I started writing a narrative in my mind of all the things Clarence would declare over us. An anthem, if you will, for 2021. I imagine it would go something like this…

At the very least, I hope these words below will spark a flicker of hope in your life as it has mine.

I decided to poll my community and asked for one simple favor: tell me something GOOD. The results were incredible.

Let growth be your motivator, but never lose sight of the person who has worked incredibly hard in getting you to this very moment in time. Who you are is more than enough to carry you through whatever lies ahead.

This was a giant wake-up call for me last year. I had some pretty lofty expectations of how 2018 was supposed to go, but never did I anticipate on needing to make some edits in my own life in order to get to where I am today.

In a way, I felt like I had failed you. How could I hop on my blog and encourage others to live their best lives in spite of pain while I was shattered and unwilling to glue my pieces back together?

Wherever you are in your life, a simple shift in mindset is all it takes to begin appreciating every little bit this life has to offer again. And, if you’re feeling a little lost today like I was, I hope you remember that this morning you woke up. You took deep breaths and smelled a pot of coffee and picked up your phone or tablet or laptop to come here and read this. You’re doing better than you think, I promise.

I had been hospitalized for another illness, but this time, it took a huge emotional toll on me. Over the past couple of years, my health had taken a steep decline as my disease progressed rapidly.