This post originally appeared on Anna’s 1st blog, Annamotion.

A Review of My 2016 Focus

Last year I started a tradition on this blog of helping us to focus our new year with a 1 word or phrase focus (read this post about it). My 2016 focus was inspired by a quote from Cinderella: “Have courage and be kind.” As a reminder, I had the quote inscribed on a Miero bracelet.

Read this post to find out why I chose this phrase for my 2016 focus.

This phrase helped me through many tough circumstances. As conflict swirled around me, I was reminded to show kindness in all things, but yet have the courage to speak truth.

It was my final semester of college and I had numerous speeches to give (I HATE public speaking!), including a Valedictorian speech in front of hundreds with my face enlarged on 2 ginormous screens!

This playlist became my year’s anthem and I guest posted on Heather Jabornik’s blog, Hiya Tootsie!, about the true meaning of courage (“I Am Fearful, Hear Me Roar”).

Though there’s always room for improvement, this 2016 focus, indeed, helped me to be kinder and more courageous throughout the year. I also took a few other courageous steps: I announced my decision to continue pursuing writing, I announced my plan to rebrand this website to thereelanna.com, and I launched a Patreon page (asking for money is scary!).

In my personal life I kindly and courageously took one other humungo step: I GOT MARRIED!!!

I’m super excited to continue developing these attributes in the new year.

And now it’s time to reveal my focus for 2017….

My 2017 Focus

I commissioned Kierran for the lion illustration and she so kindly worked with me on this special project. You can check out more of her work here: http://kierranmatos.weebly.com/

Walgreens happened to have a 50% off sale on canvas prints the same week, so I was able to afford getting the type of print I wanted! Hurray! It will hang on my bedroom wall so it will be the first thing I see every morning when I wake up.

Chase the Lion

My 2017 focus was inspired by Mark Batterson’s new book, Chase the Lion. I read his free devotional on the subject and found it ridiculously helpful and inspiring, so I snatched up the book as soon as it was released!

The phrase comes from an obscure verse in the Bible about one of David’s mighty men, Benaiah. “On a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it” (2 Samuel 23:20, NLT). Batterson uses this verse of a “lion chaser” running toward the roar (when any sane person’s normal response would be to run away from the roar) as an analogy for dream chasers.

The tagline of the book is “If your dream doesn’t scare you, it’s too small.” A big dream is like a 500-pound lion. Large. Terrifying. Chases most people away. Known to tear men to shreds and devour them…

Batterson encourages us to be like Benaniah–not chased away by our 500-pound lions, but rather chase them down. To take the analogy further and hear some great, inspiring stories from other lion chasers, you’ll have to read the book!

I’ve chosen this phrase as my focus because I don’t want to chicken out this year. I have many big dreams for this blog, my writing, and for my life and I’m not going to let fear or lack of discipline keep me from chasing them down and KILLING IT this 2017! I want to be a big dreamer–and not just a dreamer, but a doer. I want to be a lion chaser.

The Lion Chasers Manifesto (from Chase the Lion by Mark Batterson)

Quit living as if the purpose of life

is to arrive safely at death.

Run to the roar.

Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-given passions.

Go after a dream that is destined to fail

without divine intervention.

Stop pointing out problems. Become part of the solution.

Stop repeating the past. Start creating the future.

Face your fears. Fight for your dreams.

Grab opportunity by the mane and don’t let go!

Live like today is the first day and last day of your life.

Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails.

Life for the applause of nail-scarred hands.

Don’t let what’s wrong with you

keep you from worshiping what’s right with God.

Dare to fail. Dare to be different.

Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

Chase the lion.