Happy New Year!

I was chatting with a friend the other night, reflecting over the past year and I couldn’t believe how much life was wrapped up in 2016 and how FAST everything happened. But I, along with so many others, am ready for a fresh start. Now I am not saying that this past year was significantly bad in any way, we had a whole lot of good come from 2016 (new job opportunities and a brand new sweet baby are at the top of the list) but there have been a handful of moments that have left me feeling a little tired and worn. There has been growth from those moments though, the rough patches are behind the motivation for a better new year ahead and I know that there is light to be found in the next 365 days.

I’ve picked another word to focus on for the upcoming year (here are my past words for 2014, 2015, and 2016) and that word is RELEASE. While I was listing out all of my grand plans for the year ahead (using this awesome tool to goal plan this year and really pleased with the inspiration it has given me thus far) the phrase “let it go” and the word release kept popping up in what I was writing. So I took that as a sign to really delve into that word and how it can change me over the course of this year.

I feel like I have been stuck in this rut for the past few years where I wasted a lot of time and energy on my insecurities and self-consciousness. Always wondering what people think of me or how I may be (or most likely not) being judged. Let it go. 

There are commitments in my life that I’m not sure are giving me fulfillment in the best ways possible. Adding more frustration and taking away precious time that could be spent elsewhere in my life. Let it go. 

Before the holidays I was finding myself getting aggravated with my children more often than not and over the tiniest of tiny things. Not appreciating my time spent with them and feeling burned out and ungrateful. Let it go.

I am really hard on myself. High standards are good but constantly nit-picking and over analyzing is again, something that is eating up at my time that I could be using for more important and creative endeavors. Let it go. 

I feel like it’s time to release myself from the weight of these worries, fears, and uncertainty. I’m ready to become more comfortable with this person I’m turning into as I get older. I’m ready to discover some new things about myself (good and bad) and to appreciate what God is calling me to in this life no matter how big or little that calling may be. I’m ready to get rid of some baggage, give my soul a good deep clean, and start living a brighter life filled with light and love. These changes won’t take place over the first few weeks of the new year. I can’t check them off my to do list immediately. Which I suppose is good because I want to accept the process of change and challenging oneself as more of a lifestyle change rather than a definitive resolution with an end goal.

So here we go 2017, I hope by this time next year my life looks a bit cleaner – less of the unnecessary, more of that good stuff.

I hope you all are having a motivated start to your new year!