Wednesday 1 January 2014

Brave


Happy New Year Friends! I am can't wait to see what 2014 has in store for me and my blog. 

I'm starting off 2014 with another edition of The Girl Between the Lines link up with Hayley & Lauren. The prompt for this week is the question, "What is one thing you will do differently in 2014? Why do you want to change that one thing?" 

My answer to this question is simple. I want to be brave. 

It sounds simple enough. But even just typing the word brave increases my anxiety. Being brave means taking risks, stepping outside my comfort zone, trying new things, saying yes, not making excuses. Being brave is everything I am not. I like to play safe, I know the boundaries of my comfort zone, I'm happy with routines and sometimes declining a social event because "I have family stuff" really means "I would rather watch DVDs in my sweat pants because I don't really know anyone else who will be there." 

I've been thinking a lot about Texas over the past week and the more I think about it the more I am able to talk myself into the idea of going. And if it the camp in Texas doesn't work out, I'm opening up more and more to taking the plunge and moving somewhere exciting for a few months or a year. And the more I open up to it the more panicked I get, because moving is stressful. And there are so many logistical things to figure out, working visas, making enough money to live in wherever place plus pay student loans and other bills, making new friends, not getting murdered...

In the middle of it all I also remind myself that not so long ago an 18 year old me went off to university hundreds of miles away from home without knowing anybody. And that worked out pretty well. I have no idea why 23 (almost 24) year old me can't seem to make a similar leap of faith. If I did it then I can do it now. 

In the past five years my faith in God has only gotten stronger, I'm certainly more mature than I was at 18, in some ways I'm a lot more comfortable in my own skin, I have a much better understand of what I want in life and yet I'm so scared to make any major changes. Which when I think about it is a waste. I fully admit to being  unhappy with my single-ness. If life was going according to my plan at this point in my life I would either be a newly wed with plans to become a mom very soon or I would at least be in a very serious/committed relationship and making plans to spend the rest of our lives together. That's not where I am though. I'm single. And being single means that right now in this moment, in this big picture my only real responsibility is myself. When I make decisions I don't have to consider how it will affect my husband, I don't have to turn down opportunities because I want my children to go to a certain school or be near their grandparents. I am one. 

So in 2014 I'm going to be brave. I'm going to choose adventure, step outside my comfort zone and use this season of singleness to its fullest potential because someday (hopefully) I'll be a wife and mother with responsibilities that don't allow me to pick up and move to Texas if I so desire. And I'll be happy then, but I also need to be truly happy now. And in order for me to be happy I need to make some changes and all of those changes require me to be brave. 

10 comments:

  1. This was amazing, Donna! Thanks for sharing :) I've been thinking a lot about bravery lately and your post really inspired me. It's really hard stepping out of our comfort zones when there's so many unknowns and even making the simplest changes in our lives require bravery! I'm learning to take more chances and trying to be more open and comfortable in myself too.

    Love this post!

    xo, gina

    ReplyDelete
  2. Being brave is so scary, but so exciting as well! God will reward your desire to step out in your bravery.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sometimes it's really hard to be brave. I started my first post-graduation "big girl" job on Monday, and I've found myself intimidated and doubting my abilities. Now that I've landed the job, I have to learn to be brave and have confidence in myself.

    Best of luck to you as you work on this resolution. I'm now following you via Bloglovin'. :)

    Happy New Year!

    -Haylee

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great post. It's not easy being brave but I think it is something we must all face upto. I hope you have success with your mission to be braver and I hope you have a good year.

    And I myself am trying to learn to be braver this year. I want to get out of comfort zone and do stuff that makes me feel uncomfortable and maybe seems crazy. In fact I will be trying something really crazy soon and I will be embracing the idea of feeling uncomfortable by keeping my underwear in a wedgie for a day and not adjusting it. I know it sounds absolutely crazy but I want to learn to deal with the feeling of being uncomfortable and not being able to do anything about it.

    Check out my blog:
    http://katieloveslife94.blogspot.co.uk

    Happy new year!

    Katie x

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have no doubt that you can be brave, especially with God on your side. =]

    ReplyDelete
  6. thanks for stopping by, Donna! As an introvert, I totally get how staying in is so much more fun than going to an event with no friends... so kudos to you for choosing to be brave in 2014! happy new year!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Visiting from Girl Between the Lines! I love this post. I'm totally that person who sticks to a routine and doesn't like to deviate from the comfort zone. I've often used my husband as an excuse to avoid potentially uncomfortable social situations in the same way you describe! I think it's so admirable to want to push yourself a little more this year.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think all of us could definitely use a little dose of bravery--I know I certainly do!! This is a great goal and I know you can succeed with God on your side. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is great. Personally, I think writing out these thoughts was largely a step of bravery! Keep in mind that we all have a different picture of what our life was/is supposed to be at some point in time. I thought I would be traveling abroad and graduating college in 2014. Instead I will celebrate 3 years of marriage, my sons 2nd birthday, and possibly the birth of another Navey! Just be open to whatever God has planned for you!

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is awesome, Donna! You are already being brave with writing about this. Claiming "brave" as your word for the year is such a brave thing to do in the first place! :) And brave looks different for all of us, so claim your bravery this year as your own and praise God for giving you the strength to do it! So excited to see where God leads you this year.

    ReplyDelete