Tomorrow brings with it a clean slate, a new beginning, or you might say…A Fresh Chapter. I am thrilled. A year ago today, I stared down the barrel of a gun loaded with chemotherapy, major surgery, and rehabilitation. From the beginning, I just wanted to get 2010 over with.

As for 2011, bring it on! I have always loved the idea of a fresh start. As a kid, I would open my new backpack on a Monday night in early September just so that I could smell the perfectly pristine scribblers, pencils, and glue stick one last time, before the first day of school. (This was probably an early sign of my compulsion for perfection and not necessarily about my excitement for change).

Although I like the IDEA of change, I have a tendency to cling stubbornly to the status quo (regardless of whether it is working for me or not). Someone said to me this past year that maybe cancer was the cosmic 2×4 that God needed to get my attention. Well, it worked.

Now, the tricky part is to figure out how to take these lessons into a new kind of future rather than slip right back into the safety of old habits. Perhaps you know what I mean. We’ve all seen the gyms and yoga classes packed in January, but empty by June. That’s why I gave up making New Year’s Resolutions years ago.

But, I read an article recently that got me thinking about the adjectives I would use to describe my ideal life rather than the noun/verb combinations that typically make up my goals or resolutions.

How Three Simple (But Powerful) Words Can Put You On The Path to Happiness.

What three words would you use to describe how you would feel in your dream come true scenario? I am still working on my words, but for now, I’m leaning towards loved, healthy, and inspired. I would love to hear yours.