My 2023 Challenge to You

Happy New Year!! We made it!

Hopefully, you and your loved ones survived the frigid temperatures of winter, chaotic shopping malls full of last-minute shoppers, moments of temptation to overeat, and horrific travel delays of airports and clogged highways to make it back home safely! I also hope that more of your time was spent catching up with family and friends, making new memories with those you love, and ringing in the New Year as you saw fit, whether that was in a place of worship, at a festive party or in slumber!

Over the break, I was blessed to spend time with my family and the Thomas Twins for their very first Christmas! My niece and nephew looked adorable in their Christmas attire, and their older brother Drew and I bonded over his favorite pastime: reciting the alphabet! Watching this new generation of the Thomas clan reminded me so much of my own childhood memories of Christmas: helping to decorate the tree in a color theme of my choosing, and writing a list to Santa with gifts that HE should get for my mom and dad on my behalf. Then going to bed that night and being afraid to make a sound or else Santa may not stop by to deliver the presents! Those were the days! Holidays are much more expensive as an adult….

And as we transition to visions of new year resolutions to dance through our heads, I’m excited about what 2023 will hold for each of us! The start of a new year is the perfect time to recalibrate your goals for your professional, personal and spiritual well-being. No matter what happened yesterday, tomorrow is a new opportunity to get it right! Here are my aspirations for your consideration.

Write the vision down. There’s a lot of truth in the saying that “if you can see it, you can be it!” Many of us have been inspired to take a career path or live life a certain way based on things we witnessed growing up. Watching the character Rudy Huxtable visit her big sister Denise at college on the television show “A Different World” confirmed for me that I wanted to go to college. I started writing to colleges and requesting view books so I could see what a variety of schools had to offer. Today, your vision can begin by writing down your goals for 2023. Putting ink to paper will allow you to visually see a tangible list that can help you focus on realizing those goals. Or you can take it a step further and create a vision board by creating a collage of photos to represent the things you want to accomplish. You may not be able to literally see yourself buying that house today, but by placing it on the list you can begin to visualize the steps you’ll need to make the vision a reality.

Perfect the Pivot. Looking for a career change? Relationship going nowhere? Not traveling in the right circle of friends? Pivot! I know this is easier said than done, but you only get one life to live. If what you’ve got going on is no longer working for you, then you OWE it to yourself to pivot. Now, sometimes the pivot can happen instantly, like deciding that you’re no longer going to eat fast food. And some pivots will take planning to execute. For example, when I finally decided to sell my Maryland townhouse, I couldn’t get rid of it the next day. I had to hire an agent, get photos taken for the listing, endure numerous viewings, do a price reduction after 60 days, and then finally I got an offer! I didn’t happen overnight, but it was worth the wait.

Stand and operate in your authority. I believe that God equips us with what we need to meet the challenges that we face in life. Oftentimes we may not feel like we have what it takes to do the job, speak in front of that audience, or manage that project. We count ourselves out with negative thinking that falsely says we’re too young, too old, don’t have enough experience or education, etc. However, God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called! You’ve got to believe in yourself long before you concern yourself about whether others do. When I was selected to serve in interim roles to lead the communications teams at Florida A&M University and Howard University, there were some people who probably (definitely) didn’t think I was the right person for the gig. Even I wondered how my name was chosen over existing cabinet-level VPs who could’ve easily supervised those departments for a few months. However, my former bosses knew I was ready, and their bosses clearly agreed. Now, what if I had declined to step into those roles? Who knows where I would be today! The same goes for you. This year someone is going to see something in you that you may not see in yourself just yet. Don’t reject the blessing, step INTO it! What seems like an overwhelming mountain will become a small hill as soon as you get started.

Patiently prepare, but don’t worry about tomorrow. With go-getters such as yourself, it’s hard to not feel like you’re running out of time as you work on conquering your goals. You may recognize the value in putting deadlines on goals, but I’m here to tell you that you need to make sure the deadlines motivate you, not cripple you. It’s okay if you don’t complete that degree in four years as recommended. The world is not going to end if you don’t get the promotion within a year of joining the company. No one cares if you’re not married with 2.3 kids by the time you’re 30. Seriously. I hope you achieve all your goals in record time. But, if you don’t…. keep going. You may have to revise what you wrote down as the goal. You may have to pivot. However, once you get to the other side, all the delays and challenges will make the accomplishment even more worthwhile. Lastly….

Find happiness in yourself. My niece and nephews had a blast this Christmas. As children, they didn’t worry about where they were going or who they were going to see while there. The amount of money spent on their gifts had no value to them. They happily played with the wrapping paper as much as the gift. They were content all by themselves and that’s a great mindset to take with us into 2023! I challenge you to reignite the childlike joy from within. When no one was around to rock Baby Aiden in his rocker, he was happy to rock himself. Baby Aria surprised herself when she took her first steps in the baby walker. When three-year old Drew heard a song about dancing like an animal, he jumped like a frog and crawled like a snail. Now it’s your turn! Take a moment and dance like no one’s watching. Find contentment in spending time by yourself. Be proud of your baby steps this year, no matter how small the victory!

Don’t quote me, but I think 2023 is going to be our year!! Happy New Year!