Each January 1st we wake up and welcome a new year. A clean slate to write the next 365 days of our lives. Some make resolutions, many start a new exercise workout schedule, and others vow to eat healthier. Looking at the new year, is looking at possibility.

The possibility to change. To do. To love. To live. To forgive. Possibilities are endless. I’ve always believed in dreaming bigger. Each new year I create a video of the things I seek to accomplish. It serves as a reminder to go after what I want, and not give up on the passions that feed my energetic smile.

What is it to dream bigger? Many say dreams are not reality and should not be pursued, yet I think dreams keep us alive. We are all human. Responsibility is part of everyday life. Living in fantasy won’t be your ticket, but thriving in life will. Reminding yourself daily what your dreams and goals are, can help you survive the mundane and downright hard times. Maybe they’ll happen, maybe they won’t, but the only way to pursue a goal or dream is to try.

A wise man once told me, “We all put our pants on the same way, the only one limiting yourself is you.” It makes me ponder that each of us can be born to different circumstances, however that does not mean we can’t chase our dreams and goals. I often challenge myself with wanting to pursue something bigger than myself, and my patience to wanting this can can be trying. Doubt creeps into the space between my ears. I see the hard work staring me in the face and fear takes a hold.

I’ve come to realize my biggest growth is in those things that scare me. Those that push me outside of my comfort zone. And so each year there is something big that I seek to accomplish. What matters, this “thing” is big to me, no matter how insignificant to anyone else. It teaches me something new, usually about myself, and it helps me thrive in my joy.

We all live under the beauty of twinkling night stars that inspire nightly dreams. And we all have been given a heart that beats and keeps our blood pumping. I believe each new year is not about making resolutions or choosing a word to live to by. I believe each new year is about evaluating your heart.

For this new year, follow the spirit of your heart. That flutter. That passion. That desire. Choose to believe in those things that make your heart feel good.

There is a great quote in the book, ‘Jane Eyre’, that reads:

“The human heart has hidden treasures, In secret kept, in silence sealed; The thoughts, the hopes, the dreams, the pleasures, Whose charms were broken if revealed.”

Those hidden treasures, they don’t have to be shared, yet they cannot be forgotten. The treasure of our hearts’ desires are the key to thriving in the life we choose.

2017 is a new start to follow the beating of your heart.

Cheers to life’s simple pleasures and “following your heart.”

Mandy