I’m realizing more and more that I’m not very good at being uncomfortable. So for an introvert who doesn’t like being uncomfortable, New Year’s Eve has to be quite possibly the worst holiday in existence. The expectation is this: spend $100 on a ticket to a loud overcrowded party full of girls teetering on stilettos after twelve too many vodka cranberries, loud terrible music, and bros getting handsy in the crowd. Somehow, if you don’t meet this expectation, it means you’re lame, you have no friends, and most of all, your year is going to suck. Everyone knows, that New Year’s Eve, this ONE night out of 364 other perfectly good nights, sets the tone for EVERYTHING else to follow. Even if that were true, do I want the tone of my 2015 to be guys getting handsy in the crowd?
Maybe. Depends on who the guy is.
I’m just kidding, that’s terrible. And terrifying.
To be completely honest with ya’ll, I feel like a total train wreck this New Year’s Eve. In my ideal world, I’d have taken the last week to sip tea, do yoga and reflect on the last year, setting new goals for myself. That would make me feel really good about my direction in 2015, but that didn’t happen. Things in life right now are moving at about 1000 mph, and I’m just trying to keep up. It’s been frustrating at times, but then I remember all the years I’ve spent waiting to be where I am today. I did a looot of prep work before I made the leaps I made this year, and now I have to learn how to move from preparing, to doing. This could get scary.
The old Angie would be running away right now. Trying to find somewhere secure to land, applying for jobs, and cataloging her blazer collection so she could return to what is “normal” and “safe.” 2014 taught me that where discomfort lives, the good stuff also resides. You don’t get greatness without risk, and you don’t get rewarded by playing it safe. Lean into the discomfort.
2014 was the year that I made a big leap in my life. I left the comfort and security I was clinging to in my full time job, I and set out on a journey of entrepreneurship that was super unclear and uncertain. I’m working every day to refine and clarify my goals and intentions for my life and business, but what I’m learning is that it will never feel safe or certain. As entrepreneurs, we have the choice every day to continue the fight, or curl up in the fetal position and let it get the best of us. It all comes down to faith.
We make New Year’s resolutions, plans for our weekends, intentions for our families, and goals for our businesses based on faith. Faith that the sun will rise again tomorrow. Faith that we’ll have the wherewithal to continue our journey. Faith that doors will continue to open. My hope for myself and for you is that whatever you want to accomplish this year, you’ll keep the faith. Leaning into discomfort is not fun or easy (I’m dealing with this now), and in an on-demand world, it’s easy to run away from what we can’t control. But when you take a risk, set a goal, or make a plan, you’re stepping out in faith, and if you don’t wait to see it through, it’s not really faith then, is it?
I’ve got a lot of exciting stuff planned this year, and if you’re like me and maybe you’re getting a little late start on the goal setting and resolutions for 2015, stay tuned! I’ll be spending January walking you through some great resources that have been indispensable to me in creating plans for my business, and we can goal set together! I’ll also be doing some fun giveaways that you definitely won’t want to miss out on over the next month!
As for tonight, I’ll be keeping a safe distance from all handsy bros in crowds and celebrating the new year how I want to: quietly with my husband…and wine.
Happy New Year to you. Thanks for reading this and following me on this crazy journey. As a New Year’s gift, I made you all a Desktop Wallpaper and iPhone Lock Screen (iPhone 5) of the above quote. Cheers to keeping the faith in 2015.