As the new year is upon us, I would like to take this opportunity to share a few of my wishes for you all in the coming new year. To start the year off right, I think it is important to reflect on not just the mistakes and regrets from the old year, but on the wishes and hopes of the next. While it is important and healthy to learn from past mistakes, it is not useful to simply ruminate over our mistakes and call us names. That only serves to keep us stuck! Whatever mistakes may have happened in 2023, go ahead and reflect on them, pull out the learned lesson, and allow the rest of the mistakes to drift off into oblivion with the rest of 2023. Forgive yourself and move forward into the future with both hope and wisdom.

Next, look at what went well in the past year! Where did you thrive? Where did you demonstrate your resilience and perseverance through hard times? When did you get lucky about something? Was there anything from the previous year that was so great that you would love to do it again in 2024? What worked and what didn’t? Eliminate the things that are not working and repeat whatever is working!  

In 2024, I also hope that we can get back together again and stay more connected. Not just through the internet, but through real, tangible interactions with people you love and care about. Plan and execute that vacation to go see your best friend. Plan and execute those weekly brunch dates with your friends. Have people over for pizza and wine while watching some silly show. Smile together, eat together, and share real life together. We are a herd animal, and we learned eons ago that when we stick together, we all do better. This special connection between people cannot be so easily replaced with simple jokes from the internet that we send back and forth to one another. This year, replace sending texts with real hugs. Replace phone calls with in-person dinner dates.

Lastly, in 2024, I hope that we can all be more compassionate towards each other. I hope we can take the time to actually try to listen and understand each other, rather than dismissing them as “stupid” just because they think differently. Lets remember that we are all just grown up children, and that while we are adults, we still need kindness, patience, and love from others. “Always be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”- Plato