In keeping with the spirit of the season, and making this the year of goals, here are a few things I want to try to keep in mind through the coming year.

1. I want my life to be about the people in it, not the stuff around me.

2. I want to collect memories, not things. A plane ticket will always be a better investment than a new (insert material indulgence).

3. I want to make more than I did the year before. More friends, more memories, more art, more time for the people I love. And yes, if possible, more money. But I won’t stress about that last one if I can help it, and I’ll let it go if it interferes with the first four.

4. I want to pick up the phone more. An ‘I love you’ or a ‘Happy Birthday’ posted on someone’s Facebook wall with 1,000 other posts will never mean as much as actually telling them (unless there’s a pug meme involved, in which case I’ll do both). Also, snail mail makes everyone’s day better.

5. Cleanses are bullshit.

6. I want to carry my camera with me as often as possible and to practice seeing things in from different points of view.

7. I want to pretend to be a morning person until, just maybe,  I actually become one.

8. I want to live in the moment. I’m a planner by nature, so this one is so easy for me to forget, especially when I’m excited about a trip or a new adventure on the horizon.

9. I want to spend more time with my family. This includes more, longer trips to Vermont.

10. I want to stay positive and make the most of everyday (And remembering that, some days, making the most means staying in bed with a good book).