Two Little Things

There are two little things that I really enjoy...

The first is a blank new planner (yes, an actual paper one that you write in) that has never been used.  There is a certain excitement I get from seeing those beautiful white pages on January 1st and wondering how I'm going to fill them this year.  Will I go on an exotic trip?  Will I sing in an unexpected place?  Will I add new students to my music studio?  I never know.  But I do know that it's up to me to take the next 365 days and fill them with a life well-lived and well-loved.

The second thing I love is a planner that has been completely used.  I love to go back each year on January 1st and look at my previous year's planner and see all of the things I accomplished.  It gives me hope that I am capable of much more than I originally thought.

In 2013, these are a few of the things I experienced as evidenced in my planner:

-Directed my first high school musical, School House Rock Live!
-Judged Senior high soloists at Fine Arts
-Finished writing my book, Ten Weeks to a Better Voice
-Found out I was having a son
-Sang with Israel Houghton
-Took a much needed vacation with my hubby to Washington DC.
-Cleaned out a guest room and turned it into a nursery (with lots of help!)
-Ran a successful music studio during the summer
-Landed a new teaching job while seven and a half months pregnant
-Had two beautiful baby showers in KY and FL
-Wrote my son a lullaby
-Delivered my son (no small feat!)
-Traveled to and from KY with my infant
-Became a mom

It's amazing to look back on one year as a whole and see how much I've been able to accomplish.  I admit that staring 2014 in the face seems a little daunting, but I believe I will look back on this year and find that I've accomplished even more than I did in 2013.

That's why I love January 1st.  The sky's the limit.  If there's something I want to do, a new goal I want to reach, I know it's up to me to make it happen.

There is a little book that I read that has this title:

Now it's your turn to complete the sentence.  "This year I will..." Say aloud the first thing that pops in your head even if it sounds impossible or audacious.

What will you do with the next 365 days?  Remove the limits off of your life and get ready for new experiences and unexpected adventures!
Happy New Year!