Thank you, 2018.

Well, another year has passed and 2019 has officially begun! I think that at the end of every year, almost everyone starts to reflect on the ups and downs of that year, what they would do differently, and what they want to change for the year ahead. I’m going to be transparent here and share with you some things that I decided I didn’t want to take with me into the New Year. As I sat and thought about 2018, I felt like there were FOUR big things that I want to leave behind. FOUR things that shouldn’t come with me into 2019:

 

Negativity.

I noticed myself becoming more negative in my thoughts and then as a result, in what I was saying. Ultimately, whatever starts in your mind makes its way into your heart, which leads to it coming out of your mouth. I allowed myself to lose the hopeful attitude had always been inside of me. I found myself in a place of negativity that I knew I didn’t belong in. If you are in this place, examine yourself! What is causing you to think that way? Who is causing you to think that way? Whatever it is or whoever it may be, get yourself out of that environment. Do not continue to put yourself where those thoughts can stay. I’m not encouraging you to stop being realistic, but I’m encouraging you to take a look at where you’re currently at. If you find yourself with mostly negative thoughts and are choosing to see the bad in every situation, it might be time to figure out how it got this way so that you can change your attitude.

Speaking Wrongly About Others.

I used to be so careful about the things that I said about other people when they weren’t around me (and of course when they were.) However, all it takes is you letting your guard down once for something like gossip or an unkind word to sneak in. It is SO easy to talk badly about someone when they aren’t right in front of you, but I believe that truly respecting and honoring someone means talking just as kindly about someone behind their back as you would to their face. Again, I think this really comes down to who your influences are and to what thoughts you are allowing to take root in your mind. Your words are powerful, so why not use them to lift others up instead of tearing down?

Misguided Judgments.

I don’t consider myself a super judgmental person. I actually try to be very conscious of the fact that everyone has a story, everyone deals with something, everyone struggles, and everyone fails. What I have failed to do, though, is to remember that they aren’t me. What I mean by that is, we can be so quick to make judgments on people based on something they do or don’t do that is the opposite of what we might do or not do. For example, I hear a baby crying uncontrollably in a grocery store and my first thought is “well if that was my kid…” or “why won’t that mom just take her child home?” I can be quick to make a judgment about somebody that I know nothing about. I automatically might assume that she is a bad mom when it might just be that she’s having a really bad day. That’s what I mean when I say I want to leave my judgmental attitude behind. Why can’t we extend the same grace to others that we so badly need to be extended to us? Let’s stop punishing people for not being who we think they should be and start celebrating them for who they were created to be.

Fear of Failure.

Listen, I’ll be the first to say that I am not very confident in myself. I let a fear of failure run my life in some ways, and that has to stop this year. Here’s the thing…sometimes you have to fail, and sometimes that is okay. What’s not okay is never starting something because you’re afraid of how you’ll finish. Honestly, I think real failure is just never getting started. I think real failure is letting fear tell you that you aren’t good enough or that you won’t make it, and then believing that lie and letting it dictate how you live! Let this be the year that you run with the dreams that have been stirring in your heart, regardless of the outcome. It’s time to stop letting fear keep you from the very things that you have been called to do.

 

Why am I sharing these? Well, I want this year to be my best year yet, and I want that for you too. I want this year to be a year where we can let go of the negativity, the gossip, the wrong judgments, and the biggest of all, fear. Yes, there are others but I want to start here. I want to be the best possible version of myself so that I can really show up for others. So thank you, 2018, for bettering me. Thank you for providing me with an opportunity to grow. Thank you for teaching me that change is possible and attainable as long as I’m willing to work for it. 2019, I’m ready for you.