Every year for the past few years, I’ve come up with a word- my nudge word- for the upcoming year. It’s a word designed to drive my focus and intentions. Last year, it was “Surrender“. And surrender I did.

I listened fully to every pull my heart made. I listened when it told me it was time to leave the classroom. I listened when it told me to give a new place a chance because I’d never know if I didn’t try. And that found me halfway across the country in another teaching position. So, I listened when my every fiber of my being very quickly told me I was in the wrong place doing the wrong thing, and I moved again.

I’ve spent the last year working so hard to stop thinking so much and follow my heart. It’s been a very expensive and at times stressful experiment, but I can honestly say I have zero regrets, and I fully believe it all happened just as it was meant to. There were things I needed to learn about myself, things to figure out, that I don’t believe I could have done any other way. I’ve always said I tend to prefer to learn the hard way

Now I find myself in this place having completely overhauled my life and starting over once again. I’m in a new city, a new home (#44 in case you’re wondering), a new job and industry, and after everything I’ve put my body through- it feels like that’s new too (and needs some serious TLC).

I’ve never been afraid of taking risks and starting over, but I will admit that it’s getting harder and there are a great many things that I have yet to fully experience and never will if I don’t stay put. I’m finally ready for that. I’ve never claimed to be anything more than a continued work in progress, but I think it’s time to finally enjoy some of the progress rather than always pushing to figure out what’s next.

It’s time to fine-tune the details of my life rather than overhaul it. Will I move again? Yes, but not to another city or state or country. I’ll move to a home that feels better for me now that I’m in the place I want to be and have a better idea of my needs and wants. Will I change my routines? Yes, and I will keep changing them until I find what fits the person I am right now. What worked for me last year may not be right for me this year. Let’s be real- what was right 6 months ago isn’t right for me now. I will continue to tweak and adjust and whittle down until I find what works, what feels right. I don’t have to keep doing anything if it no longer serves me the way it once did. The most beautiful thing about this life is our ability to choose, to change our minds at any time, and live in a new way. If I learned anything through surrendering, it’s that I have to trust my body and the nudges that the Universe sends me. I am never stuck, and what’s meant for me will never miss me.

Which brings me to this year’s word.

This year, I want to embrace all of the surrendering, all of the risk-taking I’ve done, all the starting over, and reap the benefits. I’ve had so many wonderful experiences that I now get to bring into this new phase of my life and build on. There is a life I dream of that I feel certain I will have in time. This is the year where I build it. This is my year to Thrive 🙂