My Words for 2014

I spent the first few days of 2014 being introspective. I didn't want to just blurt out my words for 2014 without giving them a lot of thought. So here are my words and what they mean to me.

Necklace by Kelly Rae Roberts

Gratitude. For a while now I've really been working on practicing gratitude. When I start getting myself worked up or in a bad mood I have made a conscious effort to stop and to think about all that I have to be grateful for and I know that it's a lot. Especially in this past year when I had this amazing gift of staying home with the kids for the summer, taking them on a vacation they will not forget, and being here for them after school every day, often with dinner started.

Create. When I was thinking about my words I realized that two of them were right in front of me. One of them was Create. I bought myself a beautiful necklace designed by Kelly Rae Roberts with the word Create in the center. Everything I'm doing is about creating. I'm creating a new business and a new life for myself. I'm also being creative with my writing. I am creating art.

Dream. Dream was another word that I had already chosen without realizing it. It is engraved on a plate inside of my Origami Owl charm necklace. I chose the word dream because I have dared to dream bigger with my new business and my new independent life. I still have so many dreams to fulfill.

Passion. Because I couldn't have three words. I had to have four. When I went to look at my Vision Board on Pinterest, and how I could change it for 2014, the word passion just kept popping out at me. And I'm not just talking about romantic passion. I'm talking about passion about life. A long time ago an ad agency gave me an awesome black rubber bracelet like the Live Strong bracelet but instead it said, "Hazlo con Pasion." Awesome words to live by. Do it with passion. Do everything with passion.

 

There you go. Those are my four words for 2014. What are yours?

First Blog of the Year and A Word for 2014

I keep reading all these articles and blogs about not making New Year’s Resolutions. A couple of them even had a list of all the things that the author said she wouldn't do, including NOT losing weight.

The funny thing is that I can’t do that. I can’t just say, “I’m just going to eat whatever I want and not care about gaining weight!” Because guess what? I WILL gain 30 pounds instead of losing them. For sure.

Kelly Rae Roberts Print

But on a serious note about resolutions, I want to be enough for myself. I want to do the things that are good for me, including eating right and exercising, even if I don't list that as a resolution.

I want to be the girl I have been waiting for, like Kelly Rae Roberts says in the print above. Or in the words of Gwen Zepeda, "I've finally captured the girl I deserve." I really believe it. I know that I am enough.

I recapped 2013 in my last blog and I said that in 2014 I want to make my business work. The truth is, I’ve really been thinking about this a lot and I decided for sure. I don’t want to go back to Corporate America. It's a "revolution" like the little boy says in the AT and T commercial. A resolution revolution that I want to be my own boss.

I am more passionate about running my own business and writing than I am about working for someone else again. So in order to do these two things I am going to make all the necessary sacrifices to make it happen. I know I've been working on this already but part of me also feels like most of the last seven months were more of a vacation. At least the first four months were.

But now if I want to make this business work I need to hire an intern and an assistant.  I need to take all the steps to set this up and run it like a real business.

I am determined.

Some other blogs and articles I saw in December discussed thinking of a Word or even three words for 2014 in lieu of resolutions. I had forgotten about this idea and then on Friday I was reminded about it twice.

I saw it written on my December page of my day planner (yes, I still use a real paper planner), "What is my word for 2014?" I asked myself.  I saw that and said, "Oh yeah!"

Then later that evening I was having a drink with a girlfriend and she brought up the same thing. She told me her word for 2013 and her three words for 2014, which got me to thinking about it too.

I haven't decided on my three words yet. I want to really give them some thought, so I'll get back to you on that.

On one final note, Friday, January 3 was the 14 year anniversary of the last day I saw my mom and talked to her. I knew that my mom was sick and that I could lose her at any time but I still didn't know when. I didn't know that THAT was the exact final day. I wonder what I would have done differently. I wonder what else I could have said to her. Did she know that I loved her? No doubt in my mind she did and that makes it a little better.

Think about that when you say goodbye to your loved one next time, especially your parents. Every day treat them like it may be the last time you see them and tell them how much you love them. Even though I know she knew I loved her I would have told her one more time when I left her house that evening.

Leap Fearlessly and Dare Greatly

Remember how it feels when you jump wildly into a cold pool or into a lake? Have you ever done that? When you do it you are leaping fearlessly into the unknown, especially if it's a lake. That is how I feel right now. I feel like I just took a fearless leap with my eyes closed.

From Brene Brown's book Daring Greatly

 

When I started thinking about leaving my job of sixteen plus years at the Houston Chronicle I couldn't stop. It was like this idea had just overtaken my mind and every time I tried to get it out of there I found myself doing other things instead. I was writing a Pros and Cons list. I was doing a budget. I was checking to see how much money I had in my savings. I was researching insurance. I knew then that I was going to do this.

I love the Houston Chronicle. Don't get me wrong. I learned A LOT during my years there and I still love what they do. I love that they put out a newspaper every day and that the entire city reads it at the same time. There's something magical about being a part of that for sixteen years.

But something else had happened and it wasn't just the Chronicle. It was me too. I was becoming steadily dissatisfied with my job. It was like a bad marriage where it wasn't just one person. It was both of us. I tried changing positions, thinking that maybe I could spice things up. But the truth of the matter was that there was nothing either one of us could do any more.

I applied at a couple of different places over the last few years, thinking that maybe a change of scenery would do me good. A few months ago I applied at a local organization that I really love and admire. I thought that it would be the perfect fit but unfortunately they didn't hire me.

It was after this last job interview that I told myself that I should just leap. I started listening to Brené Brown and her TED talks. I realized that the only way to really be true to myself and to have self-worth was to leap and to leap fearlessly.

I'm actually quoting Kelly Rae Roberts here too because she's the one who has this beautiful print on a frame that says "Leap Fearlessly." I gave it to my best friend when she got divorced and bought her first house a couple of years ago.

So here I am. Today is the first day of my freedom. I was talking to someone about my big step this morning and I realized something. I realized that when I was applying at another organization to get hired away from the Chronicle it was like I was waiting to get saved. And why? Why was I waiting for someone to come and save me when I could save myself?

That's what I've done! I have gone and saved myself and I have big plans this summer. I will be a stay at home mom with the children for the first time in both their lives. I will be available to have my dad come stay with me for a couple of days a week. Most importantly, I'm WRITING and I'm going to do some much much needed remodeling to my house. Finally, I'm launching Casares Communications part time. I say part-time but people are contacting me already about my services. I'm excited about the opportunities that will come my way!

I know it's a lot for the summer but I feel good about my choice. I feel like for the first time in a long time I'm in charge of my future and it's a good feeling. I'm glad that I took this fearless leap and I'm looking forward to this next chapter of my life.