New Beginnings

It has been a VERY long December as the song says and there is great reason to believe that maybe this year WILL be better than the last. Been trying to think through my annual goal list for the New Year so...

Here is to the New Year with New Beginnings and some "new" things I have in mind. :-)

1. Love better. Its always on the list and is always something I strive for.

2. Be the best version of myself possible. Thanks to Oprah for this one. I dance to the beat of my own drum. Always have, always will and need to be okay with that everyday.

3. Grow my business. I have been richly blessed the second half of the year with some amazing opportunities and would love to continue to grow in that and get to the point with Birdie Events where I am having to turn work down instead of constantly looking for more.

4. Become a member of a church. I have been floating from church to church for about 4 years without making a commitment because of travel and being lazy. The time has come to commit!

5. Go on some dates! This one petrifies me! Instead of running from anyone who pays me attention I should probably try put myself out there more and seek out more dating opportunities no matter what the outcome.

6. Run a half marathon. This one is pretty ballsy since I have had 2 knee surgeries but I feel fairly confident I can do it. :)

7. Spend time traveling to Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii. Another bold one. But if you don't aim high & challenge yourself then you aren't really living, right?

8. Step out of my comfort zone on a regular basis. This one is all about taking risks. Wearing heels even when I know I will be the tallest in the room. Show up to a party even if I only know a few people. Go rock climbing even when I might not be any good at it. You get the point.

9. Go to Mardi Gras! Never been. Roommate is from New Orleans. Make it happen!

10. Make new friends but keep the old ones. I LOVE new people and want to continue to expand the beautiful friends I have in my life.

I remember at the beginning of 2009 I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. I was a mess of confusion. I have learned this last year is that its okay for things to look different and not be what the norm is.

As my friend Jerry says "I have made a career out of doing whatever I want." I guess that is fairly true. I feel blessed in that.

I hope the piece of wisdom I can impart to anyone who is struggling with what their life looks like or doesn't look like yet is to accept the present. We are told our whole lives that life has to look a certain way. Find one career and be that... your job defines you in our culture. Well i think my job is to love people... so let that define me.

We also put pressure on ourselves to be married and have a family by a certain time and without that we feel like failures or incomplete. Well I have a wonderful family of friends. They support me, love me, and care for me just as well as having my own family. I don't feel like I have to get married or have kids to be complete. I would love it if God blessed me with those experiences but I feel like those things don't define me. Loving God and loving people defines me. I say to the single people of the world... there is a reason why you are single so embrace it, love it, and thank God for it. I do.... most days. ;-)

I posted this last year around this time. But in case you are a new friend. Here it is again written by one of the best men who ever lived. Happy New Year everyone!

My prayer for you, and for me, at the beginning of this new year and after a long December, is that we will discover the beautiful grace of God in our lives and throughout God’s creation. Even as we do not understand, as in our sleeping and rising, may God’s grace be among us. And may this gift of God prompt is us a reason to believe that this year will be better than the last.

(Intellectual property of Dan Goodman, Copyright pending)