Every year I make resolutions and every year within a month or two I’m no longer sticking to my carefully planned out goals. And so my life is no better. Another new year rolls around and I make the same resolutions. After a month I’m not keeping any of them. Anyone seeing a pattern?
Are you like me and many others who give up on their resolutions after just a few short months or even sooner?
This time I’m looking at the new year differently.
Here are my thoughts on a new year.
I’m not usually one who spends a lot of time reflecting on tough times but this past year seemed to have a lot of them and I want to do everything I can to keep from going back there.
Three Things I Learned This Past Year
- Relationships, no matter how solid they seem, need nourishment and attention. Just when you get comfortable and everything seems fine, that’s when discontentment strikes. Even relationships you’ve had for a long time need your time and commitment. Don’t neglect the things that matter most to you.
- Making time for yourself and the things you enjoy doing is one of the best ways to ward off overwhelm. I’ve become all too familiar with that feeling this past year and I’m tired of it. When I slow down and focus on one thing that I like to do, even for just a little while, my life feels much less overwhelming. Just take one task at a time and give yourself permission to enjoy something, even when it’s not on the to-do list.
- Don’t schedule so many things for yourself to do. When you give yourself self-proposed deadlines and pile on extra activities or projects, you just wear yourself out. I worked on a lot of side projects this past year and made myself super stressed out trying to get them all done. So I won’t set such hard deadlines this year for my “extra” projects. I also, want to enjoy working on them instead of stressing out about them. They are fun things that I enjoy doing and I don’t want them to become burdensome.
I feel like I’m standing on this precipice. With a new year dawning and thinking about all the things I want to happen this year, it feels overwhelming. Another year could go by and I could still be in the exact place I am now. I know the plans I make today won’t matter. It will be what I do tomorrow that makes or breaks my year. Action is the only true measurement of progress.
After reading back through my journal I see how hopeful I was for the future. Today it just seems daunting. It’s nice to be able to look back over the year and rekindle the feelings you had, learn from the hard times, and relive the happy moments.
I’m reminded of a verse in Psalms. The psalmist writes about being distressed but then changes his mindset to dwell on the good things that have already happened to him at the Lords’ hands.
11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.12 I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”Psalm 77 NIV