Only a few months ago, I made a bold statement by saying Fuck Resolutions. Why wait until a new year to move forward on things you want to make happen? And I still wholeheartedly believe that. But I also believe in the motivation and fresh feeling that comes with a new year. I want to use that new energy to create some positive change in my life –– not resolutions, but seeds of ideas that I want to see grow in 2017. To be honest, I wasn't even going to go that far until I was struck with a bit of divine guidance at the tail end of last year when a certain word grabbed me and wouldn't let me go: courage.

As I said in my first post of 2017, I've begun a bit of a spiritual journey. That started with me making the decision to read the Bible in full by reading a small bit every day. As I worked my way through Genesis –– which, whew, was harder than I expected –– quotes kept jumping out at me. Words about letting go of fear and trusting in a higher power really resonated with me and I realized that what the God (or the Universe, Goddess, Source Power... whatever) was telling me to do was to live courageously. I've spent many years worrying about what I say and what I do, how it will affect others, what others will think of it, whether I am willing to create conflict in order to live my most authentic life... And it has left me a voiceless, anxiety-ridden mess.

This year, I am letting go of those fears and worries and using my newly found courage to plant seeds of intention. Instead of resolutions or goals with a specific outcome, I'm using words, ideas and themes to shape my year. And I'm not planting all of my seeds right now. I want to allow other ideas to form throughout the year –– as well as allow the ideas I have now to fade away if and when they no longer serve me. Here are a few of the ideas I am currently working on for 2017:

Travel. Despite a desperate desire to do so, I've not traveled much in my lifetime. My family wasn't able to take annual vacations until I was a teenager and, even then, they had to be somewhat close to home as my mom has a terrible fear of flying. I have had a severe case of wanderlust ever since I was little but haven't taken action on it. This year, I will –– and, while I'm not picky about location, I am trying to manifest a trip to NYC. Fingers crossed.

Minimalism(ish). I've talked about my minimalist aspirations on here before, so I won't go into too much detail, but I still have such a long way to go in order to live as minimally as I would like. I am still selling and donating things that I no longer need or that don't personally bring me any joy, but I am also still going out and buying new things more often than I should be. I know I'll never be a 'perfect' minimalist –– as if such a thing exists –– but I want to move ahead on this journey this year.

Zero-Waste. This kind of goes hand-in-hand with minimalism but, I believe, is even more difficult. Which is why it is just an intention and not a set goal. In my area, it is extremely hard to live waste-free. Unless you live within city limits, there is no curbside recycling and most of our recycling centers are only open during weekly business hours. And there are only a handful of places that sell items in package-free bulk –– and only food, at that. So, really, any movement forward is a big step and one that I am excited to take.

Spirituality. Again, I've covered this in a previous blog post, but it's more than just sitting down every night to read the Bible. I want to learn about other religions and ways of thinking as well as be spiritually nourished in a physical way. Yoga and meditation will be a big part of that, as will talking to others about their faith and reading books on different philosophies.

Voice. This intention is the Big One. It is the one that will help support all of the others. Finding my voice and using it is something I haven't done nearly enough in the last four or five years for a multitude of reasons –– mainly that I was afraid to. This year my focus is going to be on letting people know who I am by using my voice and speaking up about my opinions and beliefs.

Do you do resolutions or are you a little more free with how you plan your year? What would you like to see happen in 2017?