Ep. 56 | ... and you have your word for 2026

Maybe you're like me and you have your word for 2026!

In this episode I share my journey of personal growth, emphasizing the importance of expansion in various aspects of life. I also share my word of the year, 'expand,' and how I want to take up space, trust in God's plan, and rediscover her passions. I hope this episode inspires you to overcome fear and self-doubt, balance multiple passions, and shine your light for God's glory. I hope you feel freedom to dream for the future and embrace new beginnings in 2026!

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Transcript

You're listening to Maybe You're Like Me, the transparent musings of a God girl chasing after her purpose. Maybe You're Like Me is a podcast for dreamers and doers who take life's lessons and level up to look more like Christ. We'll connect through super relatable stories, growing pains, and aha moments that most of us share, just not always out loud. I'm your host, Alicia Watson, creative entrepreneur, playwright, author, wife, mother, daughter of the king, and so much more. And I can't help.

But to think that maybe you're like me.

Hey, beautiful people. Thank you for joining me for another episode of Maybe You're Like Me with Alicia Watson. I'm your host, Alicia Watson, and I'm so glad that you've joined me today. This is a... It's not a bonus. This is the second episode I'm releasing today because last week I missed a release. If you listened to the last episode, you know that I was attending my grandmother's home going service and took a little while to get it together, but I got it together. So you're getting two episodes today.

And I hope that makes up for it. Thanks for your patience. So I am excited about 2026, not just cause it's a new year, because if you know me and if you've been around a while, you know that I am a summer baby. And before everybody started even talking about it, I felt that my personal new year started in March. I literally feel a difference in my body, my attitude, my energy, everything that I come to life in March. I have

scheduled a lot of my major life events around March, including a move away from home, starting my new job, quitting my new job or quitting my old job and starting my new business. Most things start for me in March. That is the month that I come alive. That is when the sun is shining and I'm feeling my most motivated, but I'm still excited for 2026 and I'm going to take it slow into the new year doing the things that will prepare me to be.

at my best in March. every year, most years, I don't know if I had one last year, but most years I have a word of the year that kind of sets the tone for what I'm looking forward to and how I'm looking to operate throughout the year, what I have as an expectation for the year. And I know a lot of other people have a word of the year too. So maybe you like me and you have your word for 2026. I actually had two words, but I feel like this one has been

jumping out of me, I've been getting confirmation left and right for this word and I feel like it is fitting for what I see. The word is expand, expand, expanding my territory, expanding and not shrinking, taking up space, expanding my vision, expanding my hope, just getting bigger, just everything bigger and not just like materially bigger, but just bigger, bigger in hope, bigger in expectations, bigger in my reach.

bigger. For so many years I have played small because small is safe, but I have a big God, so big. And so it does not serve me to play small and just do what I can control, what I feel like I can keep the reins on when I don't have to. As I've grown, as I've matured, as I've lived a little bit more, I've learned a lot more to trust in the Lord. I used to trust so much.

I've been walking, I've been walking this walk since probably about 21. What am I going on? 43. So a little over 20 years. I used to trust. So I was so zealous for the Lord. I was so fervent for the Lord when I was younger. And then you live a little life hits you. People hit you. They're not like literally hit you, but their behaviors, the, their expectations, things happen. Right. And so you start to

fold in on yourself, you start to keep yourself safe, kind of like a potato bug or anything that shrinks itself, makes itself smaller to keep itself safe, like roll up into yourself. I was starting to roll up into myself because I was lacking trust in the Lord to protect me if I spread all the way out. I think where I am now, I want to spread all the way out. I want to expand. want to...

I want to man spread all over my goals and all over the assignments that God has for me. I want to go far. I want to think big. I want to imagine more than I could imagine. I want to be childlike in my trust. I want to have an imagination and even get creative in what it could be. I don't want to put myself in a box anymore. don't want to fit into a box.

expand. The other word was light. The other word was light because it kind of it goes along with this idea of expansion because I was hiding my light as well. I was hiding my light because I don't want to shine too hard or make other people uncomfortable or attract attention to myself again because I wasn't fully trusting in God to protect me. If I dim my light, if I shrunk myself or

what I was here to do or if I put more attention, shine the light on other people and what they were doing, I felt like it would keep me safe. But God keeps me safe. And so he'll keep me safe. God opens doors. so everything that I feel is not or everything that I felt was not available to me is available to me. If it's available to God, it's available to me. Everything's available to God. If it is his will.

