Erica Croteau

I used to naively sit down and create a plan for my life that looked somewhat like finding the love of my life at 20, finding a house that was just right, and starting a family within a few years. Not anymore.

I gave other people the ability to evaluate what my quietness meant, I gave them the ability to assume my stance on the conversation, and I gave them the ability to believe my voice didn’t need to be heard.

Why wait for January 1st when you have 364 other opportunities to better yourself, your life, and your story?

This holiday season I am looking forward to the giggles heard from little kids meeting Santa, the extra tight hugs from family members, and the warm feeling I get when I look around the room at holiday parties and realize how important my friends and family are to me.

My personality could be summed up as loud and unruly, but mixed with a whole lot of love and good intentions.

I grew up learning that the color of someone’s skin was not reflective of their beliefs, behaviors, thoughts, feelings, or emotions. I grew up learning that the color of someone’s skin was not what defined them.

When I look around at my fellow millennials, I see visionaries, world changers, thrill seekers and people who want to go out there and make this world a better place.

“When we decide to use social media as a positive outlet, the scope through which we are looking at life through becomes significantly more welcoming and we begin to not switch into a defensive mode at the drop of a nasty tweet.”