Another year has passed.
Can you believe it? Another year has passed.
I know I echo a lot of “year-end reviews” when I say this has been a tough year for a lot of people. In my own life, I dealt with a lot of disappointments that I had to learn to accept, but with that and the election and some personal goals that didn’t get met, the last several months of the year felt like a dark hole of suck.
And within that dark hole of suck, creativity has a hard time taking root.
I also stretched myself too thin in too many different areas and as a result, lost a lot of focus.
And focus is kind of a big deal when you wear as many hats as I do.
But all in all, I like to think that I learned a lot about myself in 2016.
Looking back, my word for 2016 is: boundaries.
I spent much of the last year discovering, setting, and testing out boundaries, then readjusting those boundaries and testing them again.
It was a year of leaning in to discomfort and discovering things about myself I wouldn’t have admitted were there a year ago.
It’s also been a year of putting my writing out there in a way I never have before and I’m proud of myself for that.
So in honor of focusing on the good, here are things I’m most proud of in 2016:
- I became a Pitch Wars Mentor to two awesome ladies
- Both of those ladies got literary agents within the first week of querying/agent showcase
- Started a fun Texas State Park bucket list with my family we are checking off
- Had some incredible wins at my day job and got a nice raise
- Enjoyed several “me only” writers retreats in Tyler and Austin
- Went to an invite-only social media summit that took place at DISNEY WORLD! (so much fun!)
- Left a house that was falling apart around us and moved to the city I’ve been wanting to live in since we moved back to Texas from Europe 3 years ago
- Finished the first draft of a new book
- Outlined the ideas for two new books
- Revised ALLIANCE again in September/October and love it more than ever
- My kid trilogy is THRIVING! They are seriously the most hilarious, talented, fantastic kids on the planet
- Celebrated 11 years of marriage with my Belgian waffle and we went on a grown-up vacation with our best friends to Cancun!
- Bought a new couch (I know that seems weird to add here, but I’ve been wanting this couch for probably 10 years!)
- Was asked to help coordinate the teen volunteers for the North Texas Teen Book Festival
- Realized I’m living my best life.
Yup, you heard me on that last one. I’m living my best life. Some time this summer, I was hit with this realization that I am—right now—living my best life. I’m not aiming toward living my best life… it’s happening right now and just realizing and then accepting that has really changed my perspective.
There is nothing important in my life that I am not passionately pursuing.
I am passionately pursuing being a published author.
I am passionately pursing being the best in my niche field within digital marketing/social media.
I am passionately pursuing being the best wife/mom/sister/daughter/aunt/friend I can be.
I am passionately pursuing knowledge and understanding how to use my privilege for good.
I am passionately pursuing generosity and giving of my money and time to worthy causes.
I am passionately pursuing my spiritual walk and finding peace within my boundaries.
Living your best life doesn’t mean you’ve accomplished all your goals or everything is going right. Living your best life means that you are in a passionate pursuit of life and choose to grasp hold of each day, each accomplishment, each failure and say, “I don’t care what I feel right now, I’m choosing to acknowledge that I am living my best life.”
It’s in that acknowledgment that true happiness digs its roots deep into your soul.
So here’s to 2017 and living our best life.
Destiny Cole 