New Year, New Opportunities

I love New Years. People ask me what my favorite holiday was, and at one point in my life, Christmas would have definitely been the first thing to pop in my head. These days, that isn't really the case. Sure, I love Christmas and everything that its about, but there is something about New Years that seems to hold a greater value to me at this point in my life. People celebrate all other holidays that occur during the year differently. Whether it be Valentine's Day, and a couple goes out to the typical dinner and movie, or they do the anti-valentine date and decide to not support it at all. Or Christmas. With many celebrating Christmas day, or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or decide against it all together. But New Years. New Years is for everyone. It doesn't discriminate. It's one of those holidays that doesn't have a grounding in some type of emotion such as Valentines, or based on a historic event such as July 4th. It's everyone counting down another year that they have spent as an individual in this world. It's especially important to me now because as each year goes by, the more I change and my life changes. I am now entering my last 9 months of graduate school which will close the educational chapter of my life for good. This time next year, I have no clue where I will be. Does it make me nervous or anxious, sure. But the excitement of the unknown and the adventure at hand is much greater. We go through really great, memorable times during each year, while at the same time, we endure dramatic life-changing events. Sometimes you feel like you made the right decisions that led you to where you are, and sometimes you make wrong choices, that again, leads you to where you are. New Years is another chance for everyone. It's a clean slate. What can you do differently this year to make it great based on lessons you have learned in the past years? Don't ever step into a new year with regrets or fear, but with the mindset that it will be the best yet. If it doesn't turn out how you like, well, it's only 12 months until you get another shot. Cheers!