As human beings, we all partake in interesting rituals and follow social contracts that seem only natural to us. New Years, for example, has become a time to reflect on the chapter we prepare to close, as if the date and time on a clock indicate a separation of past and present. It’s funny how simply shifting from one day to the next invites a barrage of “New Year, new me” posts, promises and resolutions. Well, here’s mine:

This past year has been a whirlwind, filled with tumultuous events that I believe have only made me wiser. 2016 has taught me a lot, and while much of this year has elicited negative emotions, it has also given me the greatest gift of all: a sense of purpose.

I spent most of my year with Viacom and loved and cherished every second of it. Filling my days with star-studded celebrities became the new norm and I warmly welcomed a variety of chauffeurs who drove me home in plush Cadillacs. Most of the time, I felt like I was living in a movie. I was meeting incredible people, attending lavish events and making pretty good money on top of it. I was beside myself. But I was also blinded by the camera flashes and began losing myself and everything I had ever stood for.

I gave everything I had for my job, which allowed me to grow and prosper professionally. In doing that though, my soul began to starve without me ever noticing. I stopped considering myself the crunchy granola golden girl I thought I was, and felt more and more disconnected from the earth and the trees. I wasn’t listening to my calling, the one thing that could bring me internal contentment.

A few months ago, I finally started to understand the issue at hand and began working through the dissonance going on in my head. I started focusing more on my passions, which I found were more alive and active than ever. I hosted a documentary-screening of “Before the Flood” on behalf of National Geographic and now I’m interviewing with a number of non-profit organizations that resonate deeply with me. I’m back to being the feisty freedom-fighting, earth-loving activist I knew I was, and more importantly, I’m proud of who I am. The journey may have been challenging, but finally reaching this destination makes all the internal hardship worth it. I will be forever grateful for my amazing Viacom experience and will chalk it all up to one breathtaking chapter of the story of my life. Goodbye, 2016, I’m ready for my future tomorrows.

“We’re so engaged in doing things to achieve purposes of outer value that we forget the inner value, the rapture that is associated with being alive, is what it is all about.” -Joseph Campbell