Bucket List - 4 things before 2015

Christmas is officially over, which means that a new year is only a couple of days away. Five, if you want to be exact. Five days to round up a chapter of our lives but more importantly, to end it the right way. Here are a couple of things I would like to do before 2015.

1) Reflect.

As part of the human experience, I've always felt like reflection has become a habitual thing. Every night, before I head off to bed, I would think about my day and what I've done that day. I think about what's wrong and what isn't. I think about the people who are in my life and how they were able to impact my well-being.

Reflections are so important because it gives all of us a chance to look at the bigger picture aka perspectives. It allows us to learn from previous mistakes and experiences. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, a professor of education, psychology and neuroscience at USC said that reflection is an inward focus that impacts the way "we build memories, make meaning and transfer that learning into new contexts."

I use this blog as a tool for me to do so. Why? It's easy, it's free, and it's powerful.

2) Forgive

It's always easy to fixate our minds on what people have done wrong or how they've disappointed us. It's also easy to give those people the cold shoulders or dismiss their presence completely. However, I've learned that the act of forgiveness is not a gift to the oppressor. Instead, it is one of the best gifts we can give to ourselves. We are deserving to sleep with a peaceful mind. By removing those old wounds and growing from them, we'll also be able to become a bigger and better person.

3) Let go

Deborah Reber, author of Chicken Soup, says that letting go is just you realizing that the only person you really have control over is yourself. I no longer want to surround myself with a partner or a friend who lacks sensitivity and sensibility. Instead, I am going to make my happiness a priority because at the end of the day, I'm the only person who has to deal with me so I might as well be the best, happiest version of myself.

4) New Year's Eve kiss

It is the one last hurrah between the end of one thing and the beginning of something else. I've been told (and I could be wrong) is that the first person I encounter in a new year—and the nature of this encounter—sets the tone for the rest of the year. Last year, I made a promise to an old friend that I would be his NYE kiss. This year, however, I want it to be with someone special (whoever it may be because honestly, I have no idea at this point). He could be a friend, a crush, or if heaven forbids, a stranger. Worse comes to worse, I'll just pull the closest, most attractive looking, single guy. No biggie. After all, isn't the upcoming year whatever it is that you want it to be?

Hope you all had a wonderful holidays, my friends! Stay safe and stay warm.

XO