2016 Word of the Year

Happy New Year! I love this time of year almost as much as Christmas. Surfaces free of all the holiday decorations, floors cleared of pine needles and glitter, and a new day planner just filled with possibilities…it’s a blank, white canvas that matches the snow-blanketed ground outside. I feel filled with possibilities and am really excited about my plans for this little blog of mine. But at the same time, I’m a bit fearful, too. Here’s the story:

If you follow me here at Home Made Modern you know our family transitioned to being fully supported by our new business a couple of years ago. Wow. It’s been a roller coaster ride ever since. If any of you are self-employed, you know just how we feel. Last year, I began to fully commit to making Home Made Modern a brand, and had high hopes for helping to contribute to our family’s income; I really wanted to alleviate some of the pressure from my husband. While I did make strides, and the income I made paid for our health insurance, I feel I’ve reached a fork in the road. This can’t be a hobby; I need it to be more. So my husband and I sat down the other night and talked about our goals and how my blog and freelance writing fits in. And we decided. This is the year that will determine whether I keep blogging…or give it up for something more traditional and steady.

Big sigh. Ok. I was full of fear and a lot of questions after that talk. Could I do it? Should I do it? What’s best for our family in the end? What’s best for me? Should I even factor myself in? The key question that kept popping up, though, was, “What’s been holding me back?” After some thought in a quiet car running errands one day, I came to this conclusion. It’s fear, plain and simple. I’m afraid of investing money and more time in something that I’m afraid will “fail” in the end. But my alternative is to look for a traditional job, which will also mean searching for child care during the summer and possibly after school, and probably a whole litany of other things I haven’t had to think about (praise God!) for eight years. Thus, the crossroads I mentioned earlier. What should I do?

When the New Year rolled around, I began to think about my Word of the Year for 2016. If you recall, my word for 2014 was Stretch. And last year it was Define. I feel those both served me well. That first year we were in business, I had to stretch in a lot of ways–with our money, my time, and my spirituality. Then last year, it was time to figure out who we were within our new normal.

Now, it’s time to Rise. Yep, that’s my word. I will rise to this occasion and make this blog into the business I know it can be. I will rise to meet the challenges of taking our family business to the next level. And I will literally rise (as in, get my butt out of bed a little earlier in the mornings to pray and face the day with more clarity–a leaf I’ve been meaning to turn over for quite some time).  As a result, you may seem some changes around here.  I’m migrating to WordPress, for one, and I’ll be working on a new logo.

This blog is on the rise.

I’m wishing you a very happy and prosperous New Year, full of new adventures and growth, good books, lots of laughs with good people, and simple pleasures. Do you have a Word of the Year? Please share it with me!  I love to hear your stories, too.