I love a new year. Any date that provides me an opportunity to draw a line in the imaginary sands of time and state that that was past and this is present and (hopefully) future is welcome in my book. My affinity for reflection and resolution-making means this day is my second Christmas, gifting me with a chance to indulge both the contemplative and wildly optimistic sides of myself. This go-round, though, I feel different as the end of a year approaches and a new year begins.

I think what makes this end-of-the-year-beginning-of-the-year limbo unlike past ones is a synergy between love and trust that has resulted in a deep appreciation for my own journey and the journeys of others that I have never before experienced. Learning to love myself as-is has enabled me to learn to love others as-is. Learning to trust myself and be trustworthy has enabled me to trust others and to walk away from those who prove themselves to be untrustworthy with a minimal amount of pain and regret. Combined, these two traits have given rise to a sense of passionate contentment and peaceful anticipation that makes each day, even the tough ones, good. Well and truly good.

While resolutions are fun to make, accepting, even loving, what is, who I am, and who others are creates an environment for positive change that shame and disappointment never can. Trusting myself to know when change is necessary means I don’t have to keep a running tally of my faults and flaws in my head. Instead, I can spend my energy building on my strengths, knowing that my weaknesses are not failures, but rather opportunities for humility and empathy with the weaknesses of others. And when the time comes to work on my weaknesses, I can trust that I will be ready and willing to change. Love and trust, for myself and others, have made resolutions for the new year superfluous, because I already am and have what I need for the life I want to live. They’ve served me well in 2013, so I think I’ll just bring them along into 2014 and leave it at that.