Christmas is this week! Yay!!!! I absolutely LOVE Christmas! The music, decorations, gift giving, joyful spirits, food, activities, gatherings, sweaters, scented candles...literally anything that has to do with the season, I am all for it! Christmas signifies the birth of Jesus and usually we associate New Year's Day with the "rebirth" of ourselves. People make New Year's Resolutions and claim that the new year will be better than the last. Some individuals like to broadcast their goals so others can hold them accountable. I'm already seeing posts on social media outlets about people wanting to improve for the new year. My only question to those individuals is, do you really keep the same momentum for these goals throughout the full course of the 12 months? Or is this excitement over by the 1st of February?

I am not one who shares my goals publicly because I am not looking for the approval of others. I AM my biggest critic so I don't need anyone to hold me accountable. I don't want to depend on outside forces to check me when I am not living up to the standards I have set for myself. I have a small collection of mentors who I approach for advice, but they are the only group I trust with the responsibility of having a large hand in my growth. I don't expect everyone to agree with my mentality and that is fine because we have different paths.

So my suggestion to all you fearless people out there is instead of just looking at New Year's Day as this time of rebirth, use the whole Christmas season!

1. Relax-  the days you have off work/school just have "me time"--do those mindless things you are always too busy to do...that can include watching your favorite sports game, playing games, leisure reading, or a Netflix binge 2. Recharge- pamper yourself 3. Renew- make a list of improvements you want to work on in the new year and set dates to have them done by 4. Restored- throughout the year rebuild your plan as you find necessary, always keep your goals fresh

Do you make New Year's resolutions? Do you set goals throughout the year for personal development? If so, how do you evaluate yourself? What is your favorite step in this 4 step process?