Spring Reset: Realigning with Joy & Intention
“Renewal doesn’t have to be dramatic - it’s often the small, intentional shifts that create the most lasting impact.”
Spring cleaning has always been exciting for me. It was a family tradition, often tied to the impending arrival of Easter. My parents would organize, purge, and clean the house, enlisting my brother and me to help. Russian Orthodox Easter also marked the return of privileges we had paused for Great Lent, like music on my beloved Panasonic boom box.
I’ve always loved the idea of a new year - the built-in excuse to reflect and reset. But this year, with a child just out of the hospital after a serious (and now fully treated) condition, I didn’t have the space to think about resolutions or new beginnings. And that’s okay. Some seasons demand our full presence.
Now, with my son fully recovered and a new quarter upon us, I finally have a moment to pause, reflect, and consider what’s working and what I want to shift in the next three months. I LOVE intentional work. But carving out the time and space for it? That’s always the hard part.
So I’m taking stock - not in a drastic, overhaul-my-life kind of way, but through an honest audit of the things I can control. A chance to fine-tune my environment, habits, and mindset so that I can show up for my family, my work, and myself with more clarity and ease.
1. Environment: The Mirror of the Mind
I’ve always needed an organized environment to focus. Even as a student, I couldn’t get any schoolwork done in a messy room. That hasn’t changed. I’m 44, and my surroundings still directly reflect my mental state. And this dynamic is iterative. A cluttered mind leads to a cluttered space, and a cluttered space makes me feel even more overwhelmed. (Some people don’t care. I do.)
It’s also important to me that my home feels cozy. That’s been a challenge in recent years, as my family has moved multiple times. I’ve found that it takes at least six months, if not closer to a year, to start feeling “at home” somewhere.
So, as I step into this new quarter, I ask myself:
What can I shed - physically and emotionally?
What clothes have my kids outgrown?
What small tweaks could make my space feel more intentional and comforting?
How can I create an environment that feels like a sanctuary?
Clearing and optimizing my physical space always sparks deeper reflection and, surprise, surprise, productivity.
2. Time: Treating It, Not Just Spending It
I believe time is our most important asset (aside from loved ones, health, and faith). It’s so cliché, but it’s true: each moment is unique and fleeting. We get this one moment, and then it’s gone.
With my kids starkly punctuating time’s passing, I’ve become hyper-aware of how I treat my time, not just how I allocate it.
I can rush through my morning routine, making my bed begrudgingly. Or I can take 15 extra seconds to set an intention for the day:
"God [swap for whatever resonates], please help me be present, aware, and patient today so that I can co-create a day of joy and peace."
Those extra few seconds don’t change my schedule. But they completely shift my experience of the day ahead.
So, before stepping into this quarter, I ask myself:
What am I giving time to that no longer serves me?
Is this meeting, task, or obligation truly necessary?
Is there someone I miss and want to reconnect with?
How can I infuse joy into the mundane (laundry dance party, anyone)?
What small shifts could make my time feel more meaningful?
(My experience being on call for jury duty recently brought this into focus. What feels urgent today may be irrelevant in two weeks. Perspective is everything.)
Time will pass, no matter what. How we treat it is up to us.
3. Money: The Story Our Spending Tells
I’ve had an evolving relationship with money. In my pre-kid adulthood, I enjoyed the thrill of spontaneous spending. But over time, I’ve become more intentional, focusing on how my financial resources can truly support what matters most.
A new quarter is a great time for a financial check-in - not in a restrictive way, but in a way that aligns with my values.
Does my spending reflect what’s truly important to me?
Where am I opting for convenience over intention?
What expenses brought me joy? What felt like a waste?
Am I outsourcing something I could bring back in-house?
Is my financial behavior reflecting an emotional need?
We all have unique priorities, and our wallets tell a story about what we value. If we track our spending for a week and reflect on each expense, we’ll quickly see what’s aligned and what is not.
(For tracking, I love the Rocket app.)
4. Speech: The Power of Words
Kabbalah teaches that words shape our reality. Conversations we engage in and the words we use directly impact our lives.
I like to ask myself:
Am I speaking to be heard, or am I speaking to help?
How can I communicate with more love and grace? (This is HUGE for me. I am emotional and passionate.)
Am I engaging in conversations that drain rather than uplift?
What words of affirmation have I withheld that someone needs to hear?
We remember how people make us feel. And our words play a powerful role in that.
5. Thoughts: The Silent Architects of Our Reality
The mind loves to be in charge. But as Paulo Coelho said, "You have two choices: to control your mind or to let your mind control you."
My brain is constantly generating fear-based thoughts. For years, I let them dictate my reality. Now, I pause and ask:
Is this thought helpful or just noise?
Am I worrying about something I can’t control?
If this isn’t a real problem right now, can I let it go?
Changing our thought patterns is a muscle we can strengthen. The more we catch our unhelpful thoughts, the faster we can redirect them.
Now, when my mind spirals into worst-case scenarios, I tell myself, "This is not a real problem right now. I appreciate the nudge (to my brain), but I need to move on."
It’s a practice. But it works.
My Invitation to You
Spring is a natural time for renewal. A new quarter is a fresh page. But renewal doesn’t have to be dramatic - it’s often the small, intentional shifts that create the most lasting impact.
So, as we step into this next chapter:
What areas of your life could use a gentle reset?
Where can you fine-tune instead of overhaul?
How can you approach this quarter with curiosity instead of pressure?
It’s not about perfection. It’s about alignment.
Here’s to a quarter of clarity, intention, and ease.
