Happy New Year! I love the fresh start a new calendar year presents. Nerding out on business planning and goal-setting is totally my bag. I find it energizing and motivating. Plus, being organized helps me feel grounded.

I was chatting with a fellow entrepreneur friend a few days before my birthday in November, and he asked whether I was feeling any, like, anxiety about not having crossed off certain Major Life Events on that list of things we’re conditioned to think we should do by a certain age. I said, No, not generally, but on the rare occasion I do sense myself starting to go there, I just open up one of my Excel spreadsheets and number-crunch away the feels. I am so Type A.

And when I’m number-crunched out, there’s yoga.

I’m such a cliche but too old to really give a crap.

Anyway.

I have mixed feelings about New Year’s Resolutions. As I wrote in this article for SHAPE, sometimes it’s helpful to reframe those yearly goals and really tune in to how you want to feel and what will get you there. It’s not all about getting skinny or shaping up. It’s easy to forget that enjoying the journey is just as important as what you’re working towards.

Recently on my Facebook page, I was talking about how—and why—to set goals that are SMART AF: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely…and Fun!

I like to set both a financial goal for each year, but I also like to choose a word to focus on. Last year my word was “live.” At the time, I was nervous that maybe that was too ballsy—was I tempting fate? Was focusing on life inviting death? Interestingly, my main takeaway from 2017 actually ended up being that we really never know how long our experience here will be, and that it’s vital to make space for the things that matter to us. I learned to recognize what needed to be cut away, and then I actually did something about it. As I was talking about last week, it was a full, rich year, but without a positive, can-do mindset, there were parts of it that might have had my younger self down for the count.  That gratitude kool-aid is powerful shit.

My word for 2018 is FUN! I love my work, and I am so lucky to be surrounded by amazing people who are just as passionate about what they’re working on, and that’s a strong foundation to start from.  I know I have a lot of challenges ahead, but I’m excited to see what the year has in store and what I’m able to build.

Hope you’re enjoying a wonderful first day of this new year!

Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? What are you looking forward to in 2018?