Reflections

The end of one year and the beginning of a new one is often a time of personal reflection. It's a time to pause and celebrate accomplishments and goals met and sometimes to also reconcile loss and failure. Generally, the positive things that happen to us are the only events that make it to our newsfeeds, but I believe that the not-so-picture-perfect moments more often characterize our lives.

This past year was hard; it tested me in more ways than I was prepared for. My personal mantra passed down from my late mother, is "Never Give Up." My mother battled cancer for seven years and ultimately lost her battle in 1997 when I was twelve years old. Even though I was young when I lost her, I remember her spirit, strength, and determination. I remember the picture she put on our refrigerator of a bird trying to eat a frog, the frog is strangling the bird--the caption below read Never Give Up. Before this year, I thought that never giving up meant never failing. I realized this year it means so much more than that. It means despite all the challenges that you face; you find a way to overcome them. It might mean that you change where you place your focus and energy--not giving up exactly but moving on from what no longer serves you. This kind of change is often uncomfortable; it can make us question ourselves as we move outside our comfort zone.

Reflecting on both my personal and professional life, some of the greatest things that have happened to me were products of choices I made to take a chance and push the boundaries of my comfort zone. However, not every chance we take results in success, it's often the failures that help contribute to our success. If it weren't for the challenges I've faced in my life, I wouldn't be the person I am today. Each of them has given me perspective, taught me lessons, and ultimately given me the strength to move forward and face the next one.

As I embark on a new adventure this year, with big changes in store both personally and professionally, I feel equipped to take on whatever is in store for me picture perfect or not.