One of my favorite traditions is buying a new journal for the new year. That sleek, fresh Moleskine and Pilot Precise v5 pen (yeah, I’m fancy like that) are exactly the inspiration I need to begin planning for next year. It’s a time for reflection, a tine for dreaming, a time for eternal optimism.

To some the turning of the annual calendar may seem arbitrary. And on the other hand, we have the folks who set massive “resolutions” they don’t have a hope or prayer to accomplish. But I find it to be a helpful marker, a natural moment to reset, and, ultimately, an exciting opportunity to dream!

Step 1: Reflect

2022 was… really something. I started the year in a pretty bad mental state, still processing the shock of my wife taking my daughter and leaving our marriage. I survived the holidays, but I really wasn’t ready to even consider the idea of working through the extreme grief of the experience, let alone “moving on” with my life in any meaningful way. So this bit of new year planning was dominated by simple goals, like showing up to therapy every week and committing to not just sitting around drinking away my sadness. Sure, I had other aspirations, like watching a bunch of new movies I’d never seen (final total: 61), but 2022 had a pretty low bar.

Highlights of the year included: 2 COVID diagnoses, Achilles lengthening surgery (yeah, they can do that!), plenty of physical therapy for both the Achilles and tennis elbow (from… typing… #athlete), and not a small number of aches and pains. On the positive end of things, I made it out to Disneyland twice with my sister, including my first visit with my two nieces! That was for sure the biggest highlight. I also made it to California a couple more times to spend time with my family. I finally admitted my changing religious beliefs with myself, then “coming out” to my friends and family as agnostic. I saw a couple amazing shows, road tripped to California for the holidays, and succeeded in posting the Ghostbusters pumpkin dance on Instagram every day of October.

Oh, and I started a blog.

For a year that started out so terribly, I sure did make the most of it!

Step 2: Dream

The first day of the year I got out of bed, made a pot of coffee, tried to turn on the Rose Parade (did you know they never have it on Sundays? I sure didn’t), and cracked open the journal. My guiding principle for goal setting this year was this: How do I make the life I want for myself? I want to have more energy, become a homeowner, travel, spend time with family and friends - things that constitute a fulfilling, meaningful, and, most importantly, joyful life for myself.

Over the next 4 weeks I’ll share a category of goals I set for myself that day, the thoughts behind that category and the plan for achieving each of the goals. I hope you’ll join me in sharing your own dreams, too!