What does a New Year *REALLY* mean?

Look, I get it. Sometime after Thanksgiving (late November for any non-Americans reading this), we are bombarded with conflicting messages.

From the right and left, front and back-- we're told to enjoy the time with our families and friends. Make time for reflection. But also, plan ahead for the next year. Set goals, but give grace. Ads for the massive meals we'll be sharing are abutted against sales on workout programs, diets, and other things that are promoted to make you "healthy."

What about HAPPY? What about those things that make you simply happy?

That's one of the things I struggle with a LOT over the course of the year. Balancing the things that make me happy now vs the things that are going to make me happy moving forward. This is one of the leading reasons I've tossed out the notion of New Year's Resolutions and simply opted for an annual list of things I'd like to make happen in the next 365-366 days.

They range from quick and simple (find my "every day" jewelry), to projects that will take me the entire year to make happen (have a benchmark number of subscribers to my newsletter/blog).

Both of these things will make me happy; one requires constant effort and energy though. And that's where I think we drop the ball, so to speak. Too many times we see the long term goal as far off. Unattainable. Something we can work towards, aspire to, but never accomplish.

If you've ever read or listened to Mel Robbins' book The 5 Second Rule, you've undoubtedly heard her say "I said it was simple; I never said it was easy." And MAN! Does that not blow your mind? Those two things can exist at the same time. Something can be simple, but not easy. And we want EASY thinking it's simple.

So this year, I have decided to work towards a VERY LARGE goal of creating a company with multiple spokes to the umbrella.

• I want to start an editing services company. Not so much developmental or content creation. More like, editing documents people are already making. You have a cover letter for a new job that needs tweaking? I'd look it over and make suggestions. Have a book you wrote and need another set of eyes to check the grammar, punctuation, and hiccups? I'd do that. Eventually I want to ease into content/developmental edits for series and larger fantasy works, but that's even further down the line.

• I want to start a podcast in the next 3-5 years, which would be another spoke. This has been a longtime dream but I don't want to butcher it, cut it off at the legs by throwing things out there when it's not ready. So I'm getting things ready NOW for later.

• My own writing would be the third umbrella spoke. This dream is still sort of surreal but I love that I'm making stories, putting them out there, and feeling a bit more confident each time.

Will all of these happen this year? Nope. Not a chance! It's not even remotely possible at this time to have all those plates spinning at once. But I can take steps each year, each month, towards those goals. And that is what I am structuring my year around.

January 1 is an arbitrary day. I get that. The New Year could fall on literally any other day and it would mean the same thing. Hell, it's winter for us in the northern hemisphere and summer for those in the southern one! So it's not even about the "cleansing" or whatever other nonsense they want to throw out.

While the day may be arbitrary, it still feels auspicious to start fresh.

Both of those things can be true at the same time.