It's a New Year, Now What?

Now that we are two weeks into the New Year, I thought it would be an opportune time to speak to 2019. At this point, many of us have settled in with the “newness” and everything that it encompasses. This “newness” of course looks different and is perceived differently by all of us as we are all walking various paths of life; the paths that have been personalized and specifically created for each of us. However, walking into the New Year was a universal event for all humanity and me being the thought provoking and inquisitive individual that I am, I was curious to know where everyone else was with 2019. What are your thoughts? What are your feelings? Have you put certain plans in place? What happens now that we are in a New Year?

I raise the above inquiries because I too have had to do the work and answer those same questions, but in order to do so, I was required to take a brief survey of my 2018. In doing this, I did not dwell or go extra deep into all that I experienced in 2018, but I knew it was necessary for me to take a mental field trip of where I had been to get to where I wanted to go.

I am not sure what the consensus has been amongst your friends and family or even yourself as it relates to how 2018 was, but for me and many of those I came into contact with, 2018 was a trying one. It appeared as if 2018 was more than what many of us bargained for with its hardships, disappointments, unsparing nature, failures, and uncertainties - just to name a few. But with that, in my time of reflection, I recognized the importance of ensuring that none of those experiences of 2018 negatively defined any part of my 2019.

Bishop TD Jakes said it best in his Sunday sermon on December 30, 2018 when he stated “you can’t have a new year just because the calendar changed.” Bishop Jakes then proceeded to state that ultimately, “you can’t have new years with old ideas!” Each part of those two statements further confirmed to me that regardless of what last year yielded, it wouldn’t be beneficial for me to carry it over into the New Year and it surely wouldn’t be beneficial for you to do it either.

As of about a week ago, I had to make a conscious decision to let go of everything I thought 2018 should have been and every feeling that was produced as a lack thereof in the area of manifestations. This was not an easy task, but I knew it had to be done. I surrendered my previous year and I am now ready to move forward in my new year. I am ready to take on every realistic goal I have set for myself. I am ready to continue to love and be there for my friends and family; to further grow and evolve into the best version of Tonya M. Callender and lastly, but most importantly, every prayer that I petitioned in 2018 that has YET to manifest itself, I will continue to specifically lift it up to God in 2019 - don’t give up praying about something until God answers you one way or another!

With all that I have shared, are you still laser focused on what you had in mind for 2018 or did you leave it all behind, now refreshed and ready to take on 2019? Don’t get me wrong, your girl crossed over with a few bruises and you may have too, which is ok, because I trust that we are all being renewed each day. We are only ten days in, but it is my hope that we are taking on the year, doing all that we can within our control while leaving the rest to God. Don’t be discouraged, don’t give up on what you may have been pursuing previously; maybe you need to approach it differently or maybe you need to let go of how you thought it should look to be available to what God wants it to look like for you. All things considered, walk in YOUR 2019, but what do you perceive of that? What does that even mean for YOU?

So, again I ask, it’s a New Year, Now What...?