Before we collectively ring in the New Year, what is there to take away from this wacky year that has passed?

On a personal level, 2013 was the year I graduated from graduate school with a M.S. degree. It was the year I completed my clinical internship and passed my subsequent board exam. It was also the year I launched this website. Ultimately, it was a year of books and computer screens.

But what about the intangibles?

I definitely had some inner growth. Every day has been about becoming a little bit closer to the person I aspire to be. To gain faith and confidence in myself. To cultivate my own observer and turn down the volume on any self-judgements.

I see many more glimmers and glances into that woman. Everyday she becomes slightly more real.

I am proud of the person I am becoming. There are days of doubt and struggle, but I do look back on my early twenties and have thoughts of, "If I knew then...!" It seems funny and strange, to identify with something so cliché. But I do. And I suppose I will continue to have those thoughts as I age.

Alas, it is still a process.

Oh to have the freedom of figuring out exactly what I want to do and how to do it- without fear! To have the audacity to be me!

I think that is how I shall ring in the new year. I'll toast to that!

I'm attempting to come up with the word that I want to choose for 2014. I really like the idea of picking 'my word' ever since reading about the concept of a city or person having their own word in Eat Pray Love. A person's word can certainly change over time, so I think declaring my word for the year is a nice spin on the classic "resolutions" concept.

I've been mulling it over a bit and I think I've landed on it: GUMPTION.

I resolve to remember to live my life with gumption in 2014.