As we move past the halfway mark of 2020, I think it’s an interesting time to stop and assess my word for the year. In a post late last year I shared that my new word would be Focus. And in my last post I acknowledged that just like many of you, it had been a tough few months for me. I shared that I believed we had been tried, tested and stretched in so many life-changing ways. I realize that it is difficult to focus right now and even more challenging to focus on the positives, when so many people around us may be struggling and hurting. And as an optimistic person it has also been a challenge for me to share my vision in a way that is authentic to me, while focusing and reflecting on what our country and the rest of the world is going through. But I have tried. I have continued to show up and speak up in a way that was real to me. 

To be clear, my optimistic nature does not cause me to sweep over personal or societal issues with the flick of a rainbow sparkle-dipped paint brush. I see things in living color. I see them as they are. I see them as real and raw. But I am always looking for more. I look for the lesson. I look for ways to help. I look for an opportunity to share something that may have helped me at one time. And I look for ways to bring people together, which has always been my goal. 

I know that 2020 was not the year we were expecting. I saw so many New Year’s posts about what we were all hoping it to be. When I think back to why I chose the word focus, I remember that I wanted to hone in on those things that were important to me and step away from those that were not. I wanted to double down on my vision and see it, and express it more clearly. And while it has not happened the way I thought it would, it has happened. I have been able to view so many things with more transparency. And I’ve watched the world focus and expand its vision too. I see not only what is possible for me, but what is possible for all of us in a way that I had not seen as discernibly before. 

Others have expressed that we are having a collective reckoning. I believe that too. I know that seems like a strong sentiment, but so many people including myself have gone deeper into themselves. I have seen others pivot in ways that I never expected. I have seen them (myself included) slow down long enough to do the work on themselves, their relationships and even their personal spaces in a way that they didn’t make time for before. 

And most importantly I have seen people speak up, and stand up for others with their hands stretched out across a metaphorical aisle clasping hands with their neighbors on the other side. I have seen individuals and businesses push past the need to tiptoe around important issues and put their foot down to take a firm stand. Has it all been positive? Of course not, I have also seen vile, hateful and vulgar remarks just like most of you. But my energy and my focus never goes there, even when it’s directed at me. There will always be those who resist change and the change makers. But I believe the change is here. The other day I saw a meme that said “What if 2020 was the year we were waiting for? A year so real and raw that it changes how we see the world.” That definitely resonated with me. And while Focus has remained my word for 2020, my vision is even more clear!

I’d love to hear what your word of the year was and how you feel about it right now. 

Until Next Post,

Xo Tonya Parker