Gratitude Journal 2019

In this 2019 Gratitude Journal, I count my blessings and share them with you. It's been the best year of my life. Read details at https://onlinediscipleshipforwomen.com/thanksgiving/

 

Thanksgiving Journal 2019 - transcription 

Dear  #TruePrincesses

It’s time to say goodbye to 2019 and welcome the next decade into our lives. Today is December 31st, New Year’s Eve, and I am sharing with you my Annual Gratitude Journal since it has become a tradition here on The Anna Szabo Show.

This has been the best year of my life! As you know, I’ve endured a lot in the past:

• My Narcissist Mother Story
• My Sex Addiction Story
• My Domestic Violence Story
• My Narcissist Relationship Abuse Story
• My Salvation Story and Testimony
• My Spiritual Warfare Story
• My Depression Story
• My Suicide Story
• My Identity Transformation Story
• My Story of Faith and Fortitude

 

I was married to a Narcissist who broke me to pieces in 2016 and 2017, I was abused and molested as a child, I came to America as a mail-ordered bride and experienced Domestic Violence, which I escaped only to become homeless in a foreign country without speaking any English. It was 10 years ago. But this year, I’ve seen that God truly gives us beauty for ashes. So...

Without further ado, here’s my 2019 Thanksgiving Journal!

I’m grateful for my friends Rebecca, María, Gormah, Mildred, Candace, Christophe, Mary, Jennifer, Jessica, Lee, John, Jerry, Felicia, Anna, and Jeff.

Those are the people who encouraged me in so many ways this year, that I catapulted myself out of my comfort zone AND here’s what happened:

I spoke publicly about my faith in God more that 20 times this year;

I launched my Christian ministry called Online Discipleship For Women on September 22nd, and it touched the hearts and minds of 2413 in the last three months, AND you, guys, started giving donations using the DONATE button on my website, for which I’m so grateful;

I created a collection of 20 pantings, each with a take about life, God, people, faith, fortitude, Jesus, and wisdom. I named this  collection #PaintingsWithTales and built my first-ever Etsy shop called AnnaSzaboArt where now all of my paintings are displayed;

I wrote over 1,000,000 words of content for my ministry to help encourage and empower women, all available on AnnaSzabo.com/blog

I helped a homeless pregnant African-American teen get off the streets and get her life back on track;

I produced and launched 125 brand-new Christian products for Women with encouraging Biblical Affirmations about Identity in Christ, and women have been showing up everywhere wearing the hoodies, shirts, tank tops, I designed and drinking tea out of the inspirational Christian mugs from my store on TeeSpring called AnnaSzaboArt;

I challenged my body and mind, took a cold shower every day this year, ate healthily, drank a green homemade smoothie every day, and I went all year without getting sick, for the first time in my life;

I won several Best Speaker awards;

I supported 13 victims of Domestic Violence;

I taught SMART goals to a dozen ambitious African-American women who dream of changing the world;

I’ve created two dozens of helpful guides on how to survive narcissistic abuse, domestic violence, addictions, and they are available on my  Pinterest, at Pinterest.com/AnnaSzaboJDMBA

I published a new book called "How Princess Lana Developed Faith and Fortitude," it’s on Amazon under my pen name Anna Stevens;

I published 262 videos on my YouTube channel AnnaSzabo.com with the most popular being my Christian meditations for women and almost 1000 people have subscribed to my channel on YouTube at AnnaSzabo.com;

I led a woman to Christ and I shared the Gospel with a Muslim woman and a Hindu woman this year;

and all of this happened after I quit my marketing job at FunnelAmplified in February.

 

So... here’s exactly what I’m grateful for in 2019...

 

I’m grateful for FunnelAmplified, the new technology brand I launched at the beginning of 2019. As the Director of Marketing there, I got to build the new tech brand from scratch: its value proposition, all of its digital assets, website, podcast, YouTube, social media, marketing automation, and thousands of words of incredibly-valuable content I personally wrote, filmed, and produced for that SaaS brand.

I built and launched it in only 32 business days, and that led to my discovery of my remarkable talents, skills, and strengths.

Which I decided to use for God.

So… I quit that job in February to focus all of my abilities on establishing and developing my ministry, Online Discipleship For Women.

