Happy New Year Happiness

 I love New Year's Eve so much! It's a great way to celebrate everything that you did in the previous year, and holds so much hope for the coming year. The eternal optimist in me comes out to shine - all for a glass of champagne and a kiss at midnight. I could be biased though:

 Look how young! How Excited!  If I could go back for a minute, I would say be brave, be adventurous and don't let anything stop you from doing what you dream of. Don't compromise {too much} for other people's opinions. Here's what else I would say:

How to be Happy out of the Current

{according the the de brito epistles, which have no authority over anything}

Take responsibility for you life to date. Don’t blame anyone else for your situation, own up to all the elements of your life - good and bad as 'We are the Architects of our own Adversity'. Your life is the sum of the consequences of your actions, which are regulated by the choices you make. Not all actions are choices that you WANT to make… but here you are.

Cut out the Bullshit!  This can include people who cause you drama or situations you dislike. These can be big or small. Are you endless fixing the same piece of technology or talking to the same person about the same thing ?? Work on permanent solutions for these problems, or cut them out of your life completely. When you're surrounded by drama, you expend SO MUCH energy dealing with it - or feeding its fires.

Drop your old baggage – you can't move forward in this life with the endless negativity of your past weighing down on you. Regrets, grudges and resentments don't get you anywhere. They cloud your judgement and close you off to new ideas or opportunities. I know it's hard, but Let It Go.

 Question everything – ask yourself WHY you are doing why you’re doing. WHY you work in the field you do, WHY you live where you do, WHY you believe what you believe. Don't just give yourself the 'cocktail party' answer, really think about it.

Be brave and be vulnerable. Leaving elements of your life behind is hard. It causes you to question many of your choices, values and theories on things. Do this! Be brave when you make a decision and stick to it. Be vulnerable with your questioning and to the people closest to you.

This is just a list of things that we're going to working on, and moving forward in 2012. Check out this Resolutions post for some more info about the specific things I want to learn/do this year! 

 Try a couple of simple things at home to put you out of your comfort zone. These are all experimental, and we’ll be doing them throughout our leaving process to help with the ‘culture shock’ of leaving the familiar…

o   Go to a restaurant and try food you’ve never tried -  Get crazy with it!

o   Learn a new sport. Even if you’re crappy and sports and always get hit in the face with the ball... so what’s the point of even trying?! Yeah, that’s me. Hello.. surfing.

o   Take a class - it's a great way to discover a new world and meet new people

o   Do something you’re scared of - even if it's small. I'm going to try more blue runs!

o   Give up something comfortable. I want to eeeeaaaaase myself into. Personal Space, Privacy, Independence and Proximity to Family are some of the big things we'll be compromising on this year. One step at a time.

Sorry for the list of cliches, it's an inevitable at this time of year. 

Enjoy the rest of your Holiday, Make 2012 a year to remember!

**Side Note** Want to know why we're always wearing white at New Years? It's a Brazilian tradition.