Hey everyone,

I have been receiving a lot of emails and messages about tips on what to practice for the upcoming year. I never like to give strict advice because I truly believe each journey is different. However, besides letting go; I found these top five things as something worth doing for 2018. We all need to live a little more peaceful and a little more free. 

*photograph by Joe Mac Creative 

1. Be More Present In this day and age of smart phones and instant gratification, we do not spend enough time being present. In fact, we spend a lot of time on replay; experiencing life moments later through our tiny screens. We share it with friends and family as we watch the views and likes increase. So take 2018, as the year you go a little more off the grid.  2. Become More Active Not just exercising. Become active in politics, be a voice in your community and other causes. Use your voice to create a better morale, learn why things in our politics and country are changing. It’s a lot more serious than you may think. And, of course, exercise; it’s good for your body. 3. Your health This is where exercising should come in. Eat better. By saying “eat better,” I don’t mean to eat organic cookies ‘cause they are organic. Truly research and understand healthy eating versus marketing. Marketing has greatly skewed our perception on what we define as healthy. Drink lots of water. Get a good nights rest. Take care of your skin.  4. Stop Wasting Time Yours and other peoples’. If you truly want to ‘YOLO’, what are you doing if it does not truly make you happy, make you money, or benefit you? We have a bad habit of continuing to entertain situations or friendships when we no longer see a purpose for them. I hate the word purpose. It sounds like we only keep people around who we “gain” something from. In a weird way, this is true. However, purpose doesn’t always have to be greed driven. Figure out why you have certain people in your life. People with no great value should exit.  5. Surround Yourself with Good People This does play off of the above, but also feeds into the “Quality vs. Quantity” argument. No longer waste your time on fair-weather friends, on people who do not bring quality to your life. Find yourself among the movers and shakers. We are who we surround ourselves with.