Happy 2016

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope everyone has had a safe and wonderful holiday. The beginning of the year is a good time of year to reflect on what you've accomplished in the past year. I know most people look to start off the new year with resolutions, which is great. It's a new year, new you, new beginning. However, it's important to celebrate all your blessings and accomplishments of the year previous. Too often we look to the future without giving thought to how far we have come. 

Think for just a moment on what you have accomplished in the past year. It may not seem like much, but I think most can come up with at least five things. New friends, family, and loved ones that you met in 2015. Experiences, thrills, art, or entertainment that you enjoyed. Maybe you volunteered to help someone in whatever way you could, or got a promotion at work. Whether it is a personal triumph or the contentment from helping others around you, we all are given joys in this life. Sometimes they may seem small or insignificant compared with the struggles and hardships we have to face. Some days it feels impossible to lift burdens off of our shoulders, but we made it. We are in the new year. We have lived through another year and hopefully enjoyed and endured it to the best of our ability. 

New year resolutions are great for setting goals, but don't forget that each day is a day to accomplish something and strive to be the best version of yourself. You don't need a new year's resolution to do that and you should not let them be a way of punishing yourself for not going to the gym enough or not succeeding. Taking it day by day and realizing just how far we have already come may be just the push we need for the new year. 

-Megan B