He will do it for me. He will open the doors. He will put me in the rooms. He will put me on the minds and the hearts and in the words of other people. On the tongue. Put my name on the tongue of other people. People that have the opportunities. People that can give space to the things that he wants to get done in this world through me. And I'm trusting more in that. So what does that look like practically? One of the things that I mentioned a couple of episodes ago is that I got into acting again.

I got into acting maybe two years ago again because I had given myself permission and permission to take up space. think one of the reasons why I had been acting was because I feel like I had to get smaller physically to get the roles I wanted to get, to do the things I wanted to do, to get to win, you know? But acting is something that fulfills me, something that I love so dearly. It's something that

makes me joyful and I feel like it's a gift and talent that I have that God wants to use for himself. When I moved down here, I moved down here with the goal of acting. I went and got some headshots done. Not the right way. I was young and fresh in the industry and didn't really know, but I got headshots done. I hit the ground running. I was wanting to do theater and movies and TV and modeling and all these things for the Lord.

And then over the years, I started to shrink that vision to fit into other people's vision for what it should be. Because I have other skills and talents. They saw those and fit me into their puzzle or where I was most effective for their vision. And so while I wanted to act, I have admin abilities. So I became an admin person directing, assistant directing, stage managing, things like that. And because I'm down for the mission, I just fell right into that.

and then I gained weight and then I felt like, well, the way the industry goes, you have to look a certain way and be a certain way and this, that, and the other. And I started to embrace ideas about what it could be and made myself small to fit into those ideas. And I'm just glad that I'm in a space now where it's just like, I'm going to do what I feel the Lord has told me to do. And if he wants to open the door, he will. And he has been my first.

Foray back into acting, I did a short film, that short film won a Telly last year, a Telly Award. I got back into acting classes. I did it as a date night with my husband because he's an actor. And it was several date nights really, because it was a five week course study. But it was so enriching for us to return to something that we know is a purpose for our marriage, had I not.

been open to the idea of acting again, then we wouldn't get back to even where we're growing through this year with the hope and the vision to expand back into what we know that we're purposed to do together. And that was that yes to acting that helped to reignite that spark that we had for doing this kind of art together. I auditioned for a play reading that has developed into a full play.

I got a supporting role and have since moved into the lead role for that play. Had I not put myself out there with expansive thinking, I wouldn't even be able to do that. I'm so excited for that. It is coming up in May. I'll announce it when it's time and I get more information if anybody wants to come and watch it. But I'm literally doing something I love that I stopped myself from doing because I one shrunk. listened to other people where I just couldn't see the vision for myself in doing it.

Because what I believe culture, industry, people felt about what it was that I could be doing. I'm a good actor. I know that that's not something that I don't understand. Yet I stopped myself from doing something that I know the God has purpose for me to do. So what have you been stopping yourself from doing and why? Why are you shrinking? That's my question to you. Is it fear? Is it fear of failure? Fear of not being able to

Execute on the level you want to execute is a fear of what people are going to say about you. Are you scared to? Be seen trying these things making mistakes be seen Being a beginner. Are you afraid to be seen? Beginning as opposed to being an expert at something. Are you afraid of learning as opposed to knowing everything from the start? We all start somewhere Like I'm a good actor, but I want to be a great actor But how can I be a great actor if I won't even be a good actor?

How can I be a thin actor if I don't start as a fat actor? You know what I mean? Like if I start now and keep honing my skills when I do drop weight, I'll be right where I need to be for the opportunities that God wants to open the doors for me. But actually he doesn't have to wait for me to drop weight. That's the purpose of me understanding. I can expand my knowledge and my understanding of what's possible for me.

Because he can move on the hearts of kings, can move on the hearts of producers, of directors, of everyone, anyone.

