Baby Steps!

Happy New Year!

And here we are... on the other side! The past is behind us and the future is just ahead... fresh and new, hopeful and inspiring. I'm ready to grab hold of her and see and claim all the beauty that she posesses. Are you coming along with me? I made myself a list of resolutions the other day. My list is comprised of mini resolutions, mini goals that are completely acheivable. I have nothing on there that cannot be done and if I don't reach them all, I still have a long list of possible successes that I can be proud of. If you want to see my list, please visit here.

I think we all too often set ourselves up for failure. I think that we often bite off more than we can chew and we often try to tackle things that can be quite overwhelming. I have come to look at my life as a series of baby steps. I did not get to where I am today by taking a gigantic leap, or running a marathon but by a series of baby steps. Some steps are longer than others, and sometimes I have had to step backwards. But I am here. I am where I hoped to be. And now I have new goals and aspirations. I am one who does tend to get overhwelmed and often I tell myself that I can't before I even try... fear of failure or rejection are, I'm sure, to blame. We all have our moments of weakness and our own insecurities but we need to get over them, because if we don't we'll never grow or span our wings. This is perhaps the greatest and most important lesson I have learned over the past year.

I was out with a friend the other night and whatever we were talking about lead me to talk about something else... A large project I had embarked upon a few years ago but had to put to bed for a while as my own life was growing too large and chaotic and I knew that the timing simply wasn't right. I'd thought about that project from time to time over the past couple of years but as often happens to me, I got overwhelmed each and every time I thought about it. I have too many other projects and demands and requirements at the moment to really be able to dedicate the time needed for that project. But as I talked about it I started to get excited about it. I was as excited about it as I had been before I had to put it to bed. "But I can't do this, not now at least." I told myself and my friend.  And instead of letting it go, my friend said "Yes, you can!" And then we talked about it, both excited about what could be. I was told to tackle it in baby steps. But of course! Why hadn't I thought of this?! (Because I have too much else on my plate at the moment!)

I was sidelined most of yesterday. During my mornign Zumba class I somehow exaserbated an old injury. I have neck and arm nerve pain which has never really gone away, I just learn to function with it, but I did something yesterday that forced me to stop the class prematurely and had me sidelined the whole day. For most of the afternoon I was in bed with a heating pad on my neck and shoulder. Writing wasn't exactly possible and I couldn't even really get comfortable enough to read so there was I, flat on my back, alone with my thoughts. And it was while I was alone with those thoughts that the pieces of this new puzzle started to come together. And I started to think about this project in terms of baby steps... doable, achievable baby steps. I still have many other priorities - taking care of my family, earning an income, but I think I have figured out how exactly I can try to bring this project back to life and take her all the way to the finish line. I'll need some cheerleaders nearby. I will need them to push me along when the going gets tough... that's often where I stumble and stop. And I have two other projects that are important, near and dear to me as well. I know that I cannot do all at once. And I know that I cannot do all three well. So I will need to figure out how to organize my time and reach these goals... I know part of the process is taking baby steps and mapping them all out.

This new year, so far, has been fantastic. New ideas and opportunities have already presented themselves. I am so grateful, happy and excited... and I will embrace each and every one of them... I will run with them, and, as needed, take the necessary baby steps!

Happy New Year to you all... thank you all for your support over the past year... your words of encouragement and support have helped more than you know... I love receiving your notes, messages and emails. I wish you all continued success on your journeys... I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! I wish you all baby steps!

Starting on Monday I will have my first guest blogger here at Amid Life, I hope you welcome her all with open arms. If any of you want to contribute, even annonymously, I welcome all voices!

XOXO,

Jessica