After the weirdness of 2020, 2021 means possibilities, new goals, and an opportunity to embrace change.

I live for the small moments of joy and can find the bright side in any person or situation. I also love a good quote to help keep me grounded and connected with others who have a similar perspective.

As someone who is as ready to throw out 2020, here’s how I plan to enter the new year:

1. Choose a Positive Perspective

Sometimes the biggest obstacle to a new year, resolutions, and change is self-doubt. I’m guilty of it. The voices and expectations of other people used to frequently scream louder than my own voice—not only self-doubt, but anxiety, sadness, and anger crept into my being.

Therapy, true friendships, and unconditional love have helped me overcome these limiting beliefs. What’s more, since I’ve been meditating for the last 45 days, my true voice of positive thinking has begun to reign even louder.

Positive thinking is an attitude that allows anyone to focus on the bright side of life. It allows for our life perspective to become one that views situations and reframes challenges with optimism.

There are some fears about 2021: How long will the pandemic continue? How long will the real connections of life continue to be interrupted or limited? What will physical and social isolation continue to look like?

With positive thinking, I’m able to approach difficulties with a sense of calm, an ability to focus on present moment solutions, and reframe my thoughts to align with what is working.

When the thought I’ll never reach my goal creeps into my head, I flip to the positive and remember:

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” ~ Confucius

If I find myself making excuses, I reverse those thoughts and refocus to:

“Forget all the reasons it won’t work, and believe the one reason that it will.” ~ Anonymous

 Any thought or situation has a bright spot. Being able to recognize the negative and reframe toward the positive creates more love, joy, and happiness in my life and allows all the unknowns about 2021 to fade away.

2. Embrace the Unexpected

Change is like a roller coaster, and 2020 has been a ride with ups, downs, twists, and turns, bringing with it a number of different emotions. When I ride a roller coaster, I feel excited, nervous, a little fearful, but at the end, thrilled, and exhilarated.

While I can only hope that 2021 will bring an end to struggles from 2020, there is actually no way to know when that will occur. I choose to embrace the unexpected aspects of this new year so that I can remain positive.

“Let go of certainty. The opposite isn’t uncertainty. It’s openness, curiosity, and a willingness to embrace paradox.” ~ Tony Schwartz

When I embrace the unexpected, I don’t allow it to throw me off course of meeting my goals; instead, I find success by using meditation to reflect, realign with the present moment, and reassess my next steps. It’s important to remember:

“There comes a time when you have to choose between turning the page and closing the book.” ~ Josh Jameson

I set intentions for the New Year without an exact outcome and without knowing exactly how the journey will transpire. I know that:

“Life can still be beautiful, meaningful, fun, and fulfilling even if things don’t turn out the way you planned.” ~ Lori Deschene

3. Believe in the Journey and Be Thankful

Even though I incorporate positive thinking and embrace the unexpected, I’m not immune to the expectations, thoughts, and desires of other people. I’ve found that if my goal is for someone other than me, it is much easier to give up. By using meditation and practicing gratitude, I stay connected to present moment awareness and my journey. Deepak Chopra, in The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, writes about the link between intentions and present attention because the future is created in the present.

I connect my attention to my intentions, which helps to quiet the judgment of other people. My intentions are the vision for my life, a focus on my dreams, and what I believe in. I remember that:

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream, not only plan but also believe.” ~ Anatole France

With every moment, I am grateful. Being thankful for the small joys in life allows me to keep putting one foot in front of the other. It allows me to stay focused on what is good and positive.

As I start to see success and my goals become a reality, I always remember to celebrate small successes. Approaching the new year with optimism, I take time to pause, reflect, and be thankful.

“Now and then, it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” ~ Guillaume Apollinaire