Happy New Year! 2020…not just a brand new year, but also a brand new decade ahead of us. It feels as if life is a brand new journal full of blank pages just waiting for our story to be written on them. I just love the feeling that comes with fresh starts. I am the only person I know that loves Mondays because to me Monday signifies a chance to start over, to be a better version of yourself. About 5 years ago, I began to pick a word of the year, a word that embodied the resolutions and aspirations I had for the upcoming 365 days. This year holds so much promise that one word wasn’t enough, it needed two! The first word is,
Intentionally
Deliberately, on Purpose, with an awareness of what one is doing
and the second word is,
Becoming
Any process of change
Those are two pretty powerful words. Intentionally becoming, to me, denotes a process of purposeful change. It requires planning the course you will take to embark on this change. You will need to know your why. Knowing your why is a catchphrase that I have resisted for a few years. I thought that by making a goal or resolution I had done the work, the why was simple; doing this will make me a better person. But I have come to realize that isn’t a strong enough reason to stick with the goals and resolutions I make. In knowing your why you have your own little cheering section in your brain to help you move forward towards your ultimate goal. For example, one of my resolutions is to intentionally become a lifetime learner. I could use the “because it will make me a better person philosophy,” but that isn’t going to be enough to make me click off Netflix and onto a class on Skillshare, or pick up a book and read up on a new skill I want to learn. I need to know that learning a new skill will help me grow my photography or learn a new technique in editing. And this could possibly lead to more job opportunities in the coming year, which will lead to more financial stability and security for my family. See the difference? Knowing your why is an integral part of true, authentic change. And I love how the definition of becoming cast a wide net with the word any. It doesn’t have to be a big process, as a matter of fact, smaller steps done with consistency will often lead to a more permanent change. I have been so guilty of an all or nothing mentality so many times. But not this year, this year, I am ready to celebrate the process because the process can be as beautiful as the result if we choose to view through the right lens. Movement is a sign of life. And I, for one, am thankful for the gift of life. So I would love to have you join me going forward into the next 360 days, and celebrate the baby steps, show yourself grace when you forget your why, and in the process intentionally become the absolute best version of yourself for this brand new decade. 2020 we are ready for you!!
Beauty in the Ordinary 