Stop right there. I know what you’re thinking. “Year of her? What is she, some sort of self-obsessed millennial traipsing through life on a journey of self-discovery?” To which I answer: Nay! Well, ok. Sorta.
What I mean is that this is the year that I take life by the horns and say
Give me the best of what you have to give me!
This is not to say that I have been dealt a bad hand by any means. I love my husband, my kids, my family, and my friends. I work a steady job in an office filled with kind people. The happy truth is that I’m comfortable. Therein lies the challenge.
You see, there are two ways that life will get the best of you instead of the other way around. The more obvious of the two is by overwhelming you. Life can leave you feeling like it is all you can do just to keep yourself above water. If you let it, the business of life will keep you so busy that you will lose sight of your dreams. You tell yourself that you can do nothing more than stay afloat, and so that is all that you do.
The sneakier way life gets the best of you is by making you comfortable. Of course, comfort in and of itself is not a bad thing. I love being comfortable. Just ask my collection of lounge pants. But comfort can lull you into complacency. You get comfortable in your circumstances and say to yourself “Life is good here. I need nothing more than this.” Taking the risks necessary to reach a goal is scary. Putting in the work to achieve your dreams is hard. But I believe Theodore Roosevelt had something to say on that matter:
My comfortable life and I could drift through the years and be enjoyable, but that is not what I want for myself. I want to look back and see how I put in the effort and challenged myself to be the best of who I am. This year I will open myself and my art up to the public, build an illustration portfolio, start a social media presence, and attend a conference for the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators! It’s a lot to do, but it is what needs done to help reach my goal of breaking into the kid lit industry.
I’m hoping to make some friends along the way, so please feel free to comment and let me know who you, what you’re all about, and where you are in your journey towards your best you! Also (shameless plug here), follow me on Instagram @saravecchiart and on Twitter @saravecchiart to see sketches, projects, and insights into my life!
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