This is the first year where I'm so incredibly relieved for the end of a year. 2016 was full of ups and downs for me and to be perfectly honest, I'm not great with roller coasters - emotional ones or real-life ones! Despite all of the ups and downs, I think I'm even more excited for this new year because it is a fresh start. A fresh start that I hope will bring more focus and direction into my life.
Last year I chose to focus on health as my word of the year and while the year started out well, the emotional ups and downs of my year threw any thought of health out the window. Meh. Nobody is perfect, right? Despite not really focusing on health this past year, I did learn a lot about the factors in my life that contribute to my health both mentally and physically. Feeling unhappy through half of the year taught me a lot about the things that actually do contribute to my happiness (a cozy home, my hobbies, a non-stressful commute!), and the things that don't contribute to my happiness (money, a fancy job title).
Over the past year, I spent too much time working towards what I thought I wanted because of what societal pressure, peer pressure, and even my own confused mind told me I wanted. So this year, I'm choosing to focus on a phrase: It's your journey. It may not be particularly eloquent or universally inspiring, but it's how I want to re-focus my mind. This year, I want to ditch comparing my journey to those of my peers and focus on my journey, however it might unfold. It might be full of mistakes, hard times, confusion, and at times, complete disarray! - but it's also full of achievements, small milestones, and happy times that I want to relish and remember.
I'm excited for 2017 because I'm excited for a refresh on life. As strange as this year has been for me, I'm still optimistic about the future and so excited for all of the things to come. I know the journey won't be easy or perfect - but I'm going to try my best to remember that it's my journey and no one else's.
I hope you all are having a wonderful star to your new year and that you are ready for all the great things that are in store. Remember, It's your journey - it's challenging, it's exciting, it's unique, and it's yours alone to experience it, so enjoy it ♥ Happy new year, everyone!
