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

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The past 2 weeks I’ve had you think about what you want your 2016 focus to be. If this is your 1st time hearing about it, check out the post by clicking the image below:

 

Now that we’ve both put in the work, I’d like to reveal to you what I’ve chosen my 2016 focus to be.

Have courage and be kind

For awhile now I’ve known that my focus for this year needed to be something about bravery, but I wasn’t certain about my exact words until I watched the new Cinderella movie and it clicked!

Have Courage

This year will be full of the biggest changes of my life…all in ONE year!

I am graduating from college with a Bachelor’s degree in counseling at the end of April. This will be my 1st time in 16 years that I won’t be a full time student! School has basically been my whole life and focus, but now it’s time, for the very 1st time, to be completely immersed into the “real world.” It will be my 1st time living somewhere that’s not my parents’ house or school. I am also searching for a job after graduation and I still have no idea (well, some ideas) what in the world I will be doing as a “career.” Unfortunately, you can’t make good money being a gluten free cake taste tester. Trust me; I’ve looked into it. I have so many passions and ideas, but I’m still figuring out which path I should take for this next season of life. I’m also in a serious relationship that, Lord willing, will keep moving forward. I also have oodles of big dreams for this blog and my goals as an author and infopreneur.

I purposefully kept that all in one larger paragraph to hopefully give you a feel of what I’m experiencing right now. It’s a whole lot of jumbo changes all at once. So I know I’ll need the extra boost of courage.

I specifically want to keep working on my courage with this blog. Almost every creator, especially in the beginning, feels like a fake. It’s scary to speak with authority and self-promote, but I know it must be done if I want anyone to read anything I write. I’ve got to believe in myself before others can believe in me.

I feel like God has placed 2 amazing, courageous women in my life as “virtual mentors”: Mel Cross and Heather Jabornik of Hiya Tootsie!

These are 2 kind and creative women who speak and write with such conviction and authority. I know I stumbled upon their work for a reason. I already feel so encouraged and empowered by them! Go check them out, if you haven’t already. They have such great content!

Be Kind

For those who know me even just a little, you’re probably laughing right now. “Why does Anna, the nicest person on earth, need to worry about being kind?”

Well, in all honesty, my friends, I feel like I’ve declined in this area. I wouldn’t consider myself mean or unkind, but what used to come so naturally and flow so freely is just a little stopped up. I’ve become less intentionally and actively kind.

I want to go back to the kindness I once had that thought of others almost every moment of every day as I’d constantly be trying to look for opportunities to make someone’s day or help them out. I want to return to that way of living and grow from there.  That’s why I’ve included it in my focus for this year.

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So there you have it! Have courage and be kind. Please ask me how it’s going throughout the year so you can help hold me accountable.

What focus did YOU decide on for 2016? (leave a reply below)