To set resolutions or not set resolutions. That is the question.

So here we are at the end of 2015. Holy crap did this year zoom by. Did you hit the goals that you set yourself this time last year?

I have to say that I did pretty good this year. Do you set resolutions? I used to but they were too lofty or I made too many so by March I said screw it.

But last year I set high goals that may have seemed extreme to some, but made sense to me. I wanted to release 7 books in 2015 - I released 4 and I'm in the middle of another one. That's nothing to sneeze at. I wanted to lose another 50 pounds - I got three quarters of the way there.

I didn't do some of the things with book signings and such but I went out on my own and started doing things my way, so positive things still happened.

I, for one, am excited for 2016. The last two years have taught me valuable lessons in life, love, business and friendship. Lessons that I intend on taking with me into this next year.

My physical health HAS to become a number one priority. So I am enlisting in the 1,000 mile in 2016 challenge. Its to walk, run or hike 1,000 miles in 2016. Will I hit 1,000 miles? IDK. I intend on blogging about it. But at least I'm going to try!

What are your resolutions or goals for 2016?

True Friendship

True friendship is a rare jewel these days. I'm not talking about the people you hang out with at the bar or talk to everyday on Facebook. I'm talking the ones that are the first ones to show up when the chips are down or celebrate your successes like they were their own. Loyalty is almost extinct these days. It seems as if most people just want what they can get from you and then they keep it pushing. And my favorite is when they get butt hurt when you get hip to their plan and you cut it off at the pass.

So when you find that one truly loyal friend, or if you're lucky - that group of friends, hold on to that. For whatever reason, people make mistakes in judgment, and Keep the wrong ones in and the right ones out.

I am guilty of that. I listened to the wrong people, even though internally I knew better. And I walked away from someone who had my back for the better part of 20 years, thinking that I didn't know her after all. It took a random run in with one of her friends to tell me what I already knew.

I missed almost a year with one of the most loyal, ride or die best friends I have because of foolish pride. I will never get that time back, but because of the bond we have she forgave me and we're moving forward. Because that's what happens with a true friendship. You may have your ups and downs but you work through it because you love each other like sisters. There's no time for pettiness, cat fights and Mel Rose Place drama because life is too short and we have too many dreams and aspirations to help each other hit to worry about the small stuff.

Writers Block

Writing is my passion. The best thing in the world is opening a blank document and watching the word count grow by the tens of thousands. I am in my element when my fingers are racing across the keyboard, trying to keep up with the scene that is playing in my head or the character that wont shut up. I enjoy every aspect of writing, from fleshing out characters and finding plot holes to writing and even editing and rewriting.

My arch nemesis, which I'm sure is the same for all writers, is the dreaded writer's block. It can be brought on by numerous things. I'm not going to go into what it is or how we get it, because we know all of that already. Lol.

What I want from my readers is to start a dialogue about how you get over or push through yours? I'm not one for starting another project and leaving what I'm currently working on alone. I would have like a million unfinished books. If you walk away from writing all together for a while, how long of a break do you take? I'm currently trying to just put words on the screen. Even if they suck, I put the idea down and I will to back on the second run through and spruce things up. So that's what I'm trying this time around. What do you do?

Christmas Spirit

So, how's your holiday season going? The lack of snow is making things SO much easier for me this year. Are you bogged down by gifts to buy, dinners to make or impossible relatives to please?

Take a step back and breathe. This isnt what Christmas is about. We get lost in the hustle and hustle of it all and forget why we're all coming together. We're supposed to be celebrating the birth of our savior, yet we're concerned more about the deals and the gifts.

Take a break from the commercialism of it all and just hang out with friends and family. Make memories that are going to last long after the toys break.

If you're like me and Christmas isn't what it used to be when you we're a kid, do something about. Make a decision to not get swept up in the attitudes or the adult portion of it all. Give back to your community. Watch the Christmas movies you watched as a kid.

And for the love of everything holy, push away the bad memories. As someone who lost her father around Christmas, I understand why Christmas is hard. Believe me. But for our own sanity, we have to come up with new traditions that make us happy. No, we don't want to. But for the sake of moving on and not being miserable, we have to.

What does this long ramble have to do with Christmas Spirit you ask? In short, if you weren't born with it in your blood (some people just live and breathe Christmas), it is up to you to find it. Christmas is but once a year, it's time to associate it with good memories and make it fun!