a cup full of coffee and a heart full of dreams

I've thought a lot about what I'd like my 2015 to involve. the life I would like to create. and there's a phrase that emerged from my thoughts which may just become my daily morning mantra: a cup full of coffee and a heart full of dreams.

is there a difference between a goal and a dream? do semantics really matter here? the point is, I'm setting intentions. it seems the thing to do at this point in the year's inaugural blog post is to share a few of these goals/dreams/intentions. but I'm going to guess you've read [or simply marked as read] more than a handful of goal lists this past week.

more than the actual tasks to be checked off, I want to focus on the approach to 2015. I want to be daring and take risks. go places that I've never been, but also find excitement and contentment in the usual. I want to live each day with a sense of wonder, embody the spirit of exploration, and attempt things that I might just fail at.

with that in mind, this year's motto has evolved into a single word...

five years ago, this word crawled into my brain and refused to leave. I started thinking that you could live life as an adventure no matter where you were... though all the traveling and expat experiences these past few years have certainly made it easier. this word has meant a lot of different things to me. I'm constantly finding new ways to apply it to my life. moving abroad has been an adventure, writing my book has been an adventure. walking through an unexplored part of my neighborhood, shooting a self-portrait in Starbucks this morning, and even taking myself to the doctor last week... all adventures.

you would think by now I'd be sick of the word. but no, not yet. and maybe not ever.

2014 was a blur of trials and travels - no wonder my motto for the year was "challenge accepted." I think my most impressive accomplishment, however, was being ok with NOT completing all of my goals. this year I again have a list of things that I fully intend to achieve. but I think focusing on my attitude towards the year rather than individual goals will have me feeling more fulfilled come December.

[and if you're really that curious... a few things I have planned are creating and coding a blog redesign, completing a 52 weeks self-portrait project, finishing the editing/revising of my book manuscript, and a whole mess of travels.]

linking up with Nicole