[2021-01-01] Wishes for 2021
Yesterday's entry in A Year of Positive Thinking invited readers to "Choose three words for the new year that will represent the path you hope to take."
The three words I have chosen are healthy, altruistic and fearless.
Healthy
Healthy doesn't refer simply to being free of cancer or in remission or recovered. It also refers to being of sound body and mind, which comes from eating well, exercising, taking time to pause and reflect, nurturing relationships, and being at peace. Most importantly, healthy means achieving balance—something that was absent from my life as I fell into the habit of relentless work and productivity. In 2020, I came to realize that health is the foundation of everything I do. Without health, I am ill equipped to serve others.
Altruistic
As a natural helper, I've long devoted myself to the welfare of others. It's the primary reason I blog: to help others by sharing my experience and perspectives. Having benefited from the altruism of so many in 2020, I look forward to the opportunity in 2021 to both give back and pay forward these kindnesses.
Fearless
Fearlessness is the opposite of self-doubt. I doubted myself numerous times in 2020 in contemplating, publishing and promoting this blog. I questioned the value of a blog focused on my journey to deal with cancer. I wondered whether people would want to read it. I was apprehensive about my ability to write every day, or at least to write something meaningful every day. I had qualms about specific posts, unsure of whether they met some undefined standard of quality. I feared going public and the potential for negative feedback. I was uncertain about using social media to link to my posts. While I obviously moved past these fears, it is my wish for 2021 that I will move from self-doubt to fearless action more quickly. Drawing attention to ovarian cancer and presenting a hopeful picture of one person's journey to overcome it is not something that I need to doubt. It is to be pursued with earnest passion.
The UK's Action for Happiness published a Happier January calendar. Today's proposed action is to "Find three good things to look forward to this year."
The three things that immediately come to my mind are completion of cancer treatment, celebration of my marriage to Chris, and face-to-face contact with my family, especially a gathering involving lots of great food and honest-to-goodness hugs.
What three words would you choose to represent your desired path in 2021 or what three things are you most looking forward to this year?
