Grab a shovel; We're digging.

The past days and weeks have been filled with chatter about New Years Resolutions. Towards the end of every year, we look back and decide what we were unhappy about in the past twelve months. We consider financial mishaps, relationships gone wrong, career moves that didn't work out.

While looking back at this year, I began to realize that was I virtually stagnant in intellectual, spiritual, and relational growth. I have made only a few real changes that have made a huge impact on my everyday life. In 2009, I did get a new job, move to a new apartment, make a few more friends, but I don't feel like I've grown significantly.

So my resolutions are as follows:

1.) Be More Punctual. 'Nuff said.

2.) Be More Independent. Too often, I end up missing out on things that could be fun or beneficial because I don't want to go alone or because there is no one to show me how. This year, I'd like to step outside of my safetyzone and see what happens. I'm sure I'll get burned a few times, but I'm also sure I'll find out some amazing things about myself and the people/world around me.

3.) Find Out a Little More About Alysha. To say that I want to find out who I am completely is unrealistic; it takes a lifetime to find out who you really are. Perhaps this year, though, I can find a little piece of me. Maybe I can answer the questions "What do I get when I cross my faith and the reality of the world around me?" "Where do I get the strength to leave bad friendships in the dust?" "What is the result of mixing who it is I am grateful my parents raised me to be and who it is I want to be?" and finally "Am I willing to possibly lose some of the people I consider dear to me while I change into the person I want to be?"


It's definitely possible that I won't be able to answer all of these questions in 365 days, but I'm going to do my best to fit it all in. These questions will inevitably spawn new questions, and lead me to new journeys. I am, naturally, both excited and nervous about digging so deep, but I'm ready. I'm tired of being restless and anxious, and feeling like I'm lacking motivation and drive in life.

What are your goals? What things did you decide you didn't want in your life anymore? What PEOPLE did you decide you didn't want in your life anymore? What is your plan of action for the moments when you feel like forgetting your resolutions because they, in the moment, feel unattainable and impossible? The only advice I can offer (and I can hope to take myself) is to remember that you are not the first person to feel the way you do, or to take the road you're taking. Reach out around you, and when the time is right, you'll find that the right people have been divinely placed on your path to help you.