"Don't look back, you're not going that way." - Mary Engelbreit
So I haven’t blogged in a while but I feel like 2020 is the best excuse I’ve got to break my silence. I’m not gonna get political. But I am gonna throw some wisdom at y’all.
Here goes.
So I think we would all agree that 2020 was an awful year in most respects. We lost a lot of people. Our lives were turned upside down. This new normal has affected every part of our lives. But I like to think of myself as somewhat of a Positive Polly, and no matter what bad things happen; I always try to look at the bright side.
So. What good things came out of this year? Maybe you didn’t spend as much money and you finally got your finances in order. Maybe you were working from home and it allowed you to spend more time with your family. Maybe you were able to teach your kids something new or build a better bond with them. Maybe spending so much time with someone on lockdown made you realize you were in a bad relationship and helped you to get out of it. Maybe you had the time to work on yourself and be a better you. Maybe you finally found the time to work on those pesky projects you have been putting off. But, I assure you, that if you think hard enough, something good came out of this year.
Did I have a crappy year? In some ways, yes. Like most others I had some bad things happen. I went through hard times. I am pretty sure I had Covid, even though 3 tests came back negative a total of 5 times. I was sick for almost 3 weeks. I mean deathly ill. My mom had a bad fall resulting in a broken leg and a stay in Cardinal Hill for a month. I had a broken heart, more than once, from different situations. I missed concerts. I had cabin fever and about lost my mind staying home. BUT. What did I gain in 2020? People. I gained new friends and family and loved ones that I hope I never lose. Some of those people are some of the most important people in my life right now, and people I can’t imagine my life without. I also gained new skills, and a new job, and a new sense of accomplishment. By the end of 2020 I had made some big changes and things were starting to feel like they were coming together. 2020 was not a complete waste of time, even though a lot of days it felt like it.
So here we are a week into 2021 and the world has went to hell in a hand basket it would seem. Civil unrest is taking over and a lot of us are worried about the uncertainty ahead. Honestly, it’s awful, but we can’t control that. We can pray about it, but we can’t control it. BUT. You wanna know what you can control?
YOUR OWN LIFE. YOUR OWN BUSINESS.
That’s right. You have the ability to control what happens within your own life. Whatever you don’t like in your life, you have the power to change it. Whatever you love about your life, you have the absolute power to make that aspect even better.
YOU. CAN. CHOOSE.
If you don’t have a job, you can choose to get one. If you don’t like the job you have, you can choose to get a new one. If you don’t like the relationship you’re in, you can choose to leave it. If you want to change your flaws, you can choose to try and do so. If you want to find religion, you can choose how to find it. If you are MISERABLE with ANY part of your life, if you want to better your life in any way, you have that choice.
Do it.
CHOOSE.
All year long last year we said, “2021 will be better, it HAS to be better.” But you know how it’s gonna be better? WHEN WE MAKE IT BETTER. WE HAVE TO DO IT. It won’t just magically happen when we click our red heels and whisper "there's no place like home." Sorry Dorothy, life doesn't work like that. You have to work for change.
“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” – Thomas Jefferson.
If you want that life you’ve been chasing in your mind and in your heart, you have to make tough decisions. Change is hard. It can really suck. But think about what is waiting on the other side – happiness, love, A LIFE YOU ENJOY. A life you can be proud of. A life that has meaning. A life that YOU CHOSE. Not just a life you settled for. I have already started making new changes in my life and if I can, so can you. It’s a new year, and all jokes aside, you can be a new you. A better you. No one is stopping you except yourself.
I realize that a lot of you are probably happy with your lives and organized and living the American dream and if you are then I envy you. I am also happy for you, and if that’s the case then disregard this message. But, if there is a part of you that wants something or needs something different in your life, then I encourage you to find your fire and create your own happiness. Life is too short to live in fear. Face your demons and open new doors. Or, spend your life wondering and regretting.
If we learned anything from 2020 it was what problems existed in our lives because we had a lot of time in quarantine to think about it. Now, let’s take this year and fix them. Life is just too short to stay in your comfort zone. Branch out. Move to that city. Take the job. Write the book. Join the gym. Leave the relationship. Start a relationship. Don’t waste any more time. Chase your dreams. Do what’s best for you. Do what’s best for your family. Set good examples for your kids. For other’s kids. For your friends. For anyone who may look up to you. Don't be afraid to start a new chapter in life. Don't be afraid to try something new.
Be brave. Be ambitious. Be excited. Be HAPPY.
Literally. Just do what makes you happy. Live life in a way that makes you TRULY happy. Make decisions for yourself. Don’t be pressured into being normal, or what someone else’s idea of normal is. You do you, boo.
If you feel stuck in any form or fashion, now is the time to make changes. Last year in 2020 I felt stuck, so I changed jobs. Even after I changed jobs, even though it was a great decision for myself, I still felt stuck. Like I was in limbo somehow. But then little by little I started climbing out of the hole. Even little changes make a big difference, or at least they can to me - like organizing your closet, decluttering your house room by room. The spaces you occupy can have a huge effect on your state of mind and mental health, so make sure you aren't living in conditions that no longer benefit you.
2020 sucked, and for a lot of reasons that were out of our control. Let’s make it a point to live better in 2021 and actually create circumstances that make our lives better and not worse. We have the power. We shouldn’t waste it.
They say hindsight is 2020. And if you don’t understand what that phrase means, it means you can look back at things after they have happened and see them more clearly. None of us really want to look back on 2020, but we should. We should learn from our mistakes. We should find ways to repair what is broken in our lives, and what 2020 took from us.
You know what I didn’t do much in 2020? Go to church. You know what I’m gonna do this Sunday? GO TO CHURCH. I admit that I need Jesus in my life, now more than ever. I’ve never been turned away by the Lord. Instead, I have only been healed and protected when I let Him in my life. Maybe you need to do the same. But whatever is broken in your life, you can find a way to heal. You can choose to heal. You can choose happiness. It’s up to you to make it happen and I have faith you will do so.
I don’t make new years resolutions anymore. I try to be better than I was the year before, in whatever ways necessary. I set goals now, not make resolutions. Whatever your goals are this year, I wish you the best in achieving them. And, as always, I’m here if you need a helping hand or a positive word.
Let’s take charge. Let’s make this year better. I can’t wait to see what all we accomplish.
