As I started preparations this morning for the return to work tomorrow after Christmas and looked toward plans for New Year’s Eve , I realized that I felt totally different than any time in my memory. Now I have never been a big fan of New Year’s celebrations and the belief that the beginning of a new year is some sort of magical new beginning – until now. I feel differently. I am thinking differently. And I know that this year is going to be something very, very special. So I decided that this is definitely something that I needed to contemplate to see whether I could figure out why I am feeling this way.
Since Thanksgiving, I have seen a number of my friends experience certain endings in their lives that have allowed for new beginnings that I would never have imagined possible. I have seen others step up to the plate to help others when I would never have believed that they would do anything for anyone but themselves. I have watched the interaction among a variety of groups of people where everyone treated each other in a kinder and gentler manner than they have ever done so in the past. And I looked at my own holiday season and found it to be one of the best ever, not because I received a ton of presents or anything like that but rather I loved the interactions that I had and walked away with a better understanding and appreciation of those who are closest to my heart.
There is something in the air that I can’t explain. I am seeing people attaining higher levels of satisfaction in their lives because of their hard work and sense of accomplishment that can never come from just more money and/or a promotion. I see people helping others with an understanding of the others’ needs that have nothing to do with finances. There is a feeling of “we are all in this together” and we are willing to help in ways that we would never have conceived in the past. And as we are giving to others, we are receiving such a warm feeling inside that perhaps we have never known before.
For the first time ever, I KNOW that this is a new day, a new year and a new dawning for anyone who chooses to jump on this bandwagon. I KNOW that each one of us can attain any goal that we wish. I KNOW that there are many new beginnings available to all of us that we may never even have imagined in the past and I KNOW that if we choose to believe in ourselves and hold on to our hopes and dreams, we can do and achieve absolutely anything that we want this year. And I KNOW that in our own achievements, if we also choose to help others to reach their goals at the same time, we can make this the best year ever.
So I am sending out to each and everyone of you my wishes that every single one of your dreams is realized in 2016 and also the invitation to you that if there is anything that I can do to help you to achieve those dreams, you only need to let me know and I will do whatever I can to help. This is going to be one heck of a fabulous year and the best one that we have ever known.
Barbara Jacoby is an award winning blogger that has contributed her writings to multiple online publications that have touched readers worldwide.