This year a motto, next year a coat of arms

I don't do New Years resolutions, mostly because I am conscious of my own lack of discipline even in doing things I like doing. How am I going to gain the resolve to accomplish things I don't want to do, when I can't seem to even do the things I want to do? However, as the year begins, I think it is natural and good to think about our lives and what we want to accomplish, what we want to learn, and who we want to become. I know some people who make goals to make their resolutions more tangible. One of my sisters picks a Bible verse that she feels fits where she is in her life and the areas she wants to grow in. This verse becomes her focus for the year. I have heard of other people who pick a word. They meditate on this word through out the year and gain new insight into their lives. I have thought about picking a verse, but never have. I kind of like the word idea because one word can stick with you and jump out at you even when you are not thinking about it. I decided to take a different path.
I am going to have a motto for 2012. The closest I have come to having a motto before this was my senior year in high school. I determined to live that year without regrets. I learned the value of making a choice and accepting what came with it. I know you are all on the edge of your seats just wondering what earth shattering motto I have chosen. Drum roll please! My 2012 motto is: Cast Off Fear. I have spent most of my life afraid of so many things. Most decisions I have made in the past have been influenced by my fears. The last couple of days I have been contemplating a choice I need to make. As I have sorted through the puzzle pieces trying to figure out what the picture actually looks like, foggy pieces kept getting tangled in. They looked like they fit and sometime I can force them to fit, but they make the picture a lot less clear. I realized that those pieces represented several fears in my life. I can't make a choice until the obscuring pieces have been removed. After that the puzzle starts to take shape and I begin to understand more clearly what the picture will look like. By removing fear I can make decisions that are true to myself.
It is a little bit frightening to contemplate the freedom that comes living outside the bondage of fear. Like a creature held captive for so long, when released, he is excited, but soon realizes that the world can be dangerous. He longs to return to his cage, but if he has the courage to continue, he will discover marvelous adventures, incomparable beauties, and yes even horrible dangers. The thing that finally coaxes the creature from his cage is the love of his master. Because perfect love drives out fear. Where there is unconditional positive regard and acceptance, fear cannot grow and the frightening new world becomes a playground to enjoy.

Note: I had several coat of arms to choose from that had my last name on them. I chose the English version over the Irish because I believe my branch of Riggs' was English.