End of the Year Appreciation

With today being December 31st, it is no secret that people nationwide are making last minute attempts at creating New Years Resolutions and fine-tuning their goals for the upcoming year. What I find interesting (even though I’m guilty of it as well) is that so many of us wait until January 1st to begin to follow through with ways we believe will better us. If our resolutions don’t work, or if we simply cannot stick to the plan we set out for ourselves, well, there’s always next January 1st for us to try again.

If we could move past the concept of New Year’s Resolutions, we could work on continuously trying to better ourselves. Moreover, we’ll have an entire year to hold ourselves accountable for our actions, rather than just waiting for a “re-do” twelve months from now. What is important for us to remember during these upcoming weeks of “resolutioning” (a new verb that’s quite fitting for this time of year) is that one minor setback is not a failure; we must not allow ourselves to get discouraged if things do not go according to plan. There is always tomorrow to wake up refreshed and begin from where we last left off. If we can view New Year’s Resolutions as the Year’s Resolutions, maybe we won’t be so harsh on ourselves. And maybe we’ll realize that our goals can be fought for at any given moment of any given day—not just for the first few days in January.

With that being said, one goal that I set for myself this past year was to continue blogging, since I had taken an extended break before the year began. Just this year alone, individuals from all around the world stopped by my site to read what I had to say. To me, there would be nothing more rewarding than knowing that one person (not including my mother) occasionally glances through my site. However, to find out that more than 2,000 visitors from sixty-nine different countries read my thoughts, experiences, and stories throughout the year is beyond overwhelming.

Just this year alone, my blog has had more visitors than the last three years combined. To my fellow bloggers, readers, and friends from 2015, I extend my sincerest appreciation and gratitude for your support. (In the tag section of this post, I’ve included the country of each visitor throughout this past year as a special way of saying thank you since it’s much easier than hand-written notes).

May 2016 be a year to remember, and may all of our resolutions come to fruition, regardless of any potential setbacks we may experience along the way. Happy New Year to all of you, and thank you, once again.

Wishing You the Happiest of New Years

I have spent the past few months debating how I would make my comeback to the world of blogging. If you have been following my posts over the past few years, you’ve probably noticed that I was unsuccessful at finding the perfect excuse to make up for my absence. Out of fear for being gawked at by the blogging community (and quite frankly, myself too), I won’t spend too much time mentioning that the last time I posted on here was last New Year’s Eve, promising to post more often throughout the new year. I also will try to not shed too much light on the fact that I don’t recognize the updated WordPress layout, and it took me a second to remember the password to my account. You know how it is when life gets in the way, or at least you know how we use that excuse to cover up for our procrastinations. But enough about that. The New Year starts in just a few hours, and for those of you who aren’t already drinking and celebrating, like myself, odds are, you’re probably debating what kind of New Year’s resolution to set for yourself. Will you finally try to shed some weight, or will you decide to go ahead with the plans of taking your dream vacation? Will you spend more time with family and friends, or will you dedicate this next year on receiving a promotion at work? As you can tell from last year’s resolution on my blog exactly one year ago (which is probably the post underneath this one), I swore to blog more and continue writing for all of my readers (aka my mother), but more importantly for myself. I clearly didn’t go through with that resolution, so here is a little guideline that I will be trying my best to adhere to this next year. I hope it will help you in your resolution-making process, so here it goes.

~Here’s to saying, “I love you” more often, and meaning it when we address those we care for.
~Here’s to rekindling old relationships that have been on our to-do list, while strengthening the relationships we already have.
~Here’s to learning how to trust, both in others and in ourselves.
~Here’s to trying to find a positive in every negative situation we encounter.
~Here’s to making an effort to find joy each and every day, while accepting sadness and using it as a means of finding a positive in every trying obstacle we encounter.
~Here’s to laughing much more than we already do, and making time to laugh at ourselves as well.
~Here’s to knowing that it’s okay to cry if we need to.
~Here’s to not caring about what others think of us, and only caring what we think of ourselves.
~Here’s to enjoying the nature around us and appreciating what we have and our surrounding environment.
~Here’s to planning a trip, whether it be across the country, across state boarders, or even across the street to catch up with a long-lost friend; but here’s to executing this plan and actually going through with it.
~Here’s to setting goals, and attaining every goal we set.
~Here’s to understanding that mistakes are inevitable, can and will occur throughout our lives.
~Here’s to getting back up after being knocked down by a temporary failure.
~Here’s to eating healthier, but not forgetting the importance of splurging on a heavenly piece of chocolate cake.
~Here’s to exercising more often so that our doctors can leave us alone.
~Here’s to saving up money for a rainy day, but keeping enough around to binge on an exciting shopping adventure.
~Here’s to finding a hobby and finding a passion, and fully enjoying them both.
~Here’s to learning a new skill, trait, or language, and sticking with it until we have mastered it efficiently.
~Here’s to anticipating the future, but always remembering to live in the moment.
~Here’s to connecting to spirituality, whether it be through religion, a high being, or just finding one’s own peace.
~Here’s to finding meaning in each of our lives in all that we do.
~Here’s to making a difference, not just in our lives, but in someone else’s life.
~Here’s to giving without expecting to receive, and receiving with the utmost appreciation.
~Here’s to hoping I don’t regret not having proofread this before leaving my house.
~Here’s to blogging more than once a year so I can see what it’s like to post on days other than New Year’s Eve.
~Here’s to an incredible year ahead of us filled with health, happiness, and an abundance of love and support.

From the bottom of my heart, Happy New Year and it’s great to be back here with you.

New Year’s Blogging

So I keep getting this voice in my head that continuously reminds me that I haven’t blogged in almost a year. And the last time I posted something was about how I was going to start posting more often since I had been slacking. Well, you all can understand how life gets in the way and how some of us tend to put things off until we “find the time,” but I’m tired of making excuses so here we go.

With nearly fifteen minutes left in 2013, I wanted to post something committing to making a promise. I didn’t want to wait until next year to start anew because I wanted to end this year and begin the next one on a positive note. I will blog more throughout this upcoming year. There. I said it and now it’s published for the WordPress world to see.

This past year has been a great one, and I can’t exclaim how fortunate I have been throughout 2013. With another year soon to be in the past and a new one arriving shortly, I think it’s safe to say that 2014 is going to be a year filled with love, happiness, blessings, and incredible opportunities for each and every one of us. I hope you all have a great evening enjoying the remnants of 2013 and welcoming in the start of a New Year, and remember, it’s never too late to make any kind of resolution (Says my guilty conscience from not blogging enough this past year). Happy New Year to each of you and I can’t wait to share it with you all.

It’s About That Time

It’s about that time to take out the champagne,
And begin to celebrate the New Year’s campaign.
This festive time is enjoyed by all,
Especially the dropping of the Times Square ball.

It’s about that time to write our New Year’s resolutions,
And patch up our conflicts by finding solutions.
Sending last-minute love to family and friends,
To end the year on a good note; a period of self-cleanse.

It’s about that time to enjoy the upcoming celebrations,
And live this next year more relaxed, free of frustrations.
Embrace this new year and make the most of each and every day,
And try to be the best you can possibly be, in every single way.