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.

But, there was something missing, something that prompted me to revisit the purpose behind my words and how I envisioned it evolving in the future. SMA no longer felt like the theme of this blog.

With the Christmas season upon us, I wanted to share a piece I wrote around this time last year. The holidays are meant to be filled with peace and joy, but if you find yourself in a season of discomfort and discontent, I hope you remember that these feelings are okay, too.

Like my enneagram type suggests, giving gifts is kind of my jam. Yes, I’ll always be a firm believer that presence trumps presents, but I still believe a well thought out gift can add joy and value to someone’s life.

For most of 2017, I worked with an insanely talented group of producers and videographers from ESPN. Why? Well, we created a mini-documentary of my life and my relationship with the New England Patriots. 

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 tried to write this blog post t h r e e times and failed. Not because I didn’t know what to say or how to say it but because I couldn’t bring myself to relive this season of my life.