It was a wise decision and oh what a journey it has been!

I’m grateful for marketing contracts that followed within just 90 min of my resignation from the job at FunnelAmplified.

The marketing contracts I worked opened so many unique doors for me!

I met and got to work closely with many creative people, which changed my life forever by helping me discover my identity as an artist!

I’m grateful for Historic Norcross and the Heart of Norcross campaign, which I designed and launched in March of 2019 for the merchants of the Historic Norcross Business Association.

That project led me to explode with creativity and start painting, which resulted in the birth of my spiritual collection of original acrylic impasto art called #PaintingsWithTales available at AnnaSzaboArt.etsy.com now.

I’m grateful for the outpouring of unimaginably unique creativity this year, which led me to design 125 new Christian products: shirts, hoodies, tank tops, flowies, mugs, pillows, wall decor, and so much more!

All those bright and beautiful designs can be found right now at TeeSpring.com/Stores/AnnaSzaboArt

I’m grateful for a very unexpected, one of a kind creative gift received this year in March. What happened? My heart exploded with Christian fairytales.

What? Yes, I know… it was so divine!

All three fairytales came to me at once, and the next day I already had the book published on Amazon. It’s called "How Princess Lana Developed Faith and Fortitude." It is a series of three Christian fairytales that are 100% autobiographical.

You can find the book on Amazon by searching “How Princess Lana Developed Faith and Fortitude.” It’s under my pen name Anna Stevens.

I’m grateful for my ministry Online Discipleship For Women. God called me to ministry in 2017, and I initially resented it.

You see, I struggle with Impostor Syndrome.

I felt like I wasn’t qualified, wasn’t ready, wasn’t the one. But God did not need my permission. He didn’t ask for me to sign a contract accepting His calling on my life.

God did not worry about my Impostor Syndrome, He simply kept calling me toward my purpose, stirring up on the inside my passion for His will, making it clear what He wants me to do with my life.

And so, I got busy with the doing of it.

I produced 1,000,000 words of content for my blog, AnnaSzabo.com and I started speaking publicly sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all people.

At first, I was freaking out, going blank, and nearly fading from anxiety. But guess what?

God did not give up on me.

Practice makes perfect, and this year, I became very comfortable sharing my story of God’s glory in front of large live audiences to encourage and empower people.

And I’m so grateful for this experience!

By the way, if you’re looking for a speaker for your next event, book me at AnnaSzabo.com/speaking.

I’m grateful for all the women who became a part of my community of #TruePrincesses and supported my ministry by purchasing my Princess shirts on Amazon that say: I am a Princess, a daughter of the King, loved and accepted, sanctified and redeemed. Women bought these shirts on Amazon for themselves, their daughters, sisters, moms, friends, and coworkers, and you can get one by searching for a hashtag #52Devotionals in Amazon search box.

When I see a woman wearing my shirt design that reads “I am a Princess, a daughter of the kind, loved and accepted, sanctified and redeemed” my heart sings.

I have a vision.

Someday soon, I will host a woman’s conference focused on God and His promises. And at my Christian conference, every woman will walk around wearing a beautiful shirt that reads “I am a Princess,” that’s why I designed my collection of Christian apparel for women available on Amazon under the hashtag #52Devotionals.

I’m grateful for the 12 excellent books I read in the last 12 months, especially the book called “What Do You Say After You Say Hello” which enabled me to understand how what happened to me in my early years impacted my entire life.

That led me to help several women through effective coaching. You can learn more about it at AnnaSzabo.com/coaching

I’m grateful for Toastmasters which I began attending in the Summer, first as a guest, then as a member.

I won several Best Speaker ribbons and met new friends there, experienced some significant breakthroughs, and received invitations to speak all over Atlanta.

To learn more about my speaking, check out AnnaSzabo.com/speaking

I’m grateful for Bruno, my beautiful and smart rescue Cocker Spaniel, a red-white ball of pure joy. He recently went to heaven after our eight incredible years together. I love you, Bruno, and I remember you every day. You are still the best dog ever!

While the grief I experienced from losing Bruno was unbearable, I am grateful for every moment we spent together hiking, kayaking, snuggling, traveling, playing the ball, and exploring the world.

I love you, Bruno, you’re alive in my heart forever!

