Welcome to 2014! Welcome to new goals, new relationships, new opportunities, new ways to express yourself and new dreams.

The beginning of every year tends to makes us reflect on our previous year. What did I accomplish? What could I have done better? What major events happened? It’s easy during this week to look back and see where you’ve been, but I like to look at this new year and see where I’m going.

Last year, during January, I made a Dream Board. It’s really just a big, square paper with lots of magazine cut-outs glued to it. Everything I chose to put on my board is what I wanted to do that year, what inspired me, who I wanted to be, etc. It was my dreams… pasted onto some paper.

That board got me through some tough times. When I didn’t really believe in myself, I took a peek at my board and saw the phrase “Heroes can do anything”, and for some reason, that made me want to throw on a cape and mask and conquer my fears. When I felt like I didn’t belong and that I didn’t fit in, I looked at that picture of the school of blue fish, all going one way and one little orange fish, all by itself, going another way, with the words “Split from the ordinary.” written on top. I would remind myself that “Its better to be myself than to be everybody else.”
Blue fish with orange fishIn summary, I want to challenge you this week to think about some amazing things you want to accomplish and write them down, not just resolutions, but your dreams, your passions, what makes your happy, what you want to work on this year, encouraging quotes, inspirational sayings, whatever you want! You can even make a dream board like me. Whatever you do, post it up on your wall where you look at it every day.  Those days when you find yourself looking down, it will remind you to look up, smile, and keep reaching towards your dreams.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. – Philippians 4:8 NIV