Who's to say I don't fit? I say I don't fit, but maybe I'm the perfect fit for what someone envisioned when they wrote their parts. Why put yourself in a box? Now I'm stretching out. I'm stretching out of that box. I'm stretching out of every box that's on me. Another thing that I'm doing is doing it all. And I guess I think I may do a separate episode on that because I'm committed to doing.

all the things I want to hear well done and a part of my makeup is that I am a person who needs to be doing things. I cannot just do one thing. I cannot have too much time on my hands. Nothing will get done. And so when you see me and it feels like I'm spread thin or it feels like I'm unfocused, that works for me. But I shrink myself or I have shrunk myself over the years into a space of

Let me demonstrate to people that I am focused, that this is what I want to do. Let me expand this one thing when that was never my goal. It was never my purpose. It was never my assignment to expand one thing to what seemed to be successful to other people. didn't want to grow my business to be an agency with several people and other people doing the work that I wanted to do. But then I sat in limbo because I didn't believe in my small thinking that I can do it in the way that

worked for me. I'm no longer there. My thinking has expanded. And so I still am doing my business, but I still am also acting. I still do have another business and I still am mom-aduring because my kids are also creatives. Writing. I'm also doing this podcast. Like everything, everything works together, but everything needs to work together. I have to work on everything for the full picture and vision of what it is that God wants me to do.

to be seen by me first and then by the world. When I shrink and say, let me do what other people expect of me. I'm not doing what God expects of me. And then I don't read the benefits of obedience. I want to read the benefits of obedience. I don't want to shrink my thinking to align with people who don't know what God knows. Why would I shrink myself to fit into a box of people who can't see the future, who are not omniscient?

omnipresent or omnipotent. I serve a God who is, so why would I not trust him more than I trust other people's opinions? So that's a part of being and recovering people pleaser, recovering perfectionist. It feels safe to be safe with people. It feels safe to be with a pack. It feels safe to do what people expect you to do and to please them and to not make them question you or

reject you or whatever but there's so many people on earth there's so many that's what i'm learning so many people on earth and if they no longer align because they don't align with god's plan for your life he will bring the right people around to align with his plan we're in his vision not in their vision we're within his will and purpose not their will and purpose not your will and purpose his him alone for his glory

For your good, for his glory. So my word is expand. And I'm expanding. I'm very excited about expanding. Another way that I want to expand is to talk more about what I do and what I'm doing. think a lot of, even this podcast, a lot of it is my mental internal thoughts because that's safe. I can control that. I can control what I share. I can even explain what I'm feeling and why I'm feeling it.

What feels less safe is to just display what I'm and allow people to know what I'm doing. And I know there's some wisdom in keeping things under wrap while you're working on them and then just kind of announcing it when it's time to announce it. But see, I'm the kind of person who does not announce it ever. So I'm always doing something in secret and it's always a wow when people find out and I need to do less of that. That's why we come back to light, letting your light shine.

Because it's not about me or me being impressive or me protecting the things that I'm doing or me being non-threatening to people because sometimes when you're doing a lot or being a lot or whatever, it can cause some people to have some insecurities, feel threatened, feel competitive with you and want to disparage you or hate on you or whatever. And none of that is my business at this point. I feel like where I am in life,

It's a, I've been in a let them season before Mel Robbins, it's just let them because again, I can't fear them more than I fear the Lord. I can't fear people's opinions more than I fear the Lord's opinion. So I have to let them be upset. I have to let them take that up with him. Call the manager, he's the manager. it's above me because...

Shining a light on the things that you're doing, shining a light on him brings him glory. That's what humility is. Sometimes it feels like you're being humble by shrinking, by being quiet, by not showing up or not sharing, but that doesn't bring him glory. Instead, humility is shining the light so that he can get the glory.

