Did you know that the first New Year's celebration dates back 4,000 years? It was none other than Julius Caesar, the emperor of Rome, who was the first to declare January 1st a national holiday. He named the month after Janus, the Roman god of gates and doors. Janus had two faces: one looking forward, and the other looking back. Caesar felt that a month named after this god would be appropriate, and that's how "January" came to be. There's no denying that when it comes to holidays celebrated the same day in many parts of the world, New Year's is high on the list. It must mean something that we get the day off (at least in the U.S.), right? No matter where you are, here's to a Happy New Year for all!

Sometimes we question what the purpose of our lives really is. We get stuck in ruts, or, even worse, we hit rough patches where nothing seems to go right and ask ourselves, "Is there more to life than this?" What we have to remember is that storms eventually pass. We need to stay focused on the things that really matter to us life. Those things obviously vary from person to person, but we all strive toward achieving goals that make life purposeful. My goals in life include: Loving my wife and family and being there for them as much as I can Helping the less fortunate Helping animals, about which I am passionate Learning as much as I can, especially about the subjects that interest me the most (psychology and history) Living below my means Becoming as good a writer as I can possibly be, and writing a book someday Your goals may be to strike it rich, support the environment, and help find a cure for a certain disease. That's the beauty of life. We all hav...