Last year, my word was Surrender. I went into 2018 with an open heart and a head full of questions. I’ve been looking for direction, looking for the next thing. For almost a decade, I have been chasing my dreams with photography and now that I feel successful and steady, my heart wanted more. I blame my entrepreneurial mind, always searching for the next big idea to go after and achieve. But the problem was, I’ve been so focused on photography since high school, I didn’t know the next thing I wanted to explore. I needed direction and guidance. In my experience, when you’re struggling to make something happen without purpose, it’s time to stop and just surrender.

That’s what I did. For the last twelve months I continued on a path of discovery. Trying new things, letting my mind wander in the possibilities, all while enjoying exactly where I was in my career. My love for photography will never change and I’m not looking to replace that. I just want new challenges and I want to find new ways to share my skills and help people. 2018 brought a lot of clarity of what I want to do and what I don’t want to do.

Towards the end of this year, I’ve been busy making a plan. I’m fired up again and I have a vision, which brings in my word for 2019. Are you ready for it?

Abundance

Or thriving, but I really like the idea of saying “abundance.” While I was meditating one night, the verse came to me. It’s from John 10:10, “I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” I was struck instantly by that powerful message. As a Believer, I can walk in that beautiful fact that Jesus doesn’t just want me to have life, but He wants me to have life in abundance. Why aren’t we living like that? Why are we expecting less than what we think we deserve? We should be thriving and living our best lives!

This doesn’t mean I want to live in excess or that I’m not humble. I just want to see the world around me overflowing with blessings. Even if nothing changes, I want my attitude to change. I want to take risks and go after big, scary dreams because God wants me to live my most abundant life. I think this year especially is going to bring some big, amazing changes and I’m SO ready for them.

What is your word for the year? How are you using it?