You know, it's giving the glory back to Him. It's nothing that I'm doing. I'm a good actor because He created me to be a good actor. I'm a good mom because He created me to be a good mom. I'm a good... I know the Word because He poured the Word in me. Because He's encouraged me to read His Word and the Holy Spirit reveals what He reveals to me. I'm a creative because He's a creative and He's created me to be creative. I can learn things and communicate things very well because that's what He's put into me. It's not...

for my glory, but for his glory, that I use all my gifts and talents, that I talk about the things that I'm doing, that I invite other people to experience and to journey along with me into doing. I remember when we did our play, and I was so stressed about our playing conference. And then at the end, I realized that by offering the platform, there were so many people touched by the people that we had connected to the play and the conference, not just what we were doing, but the wisdom that went forth in the.

workshops that we had and the entertainment that happened and the play that we had like all the people that volunteered and the connections that were made, you know, my parents being able to come down and and my mother-in-law coming down and just being able to be so proud of the work that they did and creating children that could accomplish something like this. Like there was so much more to it than us just doing the thing that we're doing that allows him to get the glory that points back to God doing things in and through us.

And I'm just on, I'm on his program. I'm with that. Let me do the things. Let me show up. Let me be the target. If you want to throw darts at my back, you know, whatever, because I'm not, I'm not special. I'm not this. I'm not that. I'm not doing what you want me to do. Like all these things that go through my mind trying to keep people happy, or they might just be completely false. Like I'm just imagining things because I'm pretty creative. I have a good imagination of how people would hate and people might not even be hating like, somebody's hating.

there's always gonna be somebody hating. But it's probably not as many people as you think are hating. It's not as many people that are against you as you think are against you. And the people that are against you are far less than the people that are for you, always. You cannot let one or two or 10 people stop you from affecting the thousands, hundreds, hundreds of thousands that God might have for you to impact.

That's the point. If it's just one, you can't let 10 people that are talking bad about you stop you from impacting that one because you don't know what God wants to do in and through that one. If that's the assignment, do the assignment. Forget the people, forget the opinions, do the assignment. This is expansive thinking for me, guys. I've really done some work. I've been in the trenches doing some work to get to this point.

I've experienced so much life and I want to hear well done so bad to get to this point. So if things look differently and things feel differently, just know it's me trying to bring glory to God. It's me trying to encourage you to do the same. He is worthy.

He is worthy of that. He deserves it.

Whatever your word of the year is, if you have a word of the year, pray on it. I definitely prayed online. I definitely know this is Spirit-led. This is time-based. It is time. It is time to open up and expand. Expand your mind. Expand the possibilities of what can happen. Be open. Say yes. I read the year of yes years ago. I think I might need to pick that back up.

That's John and Ryan's book. Say yes to God first and foremost. Often. Always. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Obedience is better. Trust. Don't be anxious for anything. Be grateful and move. Time is running out. I just, don't know. I don't know if that's for me. I'm on that right now. I don't know if it's for someone listening.

Whether it's today, tomorrow, or 45 years, we don't have time to waste. You can't get it back. All of it matters. All of it's important. Use it wisely. Use it lovingly. Lastly, I encourage you to dream. If you're like me, it's been hard to dream. Make 2026 your year to dream again. It doesn't have to be a dream about everything, but dream about something.

And when I say dream, it's like, imagine the positive, imagine the possibilities, have hope in the future. Because you know, that's one of my purposes, to spread hope. And so I encourage you to hope in the future, even if it's not just the future here, hope in the future of eternity with Christ. And as you are learning or growing or developing, get closer to Him so that your hope can be strengthened.

It's worth it. It is so worth it. My prayer for you is that 2026 be full of love, of life, of community, of laughter, of growth, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, even physically, if that's what you need. I pray that you love yourself and come to see yourself in the way that God sees you. I pray that you be filled with the Holy Spirit, that you abide in Christ as he abides in you.

I pray for no fear, just boldness and courage. I pray for clarity, for peace, for understanding, for wisdom, for knowledge. I pray that we see each other and pour into each other and love each other. Whether it's one person or with a thousand people every single day, how can we be more loving toward one another? Whether in your family, whether a stranger, I pray that for us.

here's to a new year, here's to more life, here's to more love, here's to more joy, contentment, and peace. Happy 2026, happy new year. Well, that's all I have for you today. If you're like me, reach out to me on Instagram or on my website, linked in the bio. Share this episode with someone who might be like us and make sure you rate and review wherever you listen to Fine Podcasts. I thank you so much for being here and hope you have a wonderful week. Okay, bye!