My year is off to a great start! It began with me taking 10 days off of work. The time off was dedicated to sleeping in, taking naps and looking back on what I achieved in 2023. While these activities of rest and planning are good, something very interesting happened during this time.

I didn’t do anything exciting!

I definitely researched things to do or visit such as, museum, movies, spa, and even a staycation but none of that seemed interesting. I actually thought something might be wrong with me. This bothered me so much that I questioned if I was going through depression.

Don’t worry, I’m not!

I couldn’t leave the issue alone. I went to bed with it wrestling in my thoughts all night. However, I did wake up with the answer. And trust me, it’s not the answer I was expecting. The answer came down to one word: acceptance.

I haven’t accepted the fact that I now live in Houston.

Even writing that sentence was jarring. I moved to Houston, Texas in April 2022 and didn’t expect to still be here in January 2024. My plan was to come home, donate my kidney and move on to the next thing.

But life was like, “Uhhh, not so fast!”

Regardless of what I originally thought would happen, it’s time for me to accept where I currently live. I have to be honest with you though, I didn’t really enjoy living in Houston the first time around. Houston is not the city that sparks my soul. BUT THAT’S NOT THE POINT! (P.S. I wrote that in all caps for me.)

The point is it’s time for me to let go of the past and accept where I am now so I can focus on what’s ahead of me.

Houston is where I am. Houston should be the place I’m exploring and enjoying. You may be saying to yourself, “No you don’t have to do that. It’s okay to live in a city that you know is not your forever and not focus on being present. It’s okay to put all your energy into planning your future.” And you’re right. I don’t have to do anything. However, look at this quote from Young W. Lee from the article Psychologist Say We Must Accept Who We Are In Order to Change on the Lifehack website.

Before we can even change ourselves, we must accept who we actually are, since we need a starting point. It’s like using a GPS or Google Maps. First, we have to figure out where we are now (or who we are now) and then figure out where we want to go (or WHO we want to become)

And the first step is always figuring out where you are now (or who you realistically are now) and confirming your location (or accepting who you are). Once you figure out who you realistically are and accept who you are, then you are READY for change.

So there it is! That’s why I’m accepting where I am. Change is coming for me in 2024. I can feel it all around me. But before I continue to plan for my future I must accept where I am now.

If you’re anything like me you might think you’ve already accepted who and where you are now. However, ask yourself this question: How fulfilled are you in your daily life? That lack of fulfillment might be an indicator that you’re not accepting a piece of your current reality. I recently saw a video of news anchor Sara Sidner announce she has stage 3 breast cancer. However, she said she fully accepts the diagnosis and she actually feels more grateful for life than ever before. You can watch the two minute video here. Isn’t that interesting. That even when faced with cancer the battle is easier once you accept where you are.

This month’s Take Action is very simple. I ask you three questions to help you evaluate your own level of acceptance. Yes, it’s the new year and we might be ready to move forward. But first, acceptance.