From One Year to the Next

It's New Years Eve. That's right, a whole year has passed and another is on the way. With less than twelve hours until the ball drops on the new decade, a theme to take into consideration for this New Years is reflection.

It's insane to think that it's been 10 years since the craziness of New Years Eve 2000. How many of you can remember that night? Where you were, what you were doing, who you were with, it all comes back when reflected upon.

Deeper reflections reveal how we lived our respective years and pinpoint our personal growth. Through the good times and the bad, I can say this has been the year where I have grown the most as an adult.

I ask you, in which areas of your life have you grown the most in the past year? Did you make the most of 2009? Was this year pivotal for you?

Reflect on your current relationships, new and old. Have you been a good friend or significant other? How about vice versa? Have you surrounded yourself with people who inspire you and make your life more enjoyable?

Our friends slightly reflect who we are, and you reflect certain aspects of their lives. Be grateful for those who have made your year happy. It's often the little things that make us love each other in the ways we do, and those little things are what build strong relationships. Inside jokes, sharing little bits of your life with each other, going to movies; things like these we might take for granted at the moment, yet they're embedded in our minds.

Reflection on your mistakes in the past year can be helpful going forward. I know I've done a lot of dumb things. I've said things I didn't mean, held back things I wanted to say or do, and did some pretty stupid things that got me in a lot of trouble. Reflecting on my mistakes makes me realize how much I have grown as a person.

It is the low points that help us grow, right? What were yours in 2009? How did you grow from those experiences?

2010 brings the next chapter in world history, and we're all apart of it. That's why we're celebrating. Yeah, we get to drink our heads off and hopefully kiss a special someone when the clock hits midnight, but what we're really doing, what we're really celebrating, is our place in history.

In 10 years people will be talking about the decade that was. How will you make your mark?