No matter how you’ve been affected by all the disruptive events of the past year, I think you’ll agree that we’re no longer the people we were a year ago.

Yep, 2020 changed us individually and collectively by rattling us from our comfort zones and dragging us kicking and screaming into a world filled with challenges and uncertainties. A global pandemic forced us into learning new ways to live and work, while racial injustices and political divisiveness exposed our brokenness as a society.

Through it all, we were offered a big*ss mirror for looking at ourselves in ways we never have before. And, now we are different.

I’m not the person I was when I started 2020, and I’m thankful for that. Over the past year, big opportunities combined with anxiety and heartbreak have taken their toll on me, but they’ve also inspired me to think differently about myself and the world around me.

So, like many of you, I’ve been reflecting a bit on how I’ve changed and how I want to approach the year ahead. And, I have three words for you:

Courage,

Simplicity, and

Conviction.

Throughout 2021, I will be leaning into these words and finding ways for them to guide my life, my business, my relationships, and everything around me. Will you join me? It’s time to cut through the bullsh*t as we embrace our fears with courage, simplify our approach to living and working, and get real about putting our convictions into action.

No more letting fear drive our thoughts and behaviors! No more overcomplicating our lives with things we now know aren’t important! No more sitting in the bleachers watching the action on the field instead of jumping in and making an impact with things that really matter!

I’ll be sharing more about courage, simplicity, and conviction in the months ahead, including in my new book, Kiss Your Dragons: Radical Relationships, Bold Heartsets, & Changing the World, which launches on January 26. (Click here for details or to order.)

In the meantime, please understand that putting these three words into action is something you have to figure out for yourself, but not something you can do alone. So, please reach out to me, MOFI, the Disruptor League, and the rest of your communities to help you as you turn the page into a new year.

I can’t say I’m going to miss 2020, but I am thankful for it. I’m thankful for the opportunity to change, and I’m thankful for all of you who have blessed my life with important conversations, timely support, and even Zoom hugs over the past year.

Now, I hope that you’ll join me in raising a glass to what’s next, whatever that may be. Have an amazing holiday season, however you choose to celebrate, and I look forward to going on yet another journey with you in 2021!

Author(s)

  • Shawn Nason, Man On Fire

    CEO, Dragon Kisser, Corporate Pastor

    Man On Fire

    What do you call an insanely creative pastor/church musician with a finance degree who ends up in the health care industry after a short jaunt into higher education? Well, we’re not really sure what YOU call that, but we call him, “Shawn.” Shawn Nason, founder of Man On Fire & Nason Group (MOFI, Disruptor League, TruthTellers, and The Pink Couch), lives his life with a commitment to make everyone he meets a part of his family. Armed with the gift of discernment, he has the uncanny ability to walk alongside people as they struggle to connect with their deepest passions and engage their most debilitating demons. He challenges the world around him to be fully present, get real, and knock down the barrier that separates the various compartments in their lives. In the world of health care, Shawn’s on a mission to disrupt the status quo by daring changemakers to pour their hearts into their work while doubling down on a commitment to humanize the patient and employee experience. Unwilling to separate his pastor’s heart from his work in the business world, he unapologetically challenges health care leaders to quit the bullsh*t and think bolder about how to actually improve people’s lives. Like a charisma-filled revival preacher, he’s endlessly searching for the next situation to stir up, inspire, and make sure will never be the same. (If you know of any, please let him know, but you may want to warn the people in the situation first!) When he’s not out causing trouble in the world, Shawn’s at home with his wife, daughter, son, and two incredible lucky dogs. Unless of course he’s traveling to Lexington to cheer on his beloved Kentucky Wildcats to win yet another national championship.