I’m not really a big celebrator of New Year’s…I don’t make a point to stay up & watch the ball drop, or give a kiss at midnight.  Never have.  I don’t MEAN to be a humbug about it, I just don’t notice it.  But I do appreciate that people see the start of a new year as a new beginning; a chance to start over with something, to begin again, to try new things.  The slate seems clean, wiped away of any negativity of the past, and full of endless possibilities.

But the thing is that EVERY day is like that!  Every single day you wake up, every hour, every minute, every MOMENT…..it’s a chance for a brand new start.

You can CHOOSE to see the bad side of things.  Negativity always speak MUCH louder than anything else.  It’s REALLY easy to find it because it speaks so loudly (especially online, amIright?).  It seems bigger, because it’s full of hot air.  But if you look a little harder, a little CLOSER, you’ll find there are “good things” EVERYWHERE.  They’re often smaller, much simpler, much harder to see, but there are infinitely WAY more of them, like the tiniest little fireflies, lighting up the whole sky for you.  And sometimes, the things that LOOK like a negative might be a positive in hiding.  It might not seem like  a positive thing in your world, but as unpleasant as it might have been, it might have HAD to be there to be a positive force in someone else’s life.

So do what you love.  Do what you feel.  Share the things you love with the people that love you.

You don’t have the change the whole world at once; that’s too big a challenge.  It’s too much to tackle all at once.  But you can make a BIG difference in a very big way, by starting very small.  With kindness.  With sharing.  With generosity.  With empathy.  With focusing on the positive.  With GRATITUDE for the things you DO have.

You don’t have to pound your fists in anguish so much against the machine…just step out of its way.  Be a stone in a passing stream.  Do something small in your own world.  Do something that’s a little scary for you.  Do something different.

Those mistakes?  They’re not always mistakes.  There’s a chance to change them, and turn them into something better, every minute of every day.

I believe in change.  It’s solid; it’s real.  It’s a strong force that will happen whether you understand it or not.  Try to embrace it and roll with it.  It might take you places you’ve never dreamed…

So happy new year, everyone!  But also, happy new month, happy new week, happy new day…I hope each one is better than the next one for you!