Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, friend!!

It's been two very full, very fun weeks in my neck of the woods! I'll hit the highlights here and then just below I've got a longer thought to share :)

Christmas We celebrated both Christmas, as well as my sister's birthday (it's Dec 25 too!) with extended family and it was a blast! We played an EPIC version of a Song Battle ("music buzzer game" ... example here) with rules to keep it competitive... Dana absolutely crushed us! 10/10

New Year's Eve We had a couple of families over for a really enjoyable evening playing chess, checkers, other games, and oh my goodness the amount of delicious food that everyone brought! Add in the fireworks that a friend and I bought, and it was such a fun way to welcome in the new year! 10/10

Recollections, Resolutions, and Reservations I began this year full of aspirations, fresh excitement, and with the help of the Full Focus Planner™.

As I was jotting down my annual goals for 2024 I thought back over 2023 and realized I had simultaneously missed and achieved several of my goals last year.

My main goal for 2023 was to GROW. And that I did.

It was a tough, somewhat painful year and I struggled through it if I'm being brutally honest.

But I grew.

When I wrote specific goals last December 31st, I had expected the year to be one where I grew, but maybe not through so many challenges.

But hey, that's how we grow. And while I wish I hadn't been so naive in thinking it would be easier (it may have softened the blow a bit), I'm grateful for the year I was blessed enough to have lived.

Ok, so what's next?

I'm not entirely sure, but I do know that 2024 will be the best year yet.

I'm praying for breakthroughs that I know only God can bring about. And that's the exciting part about 2024... I really can't do much to make it the best year yet...

Except for the following, all of which are represented in some way in my specific goals:

Be Humble

Be Kind

Be Consistent

Work Hard

Love God

Love Family

Love Friends

Never Give Up

That's still a lot of hard work, mind you! But as a great mentor of mine recently said, "Truth is generally quite simple, but evading the Truth requires complexity, that leads to confusion, that leads to despair" and I believe the same is true for living lives full of passion and purpose. It's simple; not easy, but simple.

So yes, I have my fair share of New Year resolutions. And I have some reservations about whether or not they are realistic, attainable, or even the most important goals to pursue.

But like you, I am determined to grow. I'm determined to look back on 2024 and smile with satisfaction knowing that despite the good, the bad, and the ugly, I came out the other side with lessons learned, applied, and shared. And most importantly, I look forward to a year's worth of deepening my relationship with Christ, Who without, I have absolutely nothing.

It's going to be an amazing year!!

Before I let you go, friend, what's one goal you have this year? Feel free to reply here or DM me on Instagram.