I used to say "THIS IS GONNA BE MY YEAR" I really believed it too! And year after year after year I was faced with hardship and trial and of course mixed with blessings and growth! However, I wasn't exactly left to believe that it was "my year"
I remember at the beginning of 2012...I spoke those words again and really believed it! I had reached a point in my life and my career that I was able to retire! I believed that it was truly gonna be an amazing year! I retired from my full time career in January to take Scentsy on full time and man did I think that some great things were ahead! I had a couple of trips in February and March and also some speaking engagements and I was really on a high! Being home with my kids and choosing how I spent my days was a dream come true!
I had no idea that our lives were about to be turned UPSIDE down in a few short weeks! On April 3, 2012 we were hit by an F3 tornado and it changed everything! We had no where to go after the house was destroyed! We ended up living in the hotel for the longest 5 months that I can remember while the house was being repaired! I remember thinking.. "this was sooooo not what I had in mind for retirement!" Well, as a result we ended up enduring some of the hardest 5 months we have ever faced! We had just moved and sold our house which already had us in new territory for the first time ever but, now after having just adjusted to our new surroundings....MAJOR CHANGE AGAIN!
So half of 2012 was spent living in the hotel inside 4 walls for the Earl family! Even though we were faced with hardship on every front...it ended up being one of the greatest blessings that I can recall! We have even joked that a part of us misses some of the good parts about being together inside those 4 walls!
I can't even begin to tell you the hardships that were caused from this experience! But that is where I proved the truthfulness of my favorite phrase and life theme.... "A BETTER ME... A BETTER EVERYTHING!" ,
Enduring this trial really showed each of us what we were made of and all of us experienced personal growth! As we bonded our world really was better! Our love was deepened and our unity was strengthened and our faith was increased! So now that we find ourselves at the beginning of this new year...it makes me think what do we really mean when we say Happy New Year...I kind of feel that we are just celebrating the chance to start a new chapter and close the door to the struggles and trials that we faced! Even if it was a great year for some then it is closing the door to great things and ready to build that into a new and even greater year!
In the dictionary the word RESOLUTION states that it is the act of analyzing a complex notion into a simpler one or a formal expression of opinion or intention made.
A resolution to me means to reflect and analyze on our life and the year and all that we have endured and break it down into personal understanding and simplify the lessons! Then we make daily choices that expose that we have grown from our struggles and trials! Then you become "A BETTER YOU"
Every chance you take to reflect about yourself and HOW your struggles affect you and then allow it to improve yourself then you are becoming a better you!
When you are a better you then you can bring forth a positive change in the world by starting with yourself first! It is time to embrace who you are and the trials that you face. It is time for people to be responsible for what they bring into the world. It is time to feel our own strength and how we can make a difference. It is time for us to realize that we have the ability to transform the lives around us by believing in ourselves. As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others around us permission to shine!" Pick whatever word that you want to fill in the blank and it is still true!
A BETTER ME; A BETTER _________________ (friend, marriage, sister, brother, mother, wife, husband, mom, co-worker, neighbor)
AS YOU EMBRACE ALL OF THE THINGS THAT OCCUR IN YOUR LIFE AND THAT YOU WILL FACE IN 2013....REMEMBER THIS....
The GOLDEN opportunity you are seeking is in yourself. It is not in your environment; it is not luck or chance, or the help of others; it is in yourself alone. ~Orison Marden
As you begin this new chapter of your lives in 2013... Find JOY in yourself and take time to reflect! As you discover yourself and make small improvements each day! You will become BETTER and in turn make your world BETTER! A BETTER ME, A BETTER EVERYTHING!
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