Hello, 2015! I feel like I have been waiting for you to get here for a few weeks now.

I have never been one to wish away my days. In fact, I would consider myself to be about as sentimental as they come. Hoping to soak every last minute, second, moment out of an event or milestone.

I also always felt that a new start can begin at any time. You don’t need a new year to begin a new routine, to try something new, to start fresh.

A new desk to refinish! Hooray!

Like anyone I have always made goals throughout the year. Specifically, I do this at the beginning of every school year, or even at the beginning of a season. I know statistically I am destined to fail at the beginning of a new year, so I try not to pressure myself too much. Mostly, I am happy if I get the Christmas crap down before I start debating if I should start a new trend known as the “Valentine’s Bush.”

However, for some reason, I am feeling like 2015 was just whispering me to come along and get moving with it.

2015 just seems like a nice even number. Years from now I can say something like, well in 2015 I started my book, or in 2015 I took a meeting with an executive at Netflix about my series, etc. etc. Also, 2014 gave me some good and bad experiences that helped give me the skills I need to help me achieve those goals, and give me a little perspective.

Rather that make long list of goals with detailed milestones, and then when those goals are inevitably unmet, crying and falling into a slump an ice cream despair a Netflix binge watch session while eating Twizzlers in my bed, I decided a long list was not the way to go. Instead, I would focus on a few simple words that would become my mantra for every area of my life.

This will be the year of simplicity, creativity/productivity, generosity, and gratitude.

When there is a decision to be made, something that needs to be done, a problem to be solved, or when I am feeling aimless. I will ask: Is this simple? Is this creative or productive? Am I acting generous? Am I acting with gratitude?

Simple: Last year I think I wanted to do too much, and in doing that I got overwhelmed very easily. Whether it be with writing, responsibilities with the kids, household projects, or anything. I was overdoing it. I also think that when things become overwhelming, more waste is created, more money is spent, more time is wasted. I just want to simplify and streamline things. I consider myself to be a pretty organized person, but there is only so much an organized person can do in a day too, and I realized that everything I was doing was done quickly, last minute, and without my eventual end goal in mind. I need to simplify. So, some things will have to be cut from the list. If something isn’t for the betterment of getting my end goal (helping my family, writing career, saving money, streamlining) I have to say no or it has to go.

Creativity/Productivy: There are times, when I am the biggest time waster of them all. I was watching Aziz Ansari’s Dangerously Delicious comedy special and how he talked about how he gets distracted on the internet doing Joe Pesci research. I laughed particularly hard, because as I was watching this, I was elbow deep on IMDB looking up the complete filmography of Mary Lynn Rajskub (don’t know her, look her up) because of a very minuscule scene she was in on Gilmore Girls that I had watched two days prior. I scoff at your time wasting, Aziz Anari! Long story short, if I am not doing something to create or produce (i.e. better myself, my health, my family, my writing) I think it has to go too.

Generosity: I am bringing back the email. Remember when you’d open your inbox and there would be an email from someone just to check in and see how you are, and not a a bunch of Zappos coupons and Zulily ads? Hell, I might even bring back snail mail. The post office might even stay in business because of me this year. I just want to be more generous with my words this year as well as my time, my cooking, my baking, my comments, and Facebook shares with fellow writers. I want spread the love.

Grateful: I’m just going to say thank you all the damn time. There is always, always, always something to be thankful for. Always.

Simplicity, creativity, generosity, and gratitude. I should probably write that down somewhere.

What is going to be your mantra for 2015?

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