Art by まくわうに
Happy New Year!
2016 was not great in many ways, but there were some positive aspects too. In fact, here is at least 99 reasons 2016 was a good year!
What do you want in the new year?
We all have numerous dreams, but the foundation of everything is health, both physical and mental. I wish you excellent health this upcoming year!
Change is not easy. Reaching your dreams requires substantial effort and a strong will. What can we do to be stronger mentally? How can we improve ourselves? Recently, I found a wonderful website with a nice concise description of some of the best books written on this topic: Books on Being Better. Consider reading some of the books from that list. Here are some quotes to give you a sense:
“No matter what s/he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally s/he doesn’t know it.”
“All too often, we feel that we are not living the fullness of our lives because we are not expressing the fullness of our gifts.”
“The opposite of recognizing that we’re feeling something is denying our emotions. The opposite of being curious is disengaging. When we deny our stories and disengage from tough emotions, they don’t go away; instead, they own us, they define us.”
“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
“And once you live a good story, you get a taste for a kind of meaning in life, and you can’t go back to being normal; you can’t go back to meaningless scenes stitched together by the forgettable thread of wasted time.” (This is beautiful! My favorite!)
I wish you strength and resolve in the new year! I am sure you can succeed in whatever you are planning, for human spirit knows no bounds!
May you have the courage to cross illusory and real obstacles facing you!
Sources: kottke, Swiss Miss
Kitsune's Thoughts 
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you too!