2021: A Courageous Commitment To Change

Life

Jan 2

Date

January 1, 2021

time

12:00am

Place

A Blank Slate

Hello, 2021. Wow, it feels weird to even type those numbers in that specific sequence; but despite how it might feel, the truth is that a new year is here. For as long as I can remember, I have always liked fresh starts. A new day, a new week, a new month, a new year – they have always excited me. That excitement then produces a fresh perspective, refocused vision, and determination. To put it simply, new calendar beginnings, no matter the form, serve as life-giving fuel for me.

It was in early December that I found myself thinking a lot about my life 20 to 30 years from now. Thinking about all the things I truly want to do in this life, the impact I want to have, the legacy I want to leave. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve thought about the latter years of my life before, but this felt different. It felt real. It felt very now. As I began reflecting, I felt the bubbling of a new dream that I have quite literally never felt in my life. NEVER. I remember when I mouthed the words to Jason and he looked at me and said, “Well, yeah, you can do that.” I went on to share this newfound dream with a few close friends and in various ways, they all said, “Yeah, you can totally do that!”

The sum of those collective responses made me realize that it is possible to dream bigger and wilder. To dream FURTHER. This last decade was a decade of becoming. Discovering who I am and who I am called to be. It was 2010 that I stopped pursuing one of the biggest dreams of my life and that was becoming Miss America. When I think back to that very moment in time, I can recall the countless opportunities, fresh ideas and new dreams that arised, as a direct pursuit of that dream that have led me to this very moment. This moment of assuredness in who I am and what I believe I am to be fulfilling on this side of heaven.

On Day 1 of 2021, I have landed on my focus, my courageous commitment to change. It is one simple word, further. To push further in every area of my life. To go a greater distance or degree. And to remind myself, going further isn’t about perfection, but about the impact it has on those around me. How dreaming further can encourage others to dream further themselves. How getting closer to Him and the impact that has on my life can call others into a new place of intimacy with Him. How continuing to peel back the layers of my life, acknowledging those wounded spots and working through healing allows me to be a better daughter, sister, wife, friend, teammate, colleague and so on.

I am commited to go further in 2021 and not because it best serves me, but because it best serves those who I care for and those who I want to impact in this life. To put it simply, I want to keep growing in 2021.