It's that time of year, are you ready?

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How we got to this place, this time, is simply amazing to me. How did 2016 go by so fast?  I know that with each passing year, each year seems to go faster and faster, but this was ridunkulous!!  Hey it's OK, the faster time goes, or at least our perception of the speed of time, the faster we are able to do and be in the place we were always intended to be.

As we count down the remaining days, hours, and minutes of 2016 I always like to look back a little, but primarily I love looking ahead, and with a new invigorated hope, look to 2017 for what it will bring to not only myself, but to the rest of those I call friends, family, acquaintances, and loved ones.  

If you were like me, 2016 was a learning year.  I learned much more about myself then I had even planned at the beginning of the year.  Not all the lessons were fun, but at the same time, not every lesson was a total downer.  I was forced to learn more patience, and at times I was amazed where the patience came from, but it did, it was good, and I am a little better for having gone through some of the things I went through.  What things did you learn this year?  What lessons will you carry over into the new year, and will you finally grab the golden ring and do what you have always desired to do?
These are the questions we asked ourselves each year at this time, and sadly these are some of the questions that go unanswered for most of the upcoming year.  Why not try something new this year and make that effort to go where you may never have gone before.  Why not answer some of those lingering questions that you have run away from.

The New Year is the best time to begin new things.  It's like cleaning our the refrigerator.  You put it off until there are no more containers left in the pantry to put additional left overs in, so you empty out all the old ones, and you simply begin again.  Certainly there will be some things that we carry over from year to year, but this is the perfect time to start fresh.  This is the perfect time to throw caution to the wind and simply jump into the deep end and swim for all you're worth.  This is a great time to sweep away those things that no longer serve you, and maybe just maybe put what you need ahead of others.  Getting what you need is not selfish.   Getting what you need is simply allowing things to come to you that you need, you want, and quite frankly may have been waiting for for some time now.

I don't know many people who look at the New Year and the first thing that comes into their mind is the dread that followed them the previous year.  Most people look at this moment in time as a time of hope, a time of dreaming, and a time to release the old and pick up the new.  I may be repeating myself, but the New Year is a time of hope and promise.  It is that moment where everything seems possible, and those things that may have been just out of reach for you somehow appear to be just a bit closer and more obtainable.

I learned a lot in 2016.  I'm looking forward to what I learn in 2017.  Here's my suggestion for you, and you of course can choose to do it, or you can choose not to.  I simply want you to think about it.  If you choose to heed my advice, well then, good on you.  If on the other hand you decide to go it alone, I still wish you the very best.  I suggest that you take a moment to reflect on 2016, but only a moment, and then make the decision to step out of your comfort zone and do something really outrageous.  Now being outrageous is different for everyone.  What I mean is you simply do something that some people just might never expect you to do.  If you have always had long hair, maybe it's time to shorten it up.  If you have always been just a vanilla or chocolate type of person, maybe it's time to throw in some sprinkles.  What I'm saying is this:  you control what you do, and maybe it's time you stop doing what others expect of you and simply do what you want to do.

Too many people have spent their lives doing what others wanted them to do, or what they thought was expected of them.  All this has done is make for a very unrewarding life, and a life where you are constantly asking yourself the "what if" question.  So let me ask you this:  what if you decided to do what was in your heart this year?  What if you decided to be who you really are and forget about being the person others expect you to be?  What if you simply started enjoying Life and doing a few things that truly make you happy?

This is what the New Year is all about.  It is your time to dream, your time to do, and your time to simply look ahead with hope.  We may not know everything that is going to happen in the upcoming year, but that shouldn't matter.  There will be those who accomplish all they desire, and there will be others who will sit back and when 2017 is over wonder where the time went, and how they managed to do absolutely nothing.  2017 is going to be what you make it.  Your thoughts, your feelings, your words, and your actions are going to be the driving force behind what you experience in the upcoming year.  I suggest you put out good thoughts, good vibes, and set the intention that this year is going to be like no other.  Once again if you can think it, you can believe it, and if you believe it, you can pretty much bet it is going to be yours.  Have a great 2017 and I am so thrilled to be entering into a new period and you should be too.