A New Resolve to Be Completely You

Dear friends,

Hello and happy 2014! It’s a new year, and I’m excited about it. I hope you are, too.

At the end of each year I do a lot of reflecting. I used to sit in the middle of my bedroom floor for days – no TV, no music – cleaning out closets, dressers and file cabinets. Then I’d join the line of people at Goodwill – dropping off bags full of old things that, hopefully, would one day become new to a loving home. After all of that I’d curl up with a blanket, a pen and a journal for hours.

Married life has changed my routine somewhat. This year, I didn’t get to do as much cleaning (poor me, lol) as I used to. However, I was able to spend the vast majority of New Year’s Eve with that blanket, a pen and my journal.

Writing has been my method of processing things for as long as I can remember. If I have questions about anything I simply sit down and have a come to Jesus meeting on the pages of my journal. I write what I know. I write what I don’t know. And eventually clarity will come. If not clarity, at minimum, peace…

As 2013 ended, one of the things I didn’t know was what 2014 would look like for my blog space. You didn’t hear a lot from me last year. Instead of blogging, I was doing a lot of “blog soul searching.” You see, I love blogging, but I’ll admit the past couple of years have been a struggle.

Although I was quiet on the site last year, I was actively studying the blogging world and other bloggers, with my own little piece of real estate in mind. I spent months pouring over similar sites, following people on Twitter, reading books, listening to podcasts and scouring Facebook pages. Whew! I get tired again just thinking about it all. You name it I did it and, sadly, the greatest thing this exercise brought me was more discouragement.

“That which has been is that which will be,
And that which has been done is that which will be done.
So there is nothing new under the sun.” – Ecclesiastes 1:9 NASB

In the midst of all my searching, I was reminded that there’s nothing new under the sun. And boy did I see that truth as I perused other blog sites. I sunk deeper into the quicksand of comparison. In my heart I began to wonder, what’s the use? There are so many others speaking, seemingly far more eloquently than I. Why would any woman listen to me? For the very first time in more than four years of blogging I seriously considered the possibility of letting it go. So, on New Year’s Eve I began to write what I know and to ponder what I don’t know. When I first started this journey back in 2009, here is what I knew:

1. I knew there was nothing new under the sun.
2. I knew there were other women bloggers.
3. I knew they weren’t me.
4. I knew they didn’t have my voice
5. I knew they didn’t have my stories.
6. I knew they didn’t have my heart.
7. I knew there’s a community for everyone. And those who are meant to hang out here will come and do just that.
8. I knew that communities need only to consist of 2 or more people. And I always said if there was one woman out there who connected with the thoughts, stories, laughs and lessons I shared, then I’d gladly share with just that one woman.

What I don’t know is simple. I don’t know what the future holds, and that’s ok.

This blog space has seen many changes over the past few years. I am preparing for many more as I learn to embrace its title and purpose for myself. My vision is for Be Completely You with Monica Nixon to be a community of women becoming beautifully. I’ll let those words marinate with you for a while, and if you’re still uncertain about what I mean I’ll elaborate in a post to come. In the meantime, welcome to 2014. It’s going to be amazing. My goals this year are simple.

1. I want to be a woman becoming beautifully and doing so comfortably and confidently – free and satisfied in my own unique skin.
2. I want to challenge myself to more out of the boat experiences.
3. I want to share all of the above with a community of friends.

Number three is where you come in. I hope you’ll join me in this little community and even invite your friends. The more the merrier.

Final note (before this post turns into a book): This year, I’ll be featuring a year-long series called 52 weeks to Be Completely You or #52weekstoBE for short. Each Monday for the entire year (Oh LORD help me!) I’ll post a challenge to BE. Some will be fun. Others will be challenging. The goal is simply to become stronger, more confident women on our journey of becoming beautifully. So get ready. #52weekstoBE starts tomorrow.

Until tomorrow…