It’s hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone and now we are beginning a new year.  With the start of a new year comes a flood of New Year’s Resolutions; becoming more healthy, travelling more, getting in shape, living with no regret, not letting yourself get tied up in useless drama….  I’ve heard a lot of these resolutions  from my family and peers over the last few days.  But what is inspiring is that so many people like to play into these “New Year Resolutions” as a way to set goals to better themselves.  No other time of the year can you find so may people pushing themselves to create some kind of change that they had put on the back burner for too long.

I’ve struggled a bit trying to come up with what I should have as my New Years Resolution this year.  In reflection, it may just be because topping last year will prove incredibly difficult.  In 2011, I travelled to 16 countries, 3 continents, and 6 provinces within Canada.  While a portion of this was during a four month exchange in Europe, the remainder of it was because of Global Vision.  Attending the National Youth Caucus in Ottawa last June was a great experience as I got to meet youth from all over the country who were either starting out their journey with Global Vision or had already become a JTC graduate.  Then the Trade Mission to Indonesia and Malaysia was an experience of a lifetime as I was introduced into the world of networking with top business professionals such as the President of Talisman Energy, President of Manulife Financial, Executive Vice President of Petronas, Canadian Ambassadors and High Commissioners, as well as dozens of inspiring youth who were playing a huge part in their culture and community.  From there I was chosen to be a member on the Canadian APEC Summit team where words cannot describe the experience I had.  From shaking hands with large names from Microsoft, Rio Tinto, Wal-Mart, Boeing, and Exxon Mobil; to waking up at 4 a.m to be interviewed for a news broadcast; to learning about the struggles of keeping Hawaiian culture alive from local youth; to having a debriefing session with Prime Minister Harper explaining everything we are doing and everything we had learned…..that week was unbelievable.

I’ve come to the conclusion that it will be incredibly difficult to top last year, so instead of making some obscene goal to travel to 17 countries, 4 continents, and 7 provinces ( or any of the 3 territories), I’ve decided to set a goal to help get the message out to youth who, like me, had no idea what they could accomplish.  I want to encourage others to get involved, to push their limits, to climb over obstacles that get in their way and reach the summit.  If you are someone who is reading this and thinking that they would like to experience something similar as to what I did last year, why not make it your New Years Resolution to get involved with Global Vision? Either to step back on the LTR or join it.  You will better yourself; you will better your community; and you will help define a path for young professionals all across Canada to join you in becoming the next global leaders.

All the best to you guys in the New Year!  Feel free to contact me if any of you would like help getting pointed in the right direction.  But for the meantime make sure to keep an eye on globalvision.ca and check out the Global Leaders Centers nearest to you.  I hope to see a whole lot of the best and the brightest Atlantic Canadians at the Atlantic Global Leader’s Center in Newfoundland, early February!