Happy reNew Year

A friend and regular participant in my community affairs radio programs has a New Year’s strategy that resonates with me. Each December she chooses a single word that represents her main goal for the coming year. I have tried this for the past few years with a fairly good degree of success. My life was a little unfocused for the past two years but the keyword concept did help me.

So as I write this on New Year’s Eve 2012 my keyword for 2013 is very clear to me … ‘renew’.

As the year ended, I finally succeeded in starting the next chapter in my life. The self-discovery journey I’ve written about for three or four years reached a major destination. Less than five hours from the moment I hit ‘publish’ on this post the first minutes of the next leg of my journey begin.

I am alone tonight by choice, but I am not really lonely. I am in touch with my real friends and my Facebook friends (some of whom are real friends too). I know I’ll be trading texts with at least two close friends. I’ll watch Ryan Seacrest as he hosts the first New York ball drop without Dick Clark. I’ll channel surf through a few other celebrations. I’ll toast myself with what is left of the tasty red win I am drinking as I write this.

And I have made a mental list of what I want in 2013.

The coming year will be a time for me to ‘renew’ my life, personality, identity and career. I will make a few general goals and a few very specific plans for moving forward. I can share a few of them:

- More in-person time with selected friends locally and across the country

- More volunteer work with local non-profit organizations; specifically I will be the volunteer photographer for some of them and I plan to participate in some of their fund-raising walks.

- Increased networking within my career field.

- Learn to be more spontaneous.

- Do more things I want to do just because I want to do them. I don’t need a reason for the goatee, for example; I just wanted to grow it. I’ll start my Italian lessons again, start college classes again, learn ballroom, swing and salsa dancing, try new recipes.

- Find a spiritual home.

- Reconnect on a deeper level with people I haven’t been in touch with much.

- Grow my closest friendships to a deeper level.

- I might even take a shot at dating again.

The point is this … 2013 is the year I renew my life and my spirit. “Renew” will be the keyword that reminds me of my goal.

So what’s on your mind for the coming year?

Happy New Year!! May all your dreams come true.