Friends,

It’s that time of year again, as we reflect on the past twelve months and look to a new year filled with aspiring dreams, determined goals and unwavering hopes. Some make New Year’s resolutions; others make a new bucket list. Whatever your New Year’s ritual may be, remember the here and now. Take in Pema Chödrön’s words: “We’ve never experienced this very moment before, and the next moment will not be the same as the one we are in now.” We don’t have to wait until the ball drops in order to experience our excitement, hopes and dreams for life in the New Year.

You may be reading this post for the first time, but realize you are reading for the first time, in this moment. Take a minute to look around the room. You are observing your surroundings for the first time, in this moment, even if you’ve been in this very spot a hundred times before. Notice the colors of the computer, the desk, the chair, the paint on the walls of the room. Are you drinking or eating anything? What are the flavors you are sensing? This moment is its own and will not be like any other.

As we embark on our new adventures as well as our daily routines, pause for a second, and remember this is the first time. Once we start to develop a thought pattern which promotes thinking and feeling in the moment, our mentality of how we should act or what we should say, disappears. A sense of freedom and energy passes through us for a second at first, and overtime will lengthen. We learn from the past and dream about the future, however, we live in the present. Embrace the moment, it as it is like no other. Cheers in welcoming 2014!