On New Year鈥檚 Eve, I enjoy being a homebody. I like to watch the ball drop from my warm living room, on my comfy couch with my loved ones. I can鈥檛 imagine actually going to Times Square for New Year鈥檚, but it鈥檚 fun to watch all those people who look like they are having a blast out in the freezing cold.
Many of us take New Year鈥檚 as an opportunity to pause and ponder what鈥檚 in store for the coming twelve months. Will our dreams come true, will we keep our resolutions or will we make that huge change we鈥檝e been pondering? Knowing who you are, knowing what you want and what you don鈥檛 want, will help you see your goals more clearly.
Creating and fulfilling goals makes life more enjoyable. Without goals, time can get away from you, and you can find yourself aimlessly going through each and every day without much direction. This isn鈥檛 necessarily a bad way to go through life, but I think you can get more out of your time on this planet if you pick a direction and do what you can to stay on that path.
Having a goal in mind can be very motivating. It makes you happy when you see yourself making progress toward it. Accomplishing everything on your bucket list may not be possible, but often just writing down your dreams and desires helps you achieve them.
A great tool that I have used for years with both children and adults is to make a treasure map. This is a fun exercise, and it鈥檚 very easy. All you need are some old magazines, scissors and a large piece of paper or poster board. Begin by thumbing through the magazines and hunting for pictures of things, places and people that make you smile or that inspire you in some way. Then cut them out and make a collage. When done, you can hang the treasure map on your wall. This can be a great family activity for New Year鈥檚 Eve.
As you look ahead to the coming year, you may want to think about all you accomplished in the one that just passed. Rather than beat yourself up for what you didn鈥檛 do, you can celebrate what was wonderful about the previous year. We can鈥檛 change the past, but we do have the power to make our futures brighter. And isn鈥檛 this in part the gift that the new year brings?
One more thing. When I think of New Year鈥檚 Eve, I remember my father always calling it 鈥渁mateur night.鈥� He meant all the people who are on the road after they have had the obligatory New Year鈥檚 toast and perhaps a little bit more. If you go to a party, please be careful and make responsible decisions.