How to be brave.

Welcome to the first full week of a lovely, never-before-experienced year. I hope you’re ready for it :) Like many of you, I’ve been thinking long & hard about my vision for 2014. And even though I have limited control of what really happens in life, here’s what I do know: 2014 is going to be my best, my bravest year yet.

A new year presents opportunity for fresh changes and new decisions. It’s a time of high encouragement; for our dreams to reach completion. We can stop and/or start anything we want. Talk about exciting!

But, fresh changes and new decisions require us to show courage.

Recently, for the first time ever, Zack and I sat down to specifically set goals for 2014. We had a delicious date of pie & coffee in Petoskey, MI (thanks Grandma for babysitting Maxwell) and made some plans for the new year. Then on Saturday, once we were back in Los Angeles, we met with a couple advisers at our bank. I felt like such an adult, setting financial goals and such. But much more than that, I felt prepared and educated. I felt brave. And once again, it was so very exciting.

But there’s something else a new year can bring (that’s often disregarded): discouragement. It’s so, so easy to get pulled into the concept of goal-setting and planning (everyone’s doing it, right?) only to feel totally let down once the energy dissolves. You get ready for a new year you may have purchased a brand-new, beautiful calendar and a fresh pack of pens; you’re now ready to list-make and outline. You may have purchased a new book; you’re now ready to learn. You may have set crazy goals; you now feel like you’re on fire.

Reality check: this energy is bound to fade at some point, but it doesn’t have to dissolve totally. Don’t let yourself get to that “ugh” stage of goal setting. Because I’ve been there, and it’s hard, so hard, to pull yourself back out.

So let’s talk about this new year and how to be brave :) I’ll start with a personal story:

I spent a large part of 2013 contemplating and worrying about who I am verses who I was. I became a mama in March and floated on that natural baby high for many weeks. Our families basically moved in short-term and helped us with our new phase of life: parenthood. But then they went home (naturally); we needed to navigate life on our own. I felt torn with how to juggle my new role as a mama and handmade maker. Looking back, I was absolutely scared to take action of the ideas and goals placed on my heart. So silly, right? So I spent a lot of time watching instead of acting. One day I realized something so absolutely critical to happiness, and I want to share that with you: I can either watch & wish or I can act & accomplish. Which action did I want as my foundation? I had a choice to make and I decided that it was time to be brave and accomplish.

Lucky for all of us, there’s hope to be found in making this decision… and it doesn’t require any kind of purchase.

How to be brave:
– approach your day with open hands (think positively)
– think simplistically (planning too much can actually discourage/complicate)
– reference your end-goal: do you want to watch & wish or act & accomplish?

Be brave with the dreams you have — be brave right now! Be brave with the conversations you need to have. Be brave with your attempt to rise early in the morning or head to bed early at night. Be brave with your “slow to anger” approach. Be brave with your end-goals. Be brave with saying “yes” or “no” more often. Be brave with your education. Be brave with your children, your family, your career. Be brave with being realistic.

If all you can muster up is a try, you are most certainly being brave.

Keep it up! :)