“Sixteen candles make a lovely light.”

In my teenage dreams, I was always anxiously looking ahead to the next chapter – finishing middle school, getting past that nerve-wracking freshman year of high school, and culminating in the grand Sweet Sixteen celebration, when all of my awkwardness and terrors would be vanquished once I turned 16 and graduated into that pre-adulthood stage of life.

Of course, things didn’t turn out quite that way. I’m well into my twenties now and still have my fair share of insecurities, uncertainties, and fears (spoiler alert – no matter what age you are, that never goes away).

But as I sit here to reflect on the past and consider my goals for the present, I’m realizing that these past two years have been exponential times of personal and professional growth for me. Confident, courageous, and happy aren’t words I could have used to describe myself at the beginning of 2014, but I can say so now. And I think that calls for a celebration, damnit!

2014 was all about surviving the quarter-life crisis and starting my career. 2015 was all about ‘making it happen’ and streamlining myself for the future. In 2016, I want to continue to broaden my horizons, in areas like travel, career, volunteering, education, fitness, home, creativity, and friendship, and just follow the yellow brick road towards learning and experience. In addition to that, I also want to make it a top priority to celebrate both my ongoing discoveries and accomplishments, as well as extend that congratulatory and celebratory spirit to others. Too often, we forget to give ourselves a much-deserved pat on the back, but acknowledging ourselves and each other is an important element of attaining satisfaction.

With that being said, My Super Sweet 2016 is going to be all about making this year a time for celebration, along with adventure, playful indulgence, weird wonderfulness, and treatin’ yo self. 

What’s your grand vision for your 2016?