My One Word For 2014: BRAVE

I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions. My feeling is, if there’s something I want or need to change, why wait until a particular date on the calendar? It makes more sense to get started now.

I do, however, like the idea of choosing a word – One Word – to focus on every year. A word that I can use as a roadmap to make my way through life, to help me be more of who and what I want to be.

For me, in 2014, that One Word is BRAVE. 

Truth is, I am not brave. Far from it. I like to avoid the truth. I procrastinate having the hard conversations and doing the hard work. There’s nothing I find more comforting that hiding in a safe place, away from a dark, scary world.

But that’s not who I want to be, because that’s not someone who gets things done and makes a difference.

I can’t hide if I want to save the lives of shelter dogs. I can’t be afraid to speak up about the injustice of breed specific legislation. I can’t look the other way when I see abuse and neglect. I can’t bite my tongue when people spread their ignorance about Pit Bull-type dogs. 

I can’t be a coward. I must be BRAVE.

I’m beyond inspired by Shane Bitney Crone, a young man who lost the love of his life in 2011 and was banned from his partner’s funeral by the man’s family. No matter your opinion of gay marriage, you can’t deny that true love seems to be a rare find in the world today, and for anyone to fight against love, well, it’s just heartless and unfair. I commend Shane for making his voice heard, and for being brave.

And so I embark on 2014, this fresh, new year, with an attitude and an eye on bravery… my own, as well as yours. Will YOU join me? Will you throw off the security blanket and come out of your cave of comfort to stand up against the injustice in the world? No matter your cause, you must be brave to fight.