30 Day of Hustle: This is Where it Begins

Happy New Years, y'all!

Well hey there, 2014. Nice to meet you.

I spent New Years Eve with my husband and kiddos, flipping back and forth between the Wii and New Years Rockin' Eve. We know how to party hard here in the Thixton house.

This is an exciting year. I don't know if I have ever had such clear vision or focus for twelve months. I have no idea what's coming this year, but I know where my focus lies. And that is something I have never been able to say before.

Years ago, the summer before I got married, I backpacked through Southern Europe (France, Spain, and Italy). One of my favorite parts of the trip was shopping in the Italian street markets. I loved the sounds of the vendors shouting to the shoppers and at each other. The smell of the food and leather and spices dancing on the air. Accordion music coming from an unknown side alley.  Bright colors. Crowded shoppers. Baskets. Fruits. Cobblestone.

I walked through several of these markets on our trip, but only bought a few trinkets. Everything looked and smelled and sounded so... overwhelming. I loved it. But there were too many choices. I would pick one up, intent on buying it. Only to doubt my choice and wonder what was in the next booth. What if I purchase this and immediately regret it when I see something else I want more? So rather than buy one or two of the more expensive items that I loved, I left the market with a basketful of cheap chotchkies.

Only recently have I recognize this as a theme in my life. So many choices. So many beautiful things. Vendors touting their dreams as wares. And I, unwilling to risk my heart on one path, have settled for a basketful experiences and unfinished projects.


But this year, 2014, I feel a call to something deeper. Amidst the shouts and the smells and the rush of the market, I hear a still small voice calling me to intimacy, and a clear path.

I don't know where the path will take me, but I know where it starts. And that's here. Today. In my heart. And on this blog.

I've joined Jon Acuff's 30 Days of Hustle, and for the next 30 days, I will be documenting my #hustle here. Everyday.

So join me in the journey, and get ready to hustle.

Here's to 2014!