A new year is like a gift that if you use it right you get to open and enjoy 365 times. It comes with the joy of a mulligan, a do over you used to call for as a child; the freshness of a sunrise or the potential of a new item out of the box. It is a treasure that will mostly become what you make it. I ask myself a few questions when looking a brand-new year. I am not too good with resolutions, but I like purpose, I set goals and feel good when I achieve things that may have looked hard in the beginning. So, when setting goals, I asked myself a few questions to make sure the goals match my purpose. I asked Who am I?

Many things converge to make us who we are as people, partners and friends. I am a lifetime First Class Girl Scout, always prepared. I am a daughter, a mother, a helpmate and friend, a woman of faith with childlike wonder and curiosity. Those things drive my purpose on the minute to minute, day by day even year by year adventure we call living. Who I am influences my time, my yes and no commitments, my finances, my relationships and decisions. Who I am is a constant that provides a frame for my new year and for my lifetime. I also asked Whose I am? My spouse, my family, my church, my community and even my friends hold a part of me, a part of my heart, my time, my energy, my life. So, those who have invested in my life have earned some ownership and give some structure to my year. It is up to me to choose and build healthy strong structure in my life by investing in positive and constructive relationships and by not investing in relationships that are counterproductive. I also asked myself What I value most? Where do I invest myself and my assets? What vows or mottos am I committed to live by? Where do I work, serve, spend, and find authentic experiences? My Marriage vows, faith in God, core beliefs and values, statements of affirmation and mottos stating my fundamental ideals are core to the roadmap of my year. They not only tell me where to go forward and invest myself, but can also tell me where to stop, avoid or turn and run away from matters that face me in this new year.

The last question: Pick a few words that keep you on track with your core self and make them your yearly catchphrase. I ask is what good do I see in my past year? What good stuff has been growing and happening in my life? If I can find the good and then build on that, I can expect more good. Whatever you pay most attention and care to will be what grows in your life. So, grow the good. It is not new or even novel, but knowing who I am, whose I am, what I find significant and what is good for me is a great way to build a wonderful 2018.Hope your New Year is filled with joy.