Cheers to 2013

I have never been one to go crazy about NYE. However, my sentimental nature absolutely loves reflecting on what I have learned this year, and what I want next year to be like. In the words of the great Taylor Swift, "you can plan for a change in the weather and time..." Other than that, it is completely unexpected what will happen in 2014. I have big goals. I have small goals. However, the goals aren't really that important. If you think about it, the top goals made on NYD are rarely met. Why? In my opinion, the reason is obvious. People don't think about and plan for the steps and daily tasks that will need to happen in order to get to that goal. I have been reading a lot of Emily Ley's blogs and her friend Lara, and a common theme seems to really be tugging at me: making things happen.

I have learned so much this year in my own life, and from others' lives as well. I am continuing to learn these things. I do not have it all together by any means, but I have had moments where the light bulb just came o and these truths became so evident.  Here are some highlights of that.

• Invest in a marriage, not a wedding.
• Communication is everything.
• Your words matter. Think carefully before you speak, text, tweet, email, etc. You never know who you are impacting with your words. 
• Friends will let you down, and sometimes, their words and actions will really hurt you. Forgive them. Whether they even know it or not. 
• Comparison is the thief of joy.
• Let go of things you cannot change. And stop trying to mold yourself into someone else's idea of what you should be.
• Social Media can be a wonderful thing. Are you using it wisely? If it were posted on a billboard, would you be proud or embarrassed? Again- your words matter.
• Love. Love with all you have.
• Work hard. You can take a break later.
• The only thing stopping you from being great is what sits on your shoulders.
• Don't wait for permission or acceptance. Just do it. ( unless it's with your husband ;) )
• You become the average of the 5 people you interact with the most. Choose Wisely.
• Failure is not a word in your vocabulary.

My goals for 2014 are broad. Each month I am going to focus on specific goals within each in hopes that I continue to grow. The past few weeks I have spent a lot of time thinking about a verse that would tie everything from 2013 to my goals of 2014 and this one keeps coming to mind. I have placed it where I will see it every day in hopes that I will constantly be reminded:

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you O Lord... Psalm 19:14 

In 2014 I plan:

• To continue to learn.
• To invest in my marriage.
• To invest in relationships.
• To be intentional.
• To live a life of loyalty, integrity, and hard work. 

Circling back to my intro, I saw this quote on Lara's blog about making things happen. It is such a great motivation to me! I made it all cute and whatnot on an app.

 

Cheers to 2013, let's do this 2014!