Hello 2015!

So, well, big news: the New Year has arrived! (Did you notice? :P)

2015...
"That's a good number, right?" said my aunt yesterday.

Well, I guess we'll see uh? Cannot really tell in advance! Although, I can almost predict that, come December 31st 2015, most everyone will let out a sigh of relief when 2016 kicks in... 'Cause no matter how much we wish things were different, more often than not they stay the same.
At least that's how *I* used to think...

But I don't anymore.
Because now I know that "things" don't change unless *we* do...

For the first time in my life, I'm neither happy nor sad that the old year is out. 2014 has been real nice to me and I wanna take a second to thank it for all it's brought into my life. Most of all, I wanna thank it for making me realize important things and turning me into a different, better person. I've learned to be more patient and to let go of negative stuff that was holding me back. I'm still a long way from being completely free from it, but at least, I took my first steps on the right path!

I've also come to fully understand the meaning of "you only live once". It's more than just a fab, more than just four letters that somehow always struck me as a soft drink brand. All of you who wears and bears YOLO on everything you own, do you fully get the meaning of it? Illness and death can strike you anytime. Tomorrow, you might be diagnosed with cancer or multiple sclerosis. Can you grasp the concept of how important yet fragile your life is?
Moreover, do you understand that your life is yours and no one else's? That whatever you dream of, you dream of it for a reason? Perhaps you were "given" those dreams as a strong enough fuel to propel yourself where you need to be! Maybe people will call you silly, stupid, careless or too carefree... Maybe people will tell you to stop dreaming, get a job and work like everybody else does... But maybe you need to listen to yourself first.
Because one day, your life, my life, OUR lives will be over. And I'm telling you, regrets hurt more than anything else...

You were lucky enough to be born in a world where everything and anything is possible. You're lucky enough to live in a society that provides Internet services and you have learned to read! You got a head start in life. Use it!

For most of us, the arrival of a new year is filled with promises of a better life and all that jazz. Well, I've come to learn that nothing good is ever going to just "happen" to us; we have to make efforts towards it! Be it love, friendship, better job, better health, etc. For most of us, it just takes efforts and that's it!
I'm not saying it's easy; I'm just saying it is simple.
So, act!

*******************

A dear friend of mine decided that, this year, she would not take on resolutions. I agree with her; they hold a lot of pressure and most of the time, they feel like work. Instead, just like she suggested, what if we just made "wishes", some kind of goals we want to work towards?
Here are my "wishes" for 2015:

• I wish to take better care of myself because no matter how many people love me and stand by me, in the end, my body is the only one that makes the entire journey with me;
• I wish to be less shy, scared and ashamed, I wish to have more confidence in myself and what I can accomplish;
• I want to shake off that "quitter" label on my forehead, this year is the year of keeping it up;
• I will keep the promises I've made to myself. All of them.

And that's it!
This year, I will move forward. I will take giant leap! I'm in my thirties and I've decided that this was when my real life would start. My thirties will be the most awesome years of my life and a prelude to a wonderful future made of my forties, fifties and up!

So, after all that long speech, all I really wanna say is: I truly wish you all the best and the epiphany of how wonderful the simple gift of life is!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!! xxxx