Christmas is nice and all, but there's just nothing like New Years. In fact, New Years may be one of my favorite times of year – not for the champagne, the elegant parties or the ball drop – but because it defines time for us.

In our minds, there is a definitive difference between December 31st and January 1st. We literally move from one year to the next, one space to another. While there are plenty of arguments out there about how a simple calendar flip doesn't actually motivate you to be better, loose weight or change your drinking habits, I'd like to take a minute to argue the opposite. You know why?Because I'm a dreamer.

I believe in the constant growth and evolution of my mind, body, spirit and soul. This growth becomes ambitious when I create achievable goals that I put in writing. I believe we all have the power to change any part of ourselves or our life at any given moment, but what I love about New Years is that we're all forced to think about things intentionally.

Who do you want to be? How should you re-align your life in the months to come? What do you want more of? What do you want less of? These are all questions we begin to ask ourselves around this time of year.

I hear the pessimists saying, “who cares, nobody sticks to their goals anyways. It's all hogwash!”

That's fine, pessimists are entitled to their opinion too, however I'd like to offer this perspective in the form of a John Lennon quote:

*The Sparkling Hippie, original design.*

“The hardest thing is facing yourself. It's easier to shout “revolution” or “power to the people” than it is to look at yourself and find out what's real inside you and what isn't when you're pulling the wool over your own eyes.”

I think the beauty in this quote is that Lennon makes a great point. In the end, we have nothing to live with but ourselves. While we join others in community and love, the ultimate person we have to live with indefinitely is ourselves. I think New Years is a good time to reflect on ourselves and our intentions versus our reality.

This time last year I remember telling myself I was done jacking around with my blog. 2018 would be my year to finally turn it into a business that I love. Before January had ended, I hired a blogging coach, bought a planner solely for my blogging schedule and planned out my first three-months of work.

As the months went on things ebbed and flowed. Some according to plan, others not so much. That's life. I learned to adjust my plans to stick with my focus and continuously bring in new insights to spur on my growth, both personally and professionally.

By June I received my first sale through my website. I WAS ECSTATIC. It was a mere $20, but that wasn't the point. The point was that I had worked diligently with focus and achieved something I'd been trying to do my entire adult life.

I share this with you to let you know some things about New Years:

It's okay to look inward and identify what's working and not working. Let the nay-sayers say nay, they aren't who you have to live with. Remember that you are always in control of your own life. No one else can take that responsibility but you.

Now's the time to come up with some intentions for both yourself and your business. Who do you want to be this time next year? Who do you want to be in 6-months? Where do you want your creative passions to be? Is this year going to be the year you finally set your mind to your goals and make that dream happen? Spend some time pondering these thoughts.

Get accountable. I truly believe much of my success this year is owed to the courses and coaches I invested in along the way. Find someone who can help you plan, keep you accountable and push you forward into your zone of genius. Often times others see things in us that we don't want to see or can't see ourselves. Who will you put in the ring with you?

I hope you'll enjoy the glitter and the confetti and the magic spell that dawns at midnight. I hope you'll be surrounded by lovely people and wonderful thoughts and that this year will truly be the year you go after you biggest creative dream and make your desires a reality.

Happy New Years!

What I love about New Year's Eve + John Lennon