Cheers to New Beginnings!!!

With every end, there is a chance for a new beginning. Coming out of an awesome appointment this evening with good discussion, some other good discussions today, and a beautiful, most perfect friend who told me today I’m glowing in my newfound adventure, I am truly blessed, humbled, and happy. This is not the end. It’s a new beginning. A fresh slate to absorb all the wonder that lies ahead.

What will you do when opportunity knocks? Will you wait and wonder what could happen? Will you miss opportunities? Will you forsake those who’ve stood loyally by your side to get ahead or to fulfill your own needs? Will you damage relationships? Will you forge new ones? Will you live in denial of self or worth? Will you reflect on how you/things could have been different? Will you live your life as it was meant to be lived, or will you settle for the past or what could have been? Will you learn from your mistakes and take accountability for those you’ve hurt/wronged? Will you commit to yourself and others to be a better person? Will you stand by your values? Will you accept that not everyone will like you, but make them respect you? Will you be happy and free?

I’ve asked myself these things time and time again over the years, and I tell you: Self-reflection and just downright being a good person (which has never been my issue- if anything I’ve been TOO nice to the undeserving over the years) is worth the investment. You can accept an end much better that way knowing you’ve done all the right things for the right reasons. You are also that much more ready to embrace a new beginning. Not everything or everyone is good for you. I say this often too (said it earlier to someone). I am full of wonder and excitement to write my next chapter (literally and figuratively). Are you ready? The time is now. Life never gets any longer folks, and time doesn’t wait on anyone. Through the grief process of so much loss, I learned things about myself I didn’t even know. I reflected. I owned and and re-owned it. I let the sadness come. I let the questions come. I let the anger come. I used it all as a weapon to stop putting up with bs. I used it to mold me even further. I reflected and realized I needed to stop putting up with things that I should never have tolerated in the first place. I gained more intestinal fortitude. I solidified boundaries. I healed (and am still healing in full disclosure). I used it to carry the weight of others who needed me. I used it to drop the dead weight of those not carrying their own weight. I used it to call out or separate without notice from the disingenuous. I gained more confidence. I made even more people proud. But most of all, I made me proud.

I say all the time that I am unapologetically me. And I mean it. I will not apologize for all the beautiful, complex things that make up my character and/or values. We are all flawed, but when I say that I am the best me I can be, I believe it because I’ve done the work. I’ve continued to do the work, and I’ve ended what wasn’t good for me. I don’t have to apologize for who I am because I love me, and I always do the right things for the right reasons. What will you do differently tomorrow?