A Fresh Start

2008 is a new beginning. It's a brand new year that's clean and blank and just waiting for you to do something new with it. So make a conscious effort to do something different from the usual things that haven't brought you happiness in the past. It's worth a try. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. That sentence in itself may be psychologically triggering or scary. Forget about words and concepts for a moment. Just think about yourself. There is so much more to you than words and numbers and concepts.

What do you want 2008 to be about? Don't make a list for yourself of everything you want to accomplish or hope to gain. Then if you aren't able to check things off your list you will feel you've failed or that your year is somehow incomplete or has not lived up to its full potential. Just choose one thing...one thing you want to do or attain or become or understand or feel or realize or complete. Just one. Make it a good one. And make 2008 about that thing. Don't make the mistake of becoming too focused on that one thing. 2008 has a lot to offer you and everyone; it shouldn't be about obsessing over one particular thing. But keep a goal in the back of your mind and work toward it when you can.

And one more thing...
This year, try to learn from yourself.

That's it. Don't try to analyze yourself. Don't try to emulate others. Don't try to find the answers to everything you have a questions about. Simply learn...from yourself. There's a lot to learn. The first step to learning is listening. Listen to yourself. Even if you can't make sense of yourself, listen. Learn.

Because it's true...everything starts with you.