MY TWO WORDS FOR 2019

“You have exactly one life to do everything you’ll ever do – act accordingly.” -Colin Wright

Two weeks into the new year… I gave myself time to sit and reflect on 2018 and what last year showed me, both personally and professionally. We find that the start of a new year is when we organize our home, our lives, and are in serious cleaning and purging mode – at least that is what I started to do. One of the things I did was cleaned the clutter off my desk, took everything down off my bulletin board, created new inspiration for the season on my inspiration boards, re-organized the cabinet shelves, and purged items that no longer serve a purpose for me. A new year for me has always felt like the magic of new beginnings. There are some people that make resolutions, while others that live by a new motto. For me, words are powerful and give true meaning. It’s because of that, this year, I chose two words that reflect how I would like to carry out into 2019.

“Be in love with your life, every minute of it.” – Jack Kerouac

A new year for me is the opportunity to live each day in the next 12 months with direction and meaning on how I would like to carry out my days. As you know, I continue to live with cancer – a primary reason I’m sure of why I don’t take life for granted, not in the slightest. Twelve years of possible death looming over your head can do that to you. But I see the blessing in that sentence. Twelve years! Twelve years of life I was blessed with, even through the suffering of undergoing chemo, the agonizing recovery of six surgeries, the painful side effects from a clinical trial, the daily ailments I feel everyday while I’m on certain medicines to keep my cancer dormant, and my ‘new normal’ of daily pain that I’ve come to live with. Through all of that, I still feel grateful and blessed. I give thanks in all circumstances. I can recall last summer while going through the clinical trial, I used my “good days” to continue to be inspired and create for this blog, it’s the one thing that kept my spirits high and kept me moving (physically and mentally).  I’ve learned that God uses problems to draw me closer to himself. I found my health is the one problem in my life that has caused the greatest growth in me. I’ll explain in a minute.

On the business front, I had to postpone the launch of my online store and I was hard on myself for it but I learned that it’s OK. While we strive for perfection, we can’t be hard on ourselves to make things perfect. Life happens, obstacles get in the way, and sometimes it’s just because God has planned your path and knows the right timing for everything. So while I continue in sourcing and curating a wonderful collection of home decor and accessories to my online shop, I know the delay was purposeful and in time, I will realize why.

During my struggles, I’ve learned to wholeheartedly reply upon the strength of God. I found that brought me comfort with less anxiety. “Storms make trees take deeper roots.”  As my 3-month follow-up CT scan approaches, you will not find me worried about the results as I give it and leave it in Jesus’s hands.  I also learned that I shouldn’t care about certain things because it’s only in Jesus that I need to be worried about and what HE thinks of me. I’ve come to know that the powerful love in my relationship with my spouse who plays a pivotal role in my life, is my greatest gift and the one thing that truly matters at the end of the day. So my two words for 2019 are Stop and Start. Some examples of this are:

Stop

• Stop doubting myself and exhale doubt
• Stop worrying about making future plans because I have cancer
• Stop wondering what my future life will look like and just live today
• Stop waiting for the “right time” and just do it

To help me with the last three, my spouse gifted me this My Bucket List fill-in Journal where I can write in my must-do’s and hope-for. It’s a journal that is also filled with inspirational stories of dreams and wishes.

Start

• Start inhaling confidence
• Start each day with purpose
• Start expressing my creativity in other forms
• Start my day inspired
• Start to not stopping until I feel proud
• Start nurturing my wellness
• Start having spontaneous fun

Whenever I find myself in a situation that I question, I will rely on those two words and put it into action. Do you have a word for this year? If so, comment in the comments section below. It can be a way for us to share and start a conversation!

Cheers to 2019!