Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.

Brene Brown

It is a new year… a fresh start… last year’s slate has been wiped cleaned. Some people have made their new year resolutions and goals. Others, like myself, have chosen a word to focus on for this new year. I have chosen the word Courage.

What does courage look like for me in this upcoming year? That is something I have been thinking on, and I have come up with a few ideas.

• The courage to step out of my comfort zone and into a new adventure.
• The courage to embrace change.
• The courage to follow my goals.
• The courage to be my authentic self.

All of these things are braided together. My goals will have me stepping out of my comfort zone. My authentic self will have me needing to embrace change. Vulnerability and change can be terrifying and uncomfortable. But I also know that living a life without courage prevents you from living the life you were meant to live. Living a life without courage crushes your goals and dreams, entraps you in remaining where you are comfortable, and causes you to miss out on all that life has to offer.

..living a life without courage prevents you from living the life you were meant to live. Living a life without courage crushes your goals and dreams, entraps you in remaining where you are comfortable, and causes you to miss out on all that life has to offer.

Misty Lee – Living by Grace

Something new going on in my life is job searching. It has been seven years since I left the workforce to become a stay-at-home mom. I have loved every minute of it and honestly I’m not 100% sure I want to give it up, but the boys are getting older now and are more independent. I miss the challenges of a job outside the home and adult conversation. And lets be honest, some extra income never hurt anybody. An outside job would definitely be a new adventure for me.

Change. This can be a dreaded word and it leaves us with two options: 1. Run or 2. Embrace. I now realize that embracing change leads to less stress and worry. That doesn’t mean change is or will be easy, but it may very well be worth it! Along with possibly gaining employment, change for me also comes in the form of my health. I want to become healthy in three parts: mentally, physically, and spiritually. I have bounced back and forth with these three things like a ball at a soccer game…basically all over the place. It is time for a change and one that I am excited to embrace. (More on this topic in a future post!)

My goals for the new year are similar to every other year, but this time I want to succeed and have the courage to go after my goals without hesitation. My dream is to become a published author and it is about time that I put some real work into that. I want to fall back in love with reading. I want to be more active with my boys and less active on my phone. I also would like to be active without thinking I’m going to die because I have allowed my health to go.

Lastly, and this is the big one to finding my courage, is to be fully seen as my authentic self. I will find the courage to be true to myself. I know in doing so, that some will be unhappy, but my life and worth is more valuable than the opinion of others. I am a messy person who is blessed beyond belief, who has her faults, but is full of strength and perseverance. I will succeed. I am strong and resilient and from the ashes of my past I will find my courage…

I will rise.

A wild woman rises like a Phoenix from the ashes of her life, to become the heroine of her own legend.

Shikoba

Messing blessings,

Misty