I suspect I am not alone in saying that I'm very much looking forward to the new year and the 365 chances for new adventures that it brings. I find it odd that I am so hopeful and enthusiastic towards the new year when in truth, not much will change besides the flipping of the calendar page.
There are no sudden, magical changes that herald the start of 2016. I don't expect to suddenly find myself in Paris or Belfast or Rome. I doubt I'll have millions in my checking account. I seriously doubt I'll be in fighting condition to run a 5K either. My house will still be cluttered, the tree will still be up and my studio will still look like a wreck. (Those darn elves haven't done a thing to clean it up!)
However, I do believe the beginning of the year gives us a mental "restart." And therein, lies magic! January 1st gives us the opportunity to hit reset and begin again. We get to wipe away cobwebs, throw out the old, worn out year to pull out our dreams and blow the dust off from them. We begin to think about new steps we'll take to move closer to making those dreams a reality. At least, that's what I do.
This year, my approach will be slightly different though. Instead of just sitting down and writing out a bunch of goals to get me closer to my dream, I'm taking the time to break down the goals into steps, I'm giving them timeframes in which to accomplish them and I'll be working with an "accountability partner" to make sure I stay on track with my tasks.
As I looked over my 2015 goals, I realized I had about a 50/50 split on what I'd said I wanted to accomplish and what I didn't even think about doing. And I guess that's not bad, but I know I can do a whole lot better. With that in mind, I'm setting out to rock 2016—step-by-step, day-by-day.
When I'm sitting here writing out my New Year's Eve post in 2016, I want to be able to look back at a year of accomplishments, fun, progress, great memories, making new friends, reconnecting with old friends and lots of good times. I want MORE out of myself. I want a year I can be proud of because I met and exceeded my goals.
Interested in joining me?
If so, let me know. Together, we can make 2016 a year to remember!
Meanwhile, I'd like to leave you with the thoughts of Neil Gaiman from sweatpantsandcoffee.com. I think his graphic sums up my wishes for all of us in the new year:
Wishing each of you, a safe, prosperous, exciting,
challenging, creative, and Happy New Year!!
