It’s the most wonderful time of year.
You might assume that I’m talking about the Holiday Season, but the truth is— for me it’s because of the New Year.
I’ve never been a fan of waiting until the New Year to start new goals. However, it’s almost impossible to be this close to the start of a brand new calendar year and not be excited and full of wonder about what 2019 will bring.
In the midst of your holiday shopping, spending quality time with your family and finally giving yourself some freedom to just slow down and relax, there’s a burning desire within all of us to do better over the next 12 months.
To do things differently.
In the next couple of weeks you’ll probably find yourself reflecting back over 2018. As you look back, there will be moments you recall where you were happy.
For me, those happy moments were finally figuring out my own personal self care schedule after adding J to our family or having the opportunity to travel to new cities for work or losing myself in the books I had on my list or exploring new trails in the mountains near my house.
And then, there will be these defining arcs of 2018 that gave you soul-stirring JOY.
JOY looks like holding my son for the first time and watching him develop over the last 8 months.
JOY is providing opportunities for my daughter that I didn’t have myself as a kid and watching her thrive.
JOY is realizing that the work being done through Color Outside is impacting real women of color. I was able to truly grasp that as I went through photos from the recent Pop Of Color: LA workshop. It was simply MAGICAL.
And while I hope that you had many moments of happiness in 2018, my wish for you is that JOY was a permanent this year.
You see, you can have moments where you feel unsure, low, sad, and confused. Happiness is fleeting because it’s an emotion. A mood.
But JOY is a staple. It’s what you have because you accept who you are, who you’re becoming, and unapologetically embrace your beautiful mess. Joy is loving yourself and enjoying the journey.
And in 2019, not only are the women of Color Outside going to center our JOY, we’re going to PLAN for it.
N-