Move Over Fear, One Year Later And Living Intentionally

One year later and living intentionally as a wife and boy mom has been my mantra for a little over 365 days. Despite the difficulties 2020 brought to the world, it was an opportunity to set intentions without fear. Fear to me is that little voice that pops up every time you may be on the right track. It is that voice that you hear when you think that the voice silenced itself because everything is going well and then all of a sudden it knocks at the door. The unwanted solicitor that you thought was in your spam folder because you clicked unsubscribe permanently.

2020 was an opportunity to permanently delete fear because it was not serving my greater good. As an advanced maternal-aged mother, I took the majority of my time planning and waiting for the “perfect” person or the “perfect” time to have a child. As time began to speed up in light-years, when I hit my mid-30s I decided to dive deep into my art career my thoughts that my days of becoming a parent were a fleeting thought. I decided that I wanted to focus on being the jet-setting career woman that would be the helicopter aunt to my nieces and nephews and that lifestyle was absolutely fabulous at the time. Then a couple of years later, I met the love of my life and best friend who encouraged me to turn my full-on sprint into a marathon. Fast forward to 2020 when everything we planned, would now be remixed into a song we never heard, but we had to quickly learn the lyrics and perform it at our company karaoke holiday party (cringe). All that said, it was the year that we welcomed our beautiful son into a world not only with continued political and civil unrest but a full-fledged pandemic that no one was prepared for.

Now one year later and living as intentional as I have ever dreamed of, I’m comfortable with knowing that life can not be planned, but it can be executed with intention. Being flexible and leaning into the unknown is the best that you can do. I am singing my songs in front of my team without knowing the lyrics ahead of time, no practice, only living in the moment with intention. I thought that my 2020 would be full of family and friends enjoying typical functions, traveling the world with baby in tow, and living like it was some type of family sitcom from the 90s. Now it didn’t happen exactly as planned 365 days later, however, I can say, “living with intention has brought me so much joy.” Life is now calmer, nature-filled, and executing impromptu food recipes. Of course, I’m not going to forget returning back to work, starting a podcast, and a gazillion zoom meetings. Last year, I wouldn’t have known what to expect in 2021. However, what brings me joy is knowing I’m closer to living intentionally and focusing on the road that serves my mental, spiritual, physical, and financial health. Focusing on these intentions will not only make me a better person to myself, husband, son, family, and friends. I’m hoping living with intention will encourage others to live intentionally during these uncertain and interestingly polarizing times. Intention is focus and it’s difficult to focus when you are focusing on fear.

Nia
Nia Avery is a New Orleans based Fine Art Consultant for Heather James Fine Art. Prior to joining Heather James Fine Art in 2017, Nia was an art consultant in Beijing, China, where she oversaw the inaugural C!Talk initiative, a series of cross-cultural events sponsored by the World Culture Open organization. She also previously served as an art consultant in Houston where she co-led the Emancipation Economic Development Council workgroup for the art non-profit Project Row House. Nia received her Bachelor of Science from Clark Atlanta University. Before relocating to New Orleans, she served on the board of Loma Linda Hospital’s “Big Hearts for Little Hearts Guild” in Indio, California, and was a member of Desert AIDS Project’s “Partners for Life” committee in Palm Springs, California. “New Orleans is my hometown, so I am thrilled to be back. As a gastronome and fine art consultant, I have found that this city is the perfect fit – and because New Orleans is a city focused on tourism, there are always opportunities to meet people from all over the world. Living here presents an exciting opportunity to contribute to the cultural landscape. My favorite place in the city has yet to be discovered. From 1000 Figs, to Original Thought, to the McKenna Museum, there is always something to discover and experience. I am excited to discover many new favorites for years to come.”

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