This year I will be fierce

Ah, my first blog post of 2014! I feel so excited by the possibilities of what stories my blog will tell this year. I have never before felt so renewed. I've had lots of beginnings in my life, but none quite this liberating, none that have made my gypsy soul feel as free and spirited as it has this first week of 2014.

Each journey in the past (college, post-graduation, starting a relationship, for example) has begun with some sort of plan. Each time, I had an idea of where I wanted to end up. Any deviation in the path was a surprise. Some surprises were good, some were bad. But they all caught me off guard. I went with it, of course, but it knocked loose my sense -- idea, really -- of control. It made me become vulnerable when that really wasn't welcome or comfortable {I've come to learn that being vulnerable is the truly brave thing to let yourself be.}

What is so exciting about 2014 for me is that for the first time that I can remember, I don't really have a plan. I have NO. IDEA. what to expect for this year. And it feels so awesome. I am approaching vulnerability and control from a new perspective. Instead of having everything dependent upon this almighty plan, and having it shake my foundation when it doesn't work out, I am living on that ledge of the unknown, of being fearless. I am embracing the surprises, {which will be fun! this year will be full of surprises!} I am allowing myself to be vulnerable to my life's path. The only thing I am going to expect is the unexpected. I feel ready for anything, and that makes me feel secure. When I don't have an itinerary to stick to, I can have the year take me where it wants to take me, and I can change the course at my own free will if I decide I want to go somewhere else. The freedom I've found in that realization is so great, so monumental.

I have goals and things I want to accomplish, for sure -- that is only healthy. But this year I am going to focus on the journey to get there. I figure if I make smart decisions, do what makes me happy and follow my heart as I go along, I'll reach my goals. I'll live my way there without even realizing it. And if the path I choose leads me to something different, then I am certain it will be even greater than what I had set out for.

I did make resolutions for 2014; I've never really made resolutions before but this year I wanted to. The only sure thing I have to hold onto is myself, that's the only sure thing we all have. {I know, obviously, that I can always count on the love, friendship and support of my parents and friends. But what I mean is, their life doesn't revolve around me, and my life doesn't revolve around them. I am responsible for my own happiness, my own actions, my own life.} I evaluated what I want for my self, my inner self, and I've made resolutions that are more like habits that I want to live by. If I'm recreating my life step-by-step, resolutions seem to be as easy a way as any to guide me. My resolutions are things that I want at my core, to make me the person I want to be. That way, no matter who or what the year brings into my life, I know who I am, I will remain steady. My path can criss or cross and my foundation will not shake. If I live the life that I want, that is true to my self, then the people and things that come into it will be reflections of that. My true self will not be compromised.

I'm excited for this new year because of the promise it holds for happiness, for learning and for surprise. I am honoring my resolutions, I am going with the flow, I am putting my destiny in motion. I am fearless.

2014 is launching me into something great 

and I can't help but smile. 

{I wish the same for you}