I hope you all have had a wonderful and merry Christmas! Unfortunately, Christmas has passed, but the New Year is right around the corner. Hooray! That makes me so excited! Although the future is scary to think about, I am certain there will be great memories made and laughter shared. There will be many things to be thankful for and many things to look forward to.

As we all know the new year is about a "new you" or a "better you." We have made more New Year's Goals than we can count on our hand, but how many times do we go through each year hopelessly failing at our goals we set at the very beginning? I have before and I bet you have too. This year, I am going to be different: I have decided not to set any goals for the New Year.

I won't make a list just to cross things out or announce my goals during the New Year celebration. No, this time I want to welcome 2017 with open arms; I am very, very excited for this new year and what it will bring. I want to let the year flow the way it wants. Therefore, I am going to just sit back and enjoy it. I will not force anything, but let whatever happens, happen. In reality, goals are good to have, but personally I do not want to tie myself to a certain goal, standard, or idea of what 2017 will be like. When I do this, I feel like I have to live up to that goal, and if my perspective changes or I do not meet my own requirements, I don't want to feel that pressure.

If I have learned anything from the past 18 years it is that goals, ideas, and standards can change. I can change. My friends and family can change. My dog can even change. Time will do that; 2017 will change it's course from 2016, and that is okay.

Personally, I love change. I love stepping back to watch myself and others grow, to find new hobbies, new things they love, different outlooks on life. To me, that is what the year should be filled with. It shouldn't be surrounded by goals or ideas of the future or a way to change the past, but a way to embrace the life you live one day at a time.

So welcome in 2017 with bright eyes, a big smile, and let all the expectations go. Just live out 2017 the best you know how. Sure, making goals is something fun to do and a good way to reflect at the end of the year, but it is nothing compared to how free you feel when you drop the goals and surrender to solely live out the journey.

So cheers to the New Year and what it will bring! I hope you all have a year worth living for and joy fills your hearts. 2017 would be nothing without you!