Entering a new year can be filled with dread and fear or excited anticipation and optimism.

No one has a clear crystal ball of what the future will hold. Better to be as positive as possible; why invite negativity and sadness—it will find us anyway.

As I get older and with each turn of the calendar there being fewer people in my life who were once there, it makes me pause to appreciate even having the ability to look forward to a new year.

After all, no one is promised tomorrow.

I say this as a reminder to appreciate today. Sometimes we are so focused on the future and/or the past that we forget today.

Today is pretty darn important. We can’t change the past. We aren’t promised a future. Today. Focus on today.

I realize planning is important. The future is going to be better if we plan for it. So complete blinders on only today really isn’t possible or logical.

Even so, I think too often we are lost in the past and the future and not focused on today. We are not appreciating the moment. We lose sight of the people who are in the room, in our lives now. We forget we have the power to make today something special.

Go outside. Appreciate your surroundings.

Get some exercise. It doesn’t have to be much. Walking is so cathartic. Plenty of online options. Chair exercises are huge. You’ll feel better. Trust me and all the studies that tout the physical, mental and emotional benefits of exercise.

Then treat yourself to some good food. Healthy or not. Homemade or store bought. Just enjoy that sustenance. Too often we scarf down whatever is easiest to eat without thinking much about it. Eating alone, eating with others—doesn’t matter—make food an enjoyable experience.

Do a minimum of one thing a day that makes you happy. Then build on that. If every day were filled with more fun, happy endeavors than undesirable obligations, wouldn’t that be ideal?

Turn the drudgery into a positive. I’ve learned to like invoicing clients because it means I’m making money. I no longer see it as dreaded paper-computer work. While I’m not a big fan of house cleaning, I realize not everyone has a house to clean—so in some ways it’s a privilege to clean. Plus, I have the physical ability to do so.

Life should be about living, not merely existing. Embrace life, embrace fun, embrace the positives.