Happy New Year, everyone! Can you believe it’s already 2016? I feel like we were just ringing in 2015. For that matter, I still think of the year 2000 as being about 6 years ago. But now we are closer to 2030 than we are to 2000… talk about hard to believe!

Some people really dislike New Year’s resolutions, opting to set and accomplish goals throughout the year rather than just on one day. I’m big on list making and crossing accomplished items off my to-do list on a daily basis. (Sometimes I will complete a task that I hadn’t written on my list before and actually write it on the list just so I can cross it off!) But I also love the feeling of a “fresh start” and setting the tone for the coming year. What better day than New Year’s Day to take stock of the previous year and make plans for the next, with all 365 days ahead of you?

January marks two years I’ve been working full-time as the program director at Ferncliff. I feel like I’ve learned so much. I would say 2015 was a pretty good year for me professionally. We had a successful summer of camp with more campers than ever, a great staff, and a lot of fun. Since the summer has ended I have felt more equipped to handle the year-round aspects of my job. I’ve taken on new responsibilities, been more aware of all the pieces to keep on my radar and when to start working on them, and worked on the skills needed to be a good program director.

But in just as many ways, I’m still learning and honing my abilities. There are still many tasks that slip through the cracks that Joel has to remind me to work on, or skills I need to develop (budgeting, anyone?), or aspects of programming I can do better. In truth, I can do better in all aspects of my job, really. No matter how many years I’ve been at Ferncliff, I can always improve upon my work and myself. I just need to remember that it’s a work in progress, and it’s okay to mess up and take my time in learning how to be the best program director I can be.

An author I really like, Neil Gaiman, often posts his well-wishes for the new year on his website. Here are his thoughts from 2011, still relevant and important to me five years later:

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.

So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”

Hope 2016 is kind to you, friends.

-Emily