Embarking on a new year is an exciting prospect. No exercise plans have gone by the wayside yet, no diet has been blown yet there are no plans that have not been seen through. But it also can be daunting as well. Considering what we hope to achieve in the coming year, which goals we hope to pursue and what new interests we hope to delve into. Maybe you know you need a new career change of physical move or to move on from a long-term relationship that isn’t going in the right direction. Looking into the new year can cause us to reflect on these topics and make changes.
Sometimes it helps to look ahead by looking back, which may sound a little crazy but let me explain. Think about a year from now what would you have hoped to have achieve this year? Where would you like to be personally professionally or emotionally? Ask yourself that question and think about which areas you could make improvements in? Get a journal and on separate pages write you goals and work backwards. For example, if you’re hoping to switch jobs, what would be your ideal job. You would write that at the top of that page and then what steps you’ll need to take to get there. If it’s time for a new place to live, because maybe your place is either too small or too big and you’re hoping that next year this time you’ve already made the move ask yourself, “What are the steps you would need to make that change. Do this with the major goals you have for the year.
My Dad, like many of our parents like the saying “So and So made their bed and now they have to lie in it.” That’s true, we get a chance to make the bed we want to lie in. It can be a good thing or a not so good thing. It IS all up to us. True, things can happen that are out of our control, like an accident or an unexpected diagnosis or illness, but aside from those unfortunate circumstances, our further is in each one of our hands. WE are responsible for the “Bed We Make” or the Year We Plan. Ask yourself what would make you happy?
Looking ahead in the new year, people usually have common areas where they’re hoping to improve. Here are some of the major ones:
-Socially. Are you happy with your friends and those you see often? Your family is set and you can’t change that, but your friends, you can. If you feel that your are not respected, your are treated unfairly or don’t have common interests with they group of individuals you are spending time with, maybe it’s time to look inward and ask why? Is it a YOU problem? Sometimes we can rub people the wrong way. If that isn’t the case, maybe your are choosing to spend time with people you don’t have much in common with. If your friends all drink and like to stay out late and you don’t, maybe you would be happier with friends who had the same attitude. I heard an interesting quote last week, “You are the CEO of your own life and you get to fire and hire who comes into it.” Agreed.
-Fun. What kinds of things would you like to do this year for fun? Would you like to travel, join a knitting group or a round of pick up basketball at the gym? Decide what sound fun to get you our of the house and around other people and make it happen. One year a friend and I decided to learn to knit. We signed up for a knitting class in mid-January that year and we had every Monday afternoon to look forward to. We picked it up quickly, because we wanted to learn, and it became a fun hobby for us both. Keep your activities in line with your budget for this part of your life.
-Financially how are you doing? Are you spending too much money? Do you live within your means or are you spending money on things that you don’t need or aren’t a priority. I was talking to a tech guy a couple of weeks ago who told me that the social media algorithms are set up to inspire people to want more and more things. More jewelry, more clothes more “stuff.” Yes, we need a certain amount of “stuff” to live, but how is your rainy day fund? What if you loose your job or you are very unhappy with your job? Would you be able to quit and spend full time looking for a new one? If you had a rainy day fund you could weather a life storm. Ask yourself where you’d like to be financially. Set a reasonable goal of how much you should save and do it. Do you really need the $6 coffees everyday? Making little changes each day, each week can get you to your goal at the end of 2026, whether it is paying off left or saving for a down payment on a house.
-What do you hope to accomplish physically? Most of us want to be healthy in the new year. What does that mean to you? Some people like to take January and make sure all of their medical appointments are made for the year, including all of their necessary test and assessments to keep them healthy. Being healthy means getting active. If you don’t already have an exercise program, what do you plan to do to become active? If you hope to eat more healthy how are you going to do that and what changes are you going to make? Maybe you already have an exercise program but maybe you’re looking to add more weight to your workouts or more mind body activity. How are you going to educate yourself as to what you need to be doing to achieve the goals you hope to achieve? If you need to lose weight, do you have a plan? There’s plenty of information on the internet to help you achieve your goals when it comes to health and wellness. Now is the time to plan and set goals. Write your workouts in your calendar and make them happen.
-Professionally what are your goals? If you are new to the job market are you making progress to where you hope to go career wise? I have head young adults say that they should be making more money or complain that they don’t like working long hours. If you are working from home, ask yourself, “Would an in person job lead you to advancement in your field of work?” Maybe yes, maybe no, depending on the area. If working in an actual work place would help you move up, move towards that path. If your supervisor sees in person how hard you work, maybe advancement is more possible-again depending on the field of work. Be a good employee. Don’t slack. Even if you work from home, companies can tell who slacks and who doesn’t. Give your boss or company a good days work. Wouldn’t you want the same if you were in charge?
-If you are a parent, how are things going? I would have to say that parenting is the toughest job out there. You’re on duty 24/7 and it can be utterly exhausting. But just remember you cannot be their friend until they’re an adult taking care of their own responsibilities. You have to be the parent and you need to be tough. If you let some things slide the beginning of a new year is a good time to get back on track, setting expectations and consequences when those expectations are met. It might sound like a tall order, but it’s easier than you think. Lay down the ground rules and start enforcing them. If little Mary does not want to go to early morning choir practice when she signed up for the choir, then she doesn’t get privileges after school like going to friends or using the car. Just one example. You know what you need to do. Follow through and do it. You’ll be glad that you did and someday your kids will thank you.
-How are you doing when it comes to a relationship with a significant other? If you are hoping to meet someone who could be a potential spouse. Are you intentionally making an effort to find the right person? Are you dating seriously? Are you looking for the right type of person? Again start with a list. Write it down in a journal and be serious about what you are looking for. One of my favorite Priests I enjoy listening to is father Josiah Trenham who is at Saint Andrew’s Orthodox Church in Riverside, California. He was given this advice when he was a young adult. After he made the list of the type of wife he was looking for, someone told him to then look at that list and become the kind of person that he was looking for. I thought that was very good advice. If you are married or in a serious relationship, how’s that going? Is there a mutual respect for one another? Are you holding up your end into the bargain of being a good partner? Again start with yourself and take inventory of how you are treating the other person in the relationship. If you still feel you are not being treated fairly maybe you start treating the other person the way you would like to be treated. If you’ve grown apart, maybe you take this time at the beginning of a new year to ignite your relationship. Maybe you find some new things to do together such as join a gym, attend classes or maybe take some classes online. I recently was given a Masterclass subