So here we are, in the first week of a new year that's filled with new possibilities, fresh starts, and opportunities for transformation.  

As I look ahead, I'm filled with hope at the thought that anything is possible!  And I'm filled with good intentions of all the good things I would love to happen in 2018.

It would be great if I stuck to my budget.  It would be great if I got into the best shape of my life.  It would be great if I spent more intentional time with family and friends.  It would be great if I spent more time reading and reflecting and meditating.  It would be great if I finished the manuscript for my 3rd book.  It would be great to travel to a developing country to practice medicine again.

Maybe you have the same thought, as you look ahead to what feels like 363 more days of infinite possibilities, "It would be great if...."  and you fill in the blanks with the positive hopes and possibilities you see for you and those you love. 

Having hope and being optimistic and believing for the best are great -- but they'll only take you so far.  They'll take you to the edge of imagination and intention, but they won't lead to positive transformation until you choose to take action.  

And this, I'm realizing, is the important difference between wishes and goals. 

A wish is a positive sentiment about something that may happen to you.  A goal is positive progress that will be made by you. 

This week, I'll write more about the why's and how's and when's of walking toward wellness as we enter the new year. 

Today, I'd invite you to sit with these questions. 

1) What's your deepest wish for 2018?

2) What are three steps you can take to turn that wish into a goal?