What Does New Years Mean For You This Year?

New Years has come again. It's time to say goodbye to another year, and look towards the next one. It's also the time of year when people begin thinking about making New Year's resolutions. Some people believe in this more than others. It is about setting goals for yourself in the new year; things that you would do differently. Will you make New Year's resolutions?


The most common New Year's resolutions include losing weight, exercising, or being healthier, or maybe striving to get a promotion at work, or starting a family. All in all, the new year can mean new changes in life. Changes you want to make, or maybe even changes that were supposed to happen, or that you made happen.

Normally New Years doesn't phase me. I never make plans, and for me it's always been just another day. But this year is different. On the way home from work two weeks ago, before my holiday vacation began, I lay on the train and stared out the window, listening to my iPod. I watched as the buildings of the city slowly faded away as the train drove west. I began to think of everything from the year. Ironically, I was listening to Tommy Lee's "Say Goodbye". Flashbacks, pictures, and memories flashed through  my head...like a screenplay. I began to think. The end of 2012 was quickly approaching. It was at that point that I realized that, for me personally, New Years this year is about saying goodbye. I've had to say goodbye to many people and many things. Some included close, personal relationships; an old family member that had passed on, as well as a significant piece of my childhood; several professional relationships; a marriage; and just an angry and unhappy "me" that is now gone...and that I won't miss.

As I wrote in a previous article, 2012 was the year of difficult decisions. I had to make several difficult, life-changing decisions. The decisions I made this year have and will no doubt affect the rest of my life. While a large part of me is nervous for these changes, as I always worry about making the right decisions, I'm also excited for the new paths and opportunities that may come my way in 2013. New Years definitely brings about changes in life.

I'm thankful for the opportunities that have come my way, some of which I have accepted, and others that I chose to pass up. I've had the privilege of meeting and working with some of the most fantastic people I've ever met. I'm truly thankful for those that I've met and for those that have entered and left footprints on my heart this year. Some have even re-entered my life and have enriched it even more. For those I'm also eternally grateful. I wish all those the best of luck and success in 2013.

In less than 24 hours, a new year will be upon us. Will I make New Year's resolutions? I think so. Mine include taking care of myself both physically and mentally, meeting certain professional, personal, and educational goals, and just being a happier and healthier person...which was definitely something I took for granted before.

So what about you? What have you or will you say goodbye to? What does the New Year mean for you? For some the new year may just be another year, or that tomorrow morning will be just another day. While this may be true, my advice to you is to do one thing different tomorrow. This could be not eating something you would normally eat, helping someone, complimenting another, or doing something different for yourself. You'd be surprised how minimal changes such as these can become contagious, and can start your new year off right. Happy New Year.




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