Many things go through our minds on the brink of the new year. It’s an odd, wondrous moment – the end and beginning of it all. There’s so much that lies ahead, so much we can do, so much to hope for. It’s a time for wishing upon stars, for great plans. And if I could wish for something for you, for the world, it would be this:

1. I hope you set big goals, the kind that scare you, that make you breathe a bit faster, and I hope that every single time you think of them you get that butterfly feeling in your stomach. That you work for them with all the energy you have and you remember why it’s worth it, through the good and bad.
    
2. I hope you get to see new places, to taste and listen and smell things you haven’t before, and I hope it opens your eyes to all the amazing things this world has to offer, to the joy of searching, of discovering, of being truly alive.
    
3. I hope you remember that, after all, this life is nothing without the people in it. That you realize there are many things worth investing in, but nothing as worth as the ones you love, and out of all the things it hurts to lose, nothing hurts as bad as losing people.
    
4. I hope you manage to let go of all the things that didn’t go as planned. That you forgive yourself for everything you didn’t do, for everything you couldn’t be. I hope you make peace with yourself, that you put down all the weight and realize not everything is worth holding on to.
    
5. I hope you learn to give back to the world. That you realize we’re not entitled to anything we have, that many things are not anything we’ve earned. I hope you think of this planet, of its people and its wonders and learn to care for them, to leave them better than when you found them.
    
6. I hope you make mistakes, lots of them, and I hope that they teach you that it’s okay to fail, to take the wrong turn, as long as you keep looking for the right one. I wish that you learn from them, that they teach you millions of things about yourself and the world, and that in the end, you allow them to make you a better person.
    
7. I hope you remember to find the joy in the small things, and learn that in the end, they’re the only ones that matter. I hope that in this great chase we all call life, you see that it’s all about the journey. And man, it’s quite an amazing one.
    
8. I hope you manage to let go of fear – of the unknown, of looking silly, of not being enough. I wish that you leave it behind, bury it, and find the power to do all the things you’ve always wanted to do, see all the places you’ve wanted to see and say all those things you’ve always wanted to say. I hope you’ll leave no I love you unsaid.
    
9. I hope you do things that make your heart pump faster, that bring you the kind of joy books are written about, that make you forget to look at your screen. I hope you find out what those things are and that when you do, you search for every way to make them happen.
    
10. Through it all, I hope you’re still able to pause, every now and then, to enjoy the view from where you stand, cause you’re never going to be in the exact same place again. I hope you realize this life moves pretty fast, and if you’re not able to stop and look around every one in a while, you might just miss it.