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Kristen Nicole Mann

Helping You Remember the Art of Who You Are
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Welcome to With Gratitude

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Welcome to With Gratitude - Welcome to With Gratitude -

With Gratitude

Welcome to With Gratitude, a lifestyle blog dedicated to inspiring individuals to live creatively and authentically. Our mission is to cultivate a colorful community that celebrates personal growth, creativity, and meaningful living. Here, you'll find a rich tapestry of content, from empowering stories of women creatives to practical tips on embracing your artistic journey.

Boring Habits, Beautiful Life: Why I Had to Rewire My Mind to Save My Future

Kristen Mann June 3, 2025

Growing up, I wasn’t taught how to create habits—I was taught how to serve the person who had them.

Sound familiar?

If you’re anything like me, your earliest routines weren’t your own. You were taught how to support a man’s schedule. How to cater to a family. How to pour into a job, a church, or a community that didn’t always pour back. You were taught to be helpful, devoted, present.

But you weren’t taught to build systems that honored you.

The Shock of Stillness

When I started working for myself, I didn’t feel free.
I felt lost.
No meetings to show up to. No expectations to meet. No one else’s needs to fill.

That’s when I realized something devastating:
I had no discipline of my own.
No structure. No self-built rituals.
And I had no idea where to start.

That made me ask one of the hardest questions I’ve ever asked myself:

Do I love myself enough to create habits that support my life?

When Atomic Habits Felt Like a Foreign Language

Someone gifted me Atomic Habits by James Clear, and I remember flipping through the first pages thinking, “This doesn’t sound like it’s for me.”
Not because it wasn’t smart—but because it didn’t speak to the emotional weight I was carrying.
It felt cold. Calculated. Unfamiliar.

But I kept reading.
And little by little, I realized the problem wasn’t the language—it was me.
Or rather, the version of me I had been conditioned to be.

The Real Work Isn’t Just a New Habit — It’s a New Mind

Changing your life isn’t just about a morning routine.
It’s about healing the reason you never gave yourself one.

It’s not about reading every self-help book.
It’s about deciding—really deciding—that you deserve to become the version of yourself who no longer begs for time or peace.

And truthfully?
The decision is the hardest part.
The rest comes with practice.

🌱 Ready to Start Small?

That’s why I created my “Notes to the Woman I’m Becoming” Journal Bundle — for women like you and me who were never taught to give ourselves permission to slow down and start over.

Inside, you’ll get:

✅ 30 self-discovery journal prompts
✅ A space for daily brain dumps
✅ A habit tracker for women building a soft but serious routine
✅ 14 beautifully designed pages made to help you stay consistent with ease

Because you don’t need a Pinterest-perfect morning or a million-dollar coach.
You need a place to start small and stay honest.

✨ This journal isn’t just a product. It’s a permission slip.

🎁 Grab your copy of “Notes to the Woman I’m Becoming” now —

and give yourself the sacred space to build the life you were never taught to design.

👉 https://kristennicolemann.com/creativesessions/-notes-to-the-woman-im-becoming

← Creativity Isn’t a Luxury—It’s the New Workforce CurrencyWhy “Praying It Away” Isn’t Always Healing — and What We Can Do Instead →

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