Recently I have learned and considered that there are some things we think and feel about a new year that could use some more thought.
“New year, new me!” Just because the year is new doesn’t automatically mean I suddenly am or am going to be a better person. It really depends on how disciplined I am going to be at doing better in my life. And really, God is the only person who can truly make me new, so I need to be closely listening to Him to become who I should be, regardless of the time of year.
“The new year starts a fresh, clean slate!” Well, not necessarily. In a way it can, but just because the year is new doesn’t mean it undoes what I’ve done up to this point in my life, good or bad. I can’t erase the past, but I can do better going forward, whether or not I’ve already been doing pretty well.
“I’m making resolutions!” That means I’ve resolved to do something because I realize and admit there’s something I could be doing better. Do I really mean it? If so, I need to start small. I might have a lofty goal, but unless I break it down into steps, I’m probably not going to get there. Want to build better habits? Start with small, achievable goals and get bigger from there. I’ll have to ask some questions: What habit do I want? What habit do I not want? What causes me to have those kinds of habits? What can I do to encourage the good ones and discourage the bad ones? How’s my self-discipline? What kind of accountability do I need? Who can I look up to? Essentially, how do I get where I need to be going, and what are the stops on the way? Once we start achieving small goals, we’ll get the momentum going to achieve even more!
The year is new, I am not, but I can still do new things and have a new perspective. What have I fallen short with? How can I do better about those things? What have I done well so far? How can I keep doing them, or do them even better?
Related:
For Good in the New Year
New Year Coming
Plans for the New Year
Advice and Notes for New Year
Learned Over the Year