imagined for yourself and what actually came to pass. Sometimes that gap is small. Other times, it asks you to take an honest look at what influenced your choices this year. Your effort, your timing, your priorities, your relationships, your sense of what matters — and your faith, however you define it.
Here is the lens I invite you to consider this month:
Faith is the agreement you keep with yourself
Here is what it means: Faith reveals itself through the actions you continue taking long after the initial excitement about something or someone fades. It appears when you keep caring about something, even on days when you feel discouraged or uncertain. It guides you to follow through because the commitment is important to you, not because conditions are fun or perfect.
Every time you follow your own path, you strengthen your sense of self. Every time you focus on what truly matters — even if progress is slow — you deepen your connection with your life, one that reflects intention, pride, and meaning.
Faith grows when you stay true to your values. It is what makes you, you. And that is a beautiful thing.
A Practice in Faith
Take a moment to sit comfortably. Slow your breathing. When you feel ready, ask yourself:
Where in my life have I been keeping an agreement with myself, even when no one else knows about it?
Then ask:
Where have I broken an agreement with myself, and what has that choice brought into my life?
Let your answers come in their own time.
Personal Reflection
Here is your chance to embody this message through prompts inspired by Take a Shot at Happiness. It is meant to deepen today’s message. The questions above and prompts below are designed to help you see where your actions and values align — and where they do not. This is how you understand the role faith already plays in your life and where it may need strengthening. Give yourself the space to see both clearly.
Photo Op
Sometime this month, pause when you come across something that reminds you of a commitment you have maintained over time. It might come from your home, your routine, your work, or your relationships. Take a photo of it. The idea is to capture something that reflects consistency in a real, grounded way.
Action Opportunity
Later, look at your photo. Let it remind you of the agreement it represents. Then write one or two sentences naming the agreement you want to carry forward as you close out the year. Save your sentence with the image in your Take a Shot at Happiness App.
There is more to explore.
Continue your reflection here ⬇️
My latest Best Holistic Life article, a recent podcast conversation, the Take a Shot at Happiness App, and my transformational travel journeys are all here to support your wholebeing in mind, body, and spirit.
With love and gratitude,
Maria
P.S. 💖 Know someone who may benefit from considering their faith? You are welcome to share this reflection.
If you are that friend, welcome — you can sign up to receive these reflections each month:
P.P.S. 💖 My Insight Timer meditations — live and recorded — offer space to reconnect with what supports you.
