Conquer.

When thinking back on 2014, I was reminded of the OneWord365 philosophy that I had so adamantly believed I could succeed at. I had chosen the word "faith" and believed I could apply it to all aspects of my life and embody "faith" as best I could. I would chronicle my journey throughout the year and look back and see how much I had grown. 

But then when I clicked on the "OneWord365" label, I saw one blog post. ONE. In 365 days, I had written about faith one time. Way to stick to that goal.

I began thinking about it more and more. I had only written about faith one time, but I certainly didn't live out my faith only one time. 

The time I quit my job in Honduras when I so desperately wanted to stay? Faith.

The time I accepted a job in Rio de Janeiro? Faith.

The time my visa took  exponentially longer than it should have to go through and I still didn't look for another job? Faith.

The time I laid in bed and cried each night for weeks, unsure if I would last in Rio until Christmas yet waking up each morning and going to class? Faith.

The time I renewed my contract to teach in Rio for another school year? Faith.

It was there. It was present in every single thing that I did whether I was aware of it or not.

For 2015 I have a new goal, a new word. Conquer. 

Conquer fears. Conquer difficulties. 

I lived by faith last year and it brought me here. To a vibrant, busy city that is full of unknowns. Full of opportunities. Full of things that seem really scary.

This year I will conquer these fears. I will push myself to do things that I think are too difficult or not part of my character. I will push myself outside of my comfort zone. I will conquer fears that have been present in my life for many years.

I will conquer challenges that are placed in front of me-- whether they be a challenging situation or a challenging student. Life is full of challenges, but you grow as person in the way that you conquer those challenges.

I'm not so great a New Years Resolutions, but I'm better at One Word 365 than I had originally thought.

Conquer-- I got this.