Ranger Holly

If you're reading this, you successfully completed the year 2017. Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on this achievement. If nothing else, think of it this way - many things transpired last year and you're still standing.

Now, don't sit there patting yourself on the back for too long, time marches on (as they say) and it's time to set your 2018 goals.

This year I have made some overarching goals and I will figure out how to take steps to conquer these things as I go along, but they are my framework for the year. My goals are:

1. Learn how to relax
2. Recklessly pursue my dreams
3. Take risks

If you're stuck on setting goals, I recommend seeking out a source of inspiration. I found my inspiration unexpectedly over the holidays when I watched the 1944 movie "The Adventures of Mark Twain" with my parents. Most everyone knows Twain was a steamboat captain turned author, but he also tried his hand at gold prospecting (to great failure), ran a publishing company that went bankrupt, and he went on a world speaking tour in order to pay back every penny of his debts. He was a man of integrity who was lauded for his humor and a man who most definitely took risks and recklessly pursued his dreams. I don't know that he was great at relaxing, but I will look elsewhere for inspiration on that subject.

Twain deeply inspired me because he repeatedly failed at many things over his lifetime, but he kept getting back up and starting again. He didn't look for shortcuts and he most often chose the most difficult path in order to honor his integrity and values.

If you have absolutely no idea what to do with yourself this year, fight for something good that you believe in.

Good luck in 2018, and happy goal setting.