What word did you choose and why?

Confident

I have been working on myself externally and I’m learning that you are never 100% fulfilled until you dig deep and work on the inside. Through this journey my faith has really grown and I feel as though He is telling me, “you have to turn to me more for that happiness, it won’t come from anything externally.”

I think that we often look to our spouse, what our kids have accomplished, what we have accomplished and we just keep looking for more, when is enough enough? This year, to be more confident and happy, I need to lean more into my faith.

I look back to the person I was in high school, and while i’m not proud of it, i was one of the mean girls. Today, I’m proud to say I am a much different person and I often wonder if that girl struggled with confidence and caused some of those behaviors. For me, I learned that no one can bring me true happiness besides myself and my God.

Mentally, for Nikki to be the best version of myself, she needs to get in the gym and give herself a physical release. The days i’m not there, my mind isn’t as strong.

If you could talk to a younger version of yourself, what would you say to her?

I would tell her that alcohol isn’t the path for you. Don’t cave into peer pressure. Be nicer to other people and myself.

What word did you choose and why?

Confident

There was a verse in Psalm 27: 13-14 that I read one morning about being confident and strong. That is me. I am confident and I am strong.

Blog: I kept coming up with the word proud when I started thinking about my word. When I think of proud, I think of the word pride – and I don’t want to be prideful. So then I started thinking confident. That is what I have gained over these last five years.

I used to always criticize myself and tell myself that I wasn’t perfect. I finally realized that I don’t have to be perfect. Whether it’s my relationship, being a mom or at my job – it’s just about being confident in the knowledge that I am doing the best I can and you are the best you are.

There was a verse in Psalm 27: 13-14 that I read one morning about being confident and strong. That is me. I am confident and I am strong. So now I know, I can do this, I’ve got this. It’s become my daily reminder now. Be confident – you’ve got this girl!

If you could talk to Vicki a year ago, what would you tell her?

Be patient. I wanted to be adventurous, I wanted to go do big things – but then my partner hurt his knee and there were not a lot of adventures. I was sad about that but now I realize that it all happened for a reason. Be patient – good things come, It gets better.

What word did you choose and why?

Uncomfortable

I chose this word because I’m very spontaneous and love adventure, but the older I get the more I like being in my little circle and being comfortable. I really want to grow spiritually, mentally, physically – and to do that, I have to get uncomfortable.

I feel like to be the light in the world, I need to grow in my spiritual self and be more in the Word. I want the results of physical growth in the gym, but I need to be more consistent with my workouts and do the things I don’t enjoy doing.

If you could talk to a younger version of yourself, what would you say to her?

Just keep pushing thru – it does get better. When I was young, I thought life was never going to be not hard.

What word did you choose and why?

Passionate

I’ve spent many years just trying to get by and do the best that I could with what I had at the time.  I finally figured out that apathy wasn’t good enough, it was time to feel passionate about something.  

Once I started living this way – it has made such a difference.  I want to teach my boys that you can feel very strongly about something, but it doesn’t mean that you have to be 100% in love with something but you do have to be passionate about it.  

What word did you choose and why?

Independent

I chose this word because I recently changed my major in college and I’ve recently moved back home.  While I am in the process of getting my own place, I want to find out who I am on my own.  

My big goal is to move to the beach and go on to do marine biology.  I am trying to be independent and move to Galveston.

If you could talk to yourself before you started college, what would you tell her?

Don’t be scared.  I would have changed my major a year ago if I hadn’t been so scared. 

What word did you choose and why?

Dream

I chose the word Dream because Yesism #4 is: In order for our wildest dreams to come true, we have to dream wildly.  So Dream is all about finding out what those dreams are for me. Dreams don’t work unless you do. 

Dream is also an acronym for me: Discipline, Rigor, Energy, Action and Meaning – these are all the things I want in my life.

If you could talk to yourself a year ago, what would you tell her?

Hang on – it’s going to be a wild ride!  It’s been a crazy year, it’s been exciting and full of opportunities and every day just keeps getting better.