Where am I heading in 2016? (I hope you join me!)

In 2015, you learned about my "agenda" and goals for the year. I had 11 very specific targets to hit. In the end, I was able to make nearly all of them a reality. I am very happy with the overall results. 

2016 will have a different twist on this concept. 

As the quote above states: "I want to become a woman who overcomes obstacles by tackling them in faith instead of tiptoeing around them in fear."

That quote is my mantra for 2016. 

At least once a month, if not more, my goal is to face the following obstacles with faith and not fear. 

Cooking

Watching

Reading

Finishing

Uplifting

Expanding

Cooking. I have been fearful of it my whole life it seems (especially my married life). I want to get better at creating meals for myself and my family instead of depending upon others or restaurants so much. 

Watching. Well, it's high time I watch more than my phone screen or camera's viewfinder. I have access to so many great shows and movies. I need to expand my horizons without fear. So what if I end up not liking it? At least I tried! 

Reading. My reading of actual books has declined big time over the years. I need to get myself out there and focus more on books. I need to faithfully make the time to make this happen. 

Finishing. Oh my goodness, I have too many projects I have put to the side. Often, I end up doing so because I am fearful of how they are shaping (or not shaping) up. 2016 is a year to correct that!

Uplifting. In 2015 several of my goals were directed towards myself. In 2016, I want to faithfully take the time to uplift others on a regular basis. 

Expanding. I really feel based upon some of the things I choose to do (without fear, but in faith) that I will find a way to expand my mindset and knowledge of the world around me. 

I have already made a start on this for January. 

Cooking. For the first time in my life, I made a homemade stew! Soups I have been ok at, but now I can add stew to my list. 

Cooking, Watching, and Expanding...hey, I had never tried veggie/fruit juice!

Watching. Thanks to Facebook, I saw this article "23 Best Movies On Netflix You Haven't Seen Yet." I decided to try a movie from it. "The Kids Are All Right" was an interesting movie and I am pretty glad I gave it a chance. If you're homophobic (I am not) or hate "foul language" (again, I can face it), you won't be able to handle this film. However, I found it charming, enlightening, and brutally honest. There are many points in the film that touched my heart. This part for instance:

"I need to say something. Um, it's no big secret your mom and I are in hell right now, and, uh... Bottom line is, marriage is hard. It's really hard. Just... just two people slogging through the shit, year after year, getting older, changing. It's a marathon, okay? So, sometimes, you know, you're... you're together so long, that you just... You stop seeing the other person. You just see weird projections of your own junk. Um, instead of talking to each other, you go off the rails and act grubby and make stupid choices, which is what I did, and I feel sick about it because I love you guys, and I love your mom, and that's the truth. Sometimes you hurt the ones you love the most. I don't know why. I... You know, if I read more Russian novels, then... Anyway, I just wanted to say how sorry I am for what I did. I hope you'll forgive me eventually. Thank you."

Reading. This book (pictured above) is a must-read for anyone in education or who is the parent of a high-functioning autistic child. I picked it up fearful of what I would read, but now I am reaching a better understanding of how individuals with high-functioning autism work. It has been very eye-opening. I am thankful for it.

Finishing. I started this Mardi Gras mosaic years ago, and put it down. I was so fearful of where it was headed. I found it, added some black paint, and am back to letting the beads and glue come together. Hopefully, when it is finished I can find a home for it or an art show to display it in. I am going to stop being afraid of how it comes out and have faith... well, have faith it won't totally suck. :-)

Uplifting. I am currently working my tush off to get all my ducks in a row to nominate a current student for the Missouri Journalism Student of the Year, as well as nominate my Principal for Missouri Administrator of the Year through the state Journalism group I am involved in. Both are so deserving and I am excited to be the one to get the ball rolling. It's time to see other people recognized for their efforts. I hope they know that in my heart they are amazing people who put Scholastic Journalism first whenever possible. 

Expanding. I found myself at Casey's General Store eyeing the juice on the first Sunday of 2016. Feeling under the weather somehow didn't phase my idea of trying to "expand" upon my experiences in life. I picked up a fruit/veggie juice blend. Guess what? I didn't hate it. It was totally worth trying! Add that into my expanded understanding of all the time that goes into mosaics and how to best help kids with high-functioning autism... well, I feel pretty ok about this area. 

So, what will future blog posts reveal about this new "mantra" and focus for 2016? Only time will tell, and I am excited to see how it goes. Do you have any suggestions for what to attempt to cook next, read, watch, etc? Feel free to comment on my MK Designs facebook page, or right here on the blog. 

Until next time, 

~ M of MK Designs