After Christmas, comes the New Year and that means New Year’s resolutions. Work out more, read my bible more, eat healthier, spend more time with family, you know how it goes. You say you are going to do something, do it for a week, maybe two and then go back to the life you were living before.

I had a friend last year, that decided to adopt words for the New Year instead of resolutions. Words that you wish to be, words that will change your lifestyle. I love this idea and I am going to take on this challenge this year. I invite you to join with me. Instead of setting goals you know you won’t actually keep, adopt words that will push you to be what you want to be.

Because I am adopting words, I can start to pick up good habits and drop bad ones in my journey to grow and change. We should always be striving to grow and change. Do our part to make our lives just a little bit better. I mean that is the whole point of New Year’s resolutions, right? No one wants to stay stagnant forever.

This year I chose to be fearless. Anxiety stems from fear and I refuse to live my life in fear anymore. I want to do things because I am brave and strong. I want to be fearless and independent. I want to be courageous and not afraid to follow where God leads me this next year. I don’t want to be controlled by what others think of me of by my own perceptions. I want to be open-minded and step out to see the world and learn from other people. I don’t want to be controlled by my anxiety, I don’t want to hide from things because I am afraid. It is okay to be afraid, but I don’t want it to control me or keep me from living a happy life.

This next year is going to be full of growing and strength. I am not going to be afraid to try new things and expand my horizons. I want to get closer to my goals and start reaching some of my dreams. The way that this year went was really discouraging to me but I want to look at my downfalls, or problems, as challenges and not ways that life is trying to attack me. I always try to learn from my experiences, but I want to actually be successful and cheerful about this. Be cheerful about current situations rather than crying and whining about it.

I challenge you to join me and figure out who you want to be and what you have to do to become that. God created you beautiful, brave and joyful. Embrace that and remind yourself that you can do anything you want to. You were created for a purpose and can make a difference.