Happy New Year from Edmond, Oklahoma!  Yes, that’s right – ANOTHER MOVE.  I started 2021 in Georgia and moved back to Oklahoma (3^rd time’s a charm) in October.  I learned something I did not know before though.  Oklahoma’s state motto is “Labor Omnia Vincit” – Labor conquers all things.  How apropos to my life! 

I moved because I was promoted to District Manager with Love’s and took over a District of eight locations.  While I was proud of the accomplishment, I thought about how much sacrifice and compromise was required to get here.  I looked back on the last 2.5 years and realized that they really are a blur.  Early mornings, late nights and weekends all spent at work.  As a result, the only things I can share in this year’s letter are work related.  I worked for 8 months straight, some weeks 6-7 days for 14-15 hours a day, still travelled to Louisiana for Army Reserve drill every other month, got promoted, bought a house, moved in a very accelerated and unrealistic timeline, and started managing eight locations.  That was my year in a nutshell.  I managed a few trips to Tennessee but regrettably, none that work still was not a primary distraction.

Oklahoma’s state motto has caused me to pause and reflect a lot over the last three months.  First, I thought to myself, “Well, how appropriate; it is because of hard work that I am here, and I am proud to have reaped the rewards of my labor.”  But then I turned 34…

Still plenty young, but still a birthday that marked the first year of my mid 30’s; and started dwelling on the motto, prompting some very different thoughts.  No matter how strong or strong willed one might be, one cannot live a stressful, maxed-out life without that pace eventually taking a negative toll.  It is vitally necessary to take breaks, set parameters, and be kind to oneself if one wants to continue making a difference in his or her little corner of the world.  Everyone deserves at least a day in which no problems are confronted, and no solutions searched for.  As a society, we are expected to nonstop grind and thus do not take the time to relax and take care of ourselves in positive, nurturing ways.  I was too exhausted to take care of myself in any consistent way resulting in a year of very unhealthy habits and mundane living.

So here is some advice and resolution setting for the new year:  Set boundaries – they will nourish you.  Have fun – being busy is not glamorous.  Stop saying yes – saying no supports your mental health.  Learn and love yourself – self-awareness helps you react less.  Make peace with the past – healing yourself assists in healing your connections.  Stop trying to please everyone – you lose yourself by even attempting this impossible task.

So I am adopting a new motto:  “Carpe Omnia” – “Seize it all” in the hope that by the end of 2022, I can write a letter that is full of adventures journeyed, risks taken, and life fully lived.  Happy, Healthy and Joyful New Year!