Big ideas have floated in my head for a while. I could do this thing! Or maybe this other thing over here! Or maybe both of them. Or what about this unrelated thing over here?

It’s easy to look at something, or someone you admire, and think “I want that”.

It’s hard to take the first steps to actually going out there to get that. Inevitably, that thing probably doesn’t pan out, and along the way you realize you didn’t even want it that much. But you may have stumbled upon what you do want, and that’s even better.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with possibility, and even easier to never start rather than take that chance.

It’s hard to step back and realize when maybe it’s time to stop one thing, and start something new.

Toward the end of 2017, I realized I needed to stop teaching the Zumba class I’ve taught for over five years. It was a very hard decision to reach, but I knew it was the right thing to do the moment it occurred to me.

It’s the beginning of 2018, and I am looking forward to welcoming new things into my life instead. Professional growth I’ve talked about but not pursued. Friends I’ve talked about visiting but haven’t. Places I want to see but haven’t tried.

Where once there was work and routine, there is now possibility and chance.

It’s strange how much faith we put into the end of one year and the start of another. How the change of one number can be a cause, all by itself, for change.

As we close out one year, we reflect on how long it felt, or how hard it was, or even, if we’re lucky, how good it was. Probably, like most years, it’s a mixed bag.

It seems wise to take time to reflect, think about what worked and what didn’t, and start the new year ready to make a difference and put some good out into the world.

The start of a new year is a chance to cleanse our spirits, dust off our optimism, and make some moves. Let’s do this.