Happy New Year from Edmond, Oklahoma! Yes, that’s right – ANOTHER MOVE. I started 2021 in Georgia and moved back to Oklahoma (3rd 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!
Good for you!
I see the efforts you have been making and am always so very proud of you! You deserve HAPPY moments—seize, savor and seek them!
I love you forever and always—