The year is nearly over.
As I write this, there are only a few days left until Christmas. By the time you read this, Christmas will have come and gone and everyone will be preparing for the new year.
2016 was a difficult year for many people, and a wonderful year for others as well. I think it is important to acknowledge that yes, we did laugh this year. Yes, despite the numerous tragedies around the world, the deaths, and the fear, 2016 was not only a year of grief, at least not for everyone.
Still, I am looking forward to 2017.
I have never been in love with the idea of New Year’s Resolutions or the cliche that you should change yourself in January, and embrace the “new year, new me” ideal. However, I do have several hopes this new year. I hesitate to call them goals. Let’s label them as wishes. These are wishes and hopes I have for myself, for the world, and for you, reader.
Here are my seven wishes and hopes for 2017. In 2017, I hope that you….
1. Laugh More
This sounds like a simple wish, but I feel that it is the most important. This new year, take some time to really enjoy the things that make you happy in your life. Laugh until you cry, laugh until your stomach aches, even if you think you shouldn’t. If 2016 taught us anything, it is that life is too short. In 2017, embrace your laughter.
2. Love More
Make time for your friends and family in 2017. Visit someone you haven’t seen in awhile. If your family lives far away, pick up the phone and give them a call. It’s important to reconnect with the people who are important to us.
3. Make Time For Yourself
This sounds like a kind of cliche wish, but it is one that I think is important. This year, do not become so intwined with the rush of work life and responsibilities that you miss opportunities to enjoy yourself. This does not have to be an extravagant thing; I am not suggesting you spend all your savings on a trip to the Caribbean. This idea can be as simple as spending a night in with your favorite movie or taking a day to read that book you’ve been meaning to pick up since 2015 but just haven’t found the time to read. In 2017, make time for you.
4. Try Something New
It is a new year, that means there are more chances for you to experience new things! This year, step a little outside your comfort zone and try something new. This could be a new food, a new activity, a new way of thinking about things. Embrace new experiences as they come and keep an open mind this year.
5. Spend More Time Helping Others
2016 was difficult year for many people. This new year, spend some time helping someone in need. Donate to a charity. Make your neighbor a meal. Stand up to injustice. If you are privileged, use your privilege to make change happen. Make 2017 the year that you take action.
6. Be More Creative
Perhaps this wish is a slightly biased one, but if you are a creative person, carve out time to practice your creative passions this new year. Write more. Draw more. Paint more. Sing more. Do not let work or stress or the cruelty of the world steal your passion for creating art.
7. Go On Adventures
This wish does not mean that you should drop everything and go on a safari. Anything can be an adventure. Going to the grocery store can be an adventure if you approach it with the right mindset. This year, try and make the mundane tasks in your life a little more fun. Work on being more positive about all the things you do. Use your imagniation. Go on everyday adventures: walk in the woods, turn up the music and hold your own private concert as you cook dinner. Adding the word “adventure” to your everyday vocabulary, I have found, simply makes life more exciting.
I wish you all the best in 2017.
Happy New Year.
