Fresh Beginnings & Big Ideas!

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Now that the company is gone and the  Christmas decorations are down, the holidays are officially in the rearview around here. Aside from a few extra holiday pounds that are lingering, we are full throttle ahead into this new year. Day Four, actually. And no fretting the tighter clothes, Mr. Holiday LBS has an immediate departure date, just around the corner, before the end of the month.

THIS month.

I LOVE the clean slate feel of January! Even with my house looking a bit sad (you know the look of your home post Christmas & Holiday decor- All Down in the Dumps / Less Party, and More Back to Business /Back to the Grind) well, I still find myself really excited to start over fresh with a new year. It brings out the very best of my Big Ideas and Big Plans and perhaps a smidgeon of my OCD tendencies.

Like we mortals sometimes do, I find myself trying to come out of the gate too hard and too fast. My brain is full of ideas and goals and things I'm chomping at the bit, to do. As exhausting as I always am when I have finished packing away Christmas, I still manage to to find enough energy that same day to sit down with  my new calendar and mark up important dates. I honestly can't sleep well if I haven't at least started that. I'm sure I drive my family a bit nuts with my overzealous attitude, but I'm just ready to get on with it, y'know? (OCD​ness.)

So this new year, in an attempt to keep the clan happy, and quiet the engines a bit, I'm going to channel my inner Runner Girl (she's in there somewhere) and keep the basic rule of racing in mind: Don't Go Out Too Fast!

I'm going to try to S L O W down just a smidge, if you will. And yet, even as I type this, I already know. This is hard for me. 

Certainly I don't want to crash & burn before Spring, or worse yet, before Valentine's Day, it's just that I get super excited about all of the endless potential that comes with the new  calendar and all of those clean, empty boxes to fill!

Think about it. We get Three Hundred Sixty Five Brand New Days to Create our own Life, a new chapter in the book of Us! Er, rather in the book of You.  Whatever.

Isn't that exciting? 365 New Days. Each day is an opportunity to discover something new, to Do something new, or to just simply DO.

To Go, to Shine, to Create, to Build, to Encourage, to Support, to Lend, to Linger, to Work, to Rest, to Laugh, to Love, to Play, to Shed, to Crumble, to Hope, to Pray, to Sit, to Listen, to Learn.

It's all of that super great stuff you see on Pinterest and all of those inspiring quotes that clog up our Instagrams & Facebook feeds, especially during this time of year. During January. While too many of these Above Mentioned Inspirational Quotes can defeat the purpose and leave us feeling slightly nauseous, just the right amount can be useful and provide us with that wonderful itching that has you signing up for online cooking classes, boot camp or a marathon!

Every single day we have choices outside of our Musts. Choices we can make to help us create the lives we desire. What choices are you going to make this new year? 

In 2017, I want to continue down a path of making choices that take me far outside of my comfort zone. Choices that make me feel both vulnerable and terrified and yet more alive than ever before. Choices that  awaken me from a routine that could become too mundane if neglected. Choices that direct me to walk anxiously into that intimidating room at the gym with the heavy bars and weights. Choices that lead me to pursue my passions and share them with total strangers. Choices that require Big Girl Pants, hearts on sleeves and lots of time on bended knees. 

Here's to taking your Big Ideas to pen & paper and marking up 2017 with a lot of great choices, both big and small, quiet and loud.

​Go DO!