Yesterday I received a new year’s card from a paper company. In big bold characters, it said “LUCKY 13”.

Lucky 13
2013 Happy New Year card

Immediately, I grabbed my trusty roll of blue painters’ tape (can’t make a mark on the new office doors in the office) and stuck it on my door so I could easily see it—and others could too.

I like the idea of a year being lucky. Full of promise. Full of possibility. Of course, every year should be thought of that way. At the beginning of a year, the possibilities are literally endless. 365 new beginnings. 365 times you can try something new. 365 do overs.  If you’re brave, that is. If you’re willing to put yourself out there. If you’re willing to stretch a bit.

But one thing I’ve already noticed is amount of stretching some people are doing—more than I remember hearing about last year. Perhaps it’s the amount of holiday time they had to slow down and really think about themselves for a change. Yesterday at the office, I heard about straw bale gardening. New workout classes. A blog about to be hatched. Sewing projects being planned. Vows to cook more at home. Assessments of relationships. Volunteer work about to be started. Technology to be mastered. Business opportunities to be created.

One thing that all of these “resolutions” have in common is that no one  is sitting back and waiting for something to happen. While some are still plotting their next move, many have already begun. A far cry from 2012’s standing back, holding breaths, waiting for the other shoe to drop. The optimism and hopefulness is in the air. And all over my friends’, coworkers’, and acquaintances’ faces.

They’re making their own luck. How about you?