March of 2020 became the year of uncertainty for most of us, as the Second Quarter of the year brought us chaos, confusion, and sadly loss. We all experienced a heightened level of insecurity, uncertainty, and anxiety. Coupled with racial and gender inequality, we were all left grasping at straws as we tried figuring out where we go from that point. At the beginning of 2020, the goals we set were beginning to look like figments of our imaginations. Let’s face it in 2020, many of us were just trying to survive day to day, which placed us on the path of being in survival mode. However, we were not without hope, as many of us decided to take the extra time we had to revisit and revise the plans. 

This year of uncertainty was filled with the picking up of goals we’d set, only to drop again. For example, if we decided it was time to accomplish living a healthier lifestyle, we made plans to work out six days a week, eating more greens, and drinking more shakes, only to find ourselves a few weeks later dropping the ball and going back to what we know well: an unhealthy lifestyle (if you’re like me: “pizza and wings please, hold the veggies- no one has time for that”). That can be so discouraging, right? You set off on your race to accomplish this goal, only to lose hope as you face the adversity of maintaining endurance for the lifestyle changes ahead of you. 

Well, I’d like to challenge you to change your perspective about failure, as I seek to provide you with hope in your years of uncertainty because 2020 was just the beginning. I, for one, suffer from viewing failure as the end game, and I tend to view the failure of fulfilling a goal as, me as a person, being a failure. As a result, I then toss my goals in the air, and I say, “what’s the use anyway. I’m only going to drop the ball and go back to what I know.” I recently found that this is entirely false, an untruth. 

The culture we live in likes to tell us that we are complete failures because we didn’t accomplish what we set out to do when we just need to change our perspective of how we view failing. Failure is an opportunity to try again and revisit and revise the plans we set out to accomplish. It allows you to look back on what you missed the first time, re-evaluate and adjust to a better way of doing it. No matter how many times it takes, never give up or view yourself as a failure. There are so many of us out here with beautiful ideas and goals that will change our lives and the community that we live in if we just chose not to give up. 

We also have to be patient and give ourselves grace. Change is complex and challenging. We have to understand that we are stepping into an unknown realm unfamiliar to us, which will come with a level of adversity and difficulty. You must change your perspective and be patient with the person you are becoming. Becoming is hard; it is taking the old you and rediscovering yourself. It’s a beautiful exchange with a decisive outcome, but it will only come with loving who and where you are currently. Each day is another opportunity to get it right, but each day is faced with its own set of troubles, and you cannot give up on yourself. 

If the goal you want to accomplish comes with a big vision, such as writing a book or opening your own business, remember to take small steps towards achieving the mission. As I stated earlier, you must give yourself grace and be patient with yourself. The small steps matter, and so does celebrating the small wins. Many of us wait until the big goal is achieved before we celebrate ourselves; please don’t do that. Celebrate yourself along the way and tell yourself how awesome you are for sticking with your goal.

As a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend, I often find myself having to be reminded of holding on to hope for my future, even in a year of uncertainty. I want to share this inspiration with you. I don’t want you to give up on yourself, your vision, mission, or purpose because they are needed on the earth, and there are people on the other side waiting for you. These individuals are at home right now wondering if someone out there can provide them the inspiration and motivation needed. In your decision to move forward, trust the process, face adversity, and give yourself the grace to accomplish the mission.