Next Year's Goals

One of my yearly traditions is to go on a camping trip with some of my closest girlfriends and their mothers. I just came back from our fifth annual trip, and once again it was an awesome experience full of laughter, adventure, and even some tears. 

The conversations we ladies have around the campfire at night (accompanied by copious amounts of marshmallows and Nutella) are some of the deepest and most personal of my entire life, and nearly every single time we end up recounting the events of the past year and making goals for what we want to happen before we come together again. This year I was full of the news that I have been accepted at Capernwray Bible School in Lancashire, and my friends were there to give their encouragement and advice. 

Here are a couple of the goals that I made for 2013:

1. Make friends. I can't imagine that I won't be forced into making friends, since there will be about 170 of us crammed into a single school, but I know that my tendency is to be a quiet introvert who doesn't reach out to others. I'm determined to reverse this, however, by actively pursuing friendships, learning from others, and making connections. Hopefully I'll get to know dozens of wonderful people from around the world.
2. Travel after school. The spring semester that I'll be attending runs from the 20th of April to the 14th of June, just about a week shy of two months. That will be a wonderful opportunity to experience a piece of England from the inside, but I want to do more than that. I want to travel afterwards; in the best of all worlds I'll spend three solid months across the pond, touring more of Britain as well as the Continent (Switzerland and France sound amazing...).    

I always leave those late-night campfires feeling rejuvenated and inspired, and this time I'm determined to carry that through by making some goals for the next year, including the two above. Who says that the new year has to begin in January? I believe that if you are full of great ideas and ambitions for the months to come, there's no reason you shouldn't start anew right now and reorganize your priorities, plan out your dreams, and put concrete words to the passions you want to pursue.

What dreams have you been mulling over lately? Why wait until January 1?

Cheers,

Abigail, a.k.a. The Britophile