You’ve Arrived

It’s 2019! Are you having fun yet?

I don’t know about you, but every new year just freaks me out. I’ve never been comfortable with the unknown, and every new year brings me anxiety about the experiences that may or may not come my way. 2018 was truly a year of introspect for me – landing in the hospital last February and questioning my life and mortality – that pretty much set the tone for the rest of the year. As I looked around the room at the people who loved me, I decided to spend the rest of my life with just one objective:

 How do I want them to remember me?  What will be my life’s legacy?

I didn’t travel as much, really listened to my body, spent all the time I could with the people I love, worked on cleaning out my life of anything or anyone who didn’t want to be in it.

Obviously, a year wasn’t enough. 2019 is still a work in progress.

I don’t know what this year will bring. But I do know what I want to accomplish. And so I’m setting the tone for the year, and I know that the rest will follow.  I don’t make resolutions or promises I can’t keep. Like losing the seven pounds I’d gained from a decrease in activity when I got sick. Or to stop going to Starbucks for that daily Frapuccino. Or to quit my obsession with *** (insert fashion brand here).  Instead, I set my goal on just one thing: to live my life with no regrets. To love all I can, when I can, where I can. And with this love, work hard to fight for the respect and dignity of all human beings.

Everything falls into place when you define the type of person you want to be. Your actions will be directed and purposeful. You will be inspired by those who share the same values as you. And you will never look back with regret because you did what you did with personal conviction. You won’t have to sing your own praises on social media, or defend yourself when some dork posts derogatory words about you. And you won’t be questioning or telling the world how disappointed you are with yourself.

Because you won’t be.

Success is personal and subjective. If you are happy with who you are, then you’ve arrived.