I’m grateful for my health.

I haven’t been sick for 12 months, thanks to my healthy habits and my powerful daily routine, which I will be sharing on my blog AnnaSzabo.com and on my YouTube channel in 2020 to help YOU stay healthy.

NOT getting sick saved me so much money, time, energy, and effort, which I was able to invest into doing the things I’m passionate about, such as my blog, my speaking career, my poetry, and this podcast.

If you want to learn how my wellness maintenance is done and what specifically I do to be very healthy every day, every week, every month, all year long, ask me any questions at AnnaSzabo.com/thanksgiving 

I’m grateful for my friends.

I love spending quality time with wise people who are introspective and reflective, so we can share wisdom and life lessons learned.

This year, I was able to take a trip to my favorite place – Asheville, NC, visiting The Biltmore House and the Blueridge Parkway for the eighth time in my 11 years in America!

I had a healthy homemade lunch with a friend in the mountains, overlooking God’s majestic creation, next to some gorgeous horses.

I am grateful for my friend Rebecca who met with me at 5:30 am on Saturdays for a healthy homemade breakfast at my home to talk about our personal development and spiritual growth, as well as what God is doing in and through us.

I’m grateful for my o friend María for her courage to do a Bible study about the Armor of God and Spiritual Warfare, which is the topic most people avoid but I’m passionate about, and so is María. I’m thankful that she took me out and showed me the beauty in our city, multiple times this year, especially for her ability to genuinely appreciate small things, such as flowers and frogs.

I’m grateful for my friends who challenged me this year to grow, to step out of my comfort zone, to write, to publish, to film, to create, to produce, to paint, to speak up, and to live out my story of God’s glory courageously every day!

I’m grateful for my upcoming birthday.

I remember in 2017  I was so depressed and suicidal that I didn’t want to celebrate my birthday.

God healed my heart, and I love my life again.

I am so excited about my birthday and I want to celebrate it, yes, I do! My friend Jennifer is hosting a party to celebrate my life, and I’m so grateful. I can’t wait 18 more days, is it my birthday yet?

I’m excited about my life: my past, my present, and my future. I love it all – the entire journey!

I now have two jars at home and 96 beautiful, very complex natural rocks. They are as complex as I am, with so many patterns that are complicated yet beautiful.

One jar has 36 rocks. The other jar has 60 rocks. Total of 96 rocks. That’s how long I’m going to live. I’m 36 now, and on January 18th, 2020 I’m going to move one rock from the larger jar into the smaller one.

And I’ll do the same every year till I turn 96 and there will be no rocks left in the large jar. Then, I will die peacefully in my bed reading a good book.

The jars with the 96 rocks help me be mindful of my life and make every day count. My life matters. Every year and every day of my life matters.

So, yes, I am excited to celebrate my birthday on January 18th 2020, giving God all the glory for my story. 

I’m grateful for Jesus in my life who leads and guides me and helps me help others. I’m grateful that He guided me to help a homeless pregnant African-American teen whose purple hair and tears I spotted as I was coming back home on Tuesday afternoon, November 19th, 2019.

I turned my car around, stopped, parked, walked up to her. Come to find out, she was contemplating suicide. I got to practice love as action through a simple act of kindness.

If you’re curious to find out more details about what happened to her and how I was able to get her a home, clothes, shoes, underwear, and money, read the full story on AnnaSzabo.com/How-To-Be-Kind.

I’m grateful for my habit of giving thanks. This simple practice helps me be intentional in my daily life, focus my mind on whatever is praiseworthy and honorable, as the Bible teaches us, and counting my blessings also keeps me young, joyful, and healthy. 

I’m grateful that what I’m creating in the world makes women’s lives better and helps me to encourage and empower women.

This week, one woman called and told me about her financial struggles. She now uses my prayer called “Praying for Prosperity” to reach out to God daily.

When she read it, she wept. When her daughter read it, she wept. And that showed me once again that God is working in me and through me in His kingdom.

That was my 2019 in review, the best year of my life! Go to AnnaSzabo.com/Thanksgiving to access all of my annual gratitude journal podcasts there.

Thanks for listening. 

What are you grateful for this year? 

Let me know in the comments at AnnaSzabo.com/thanksgiving

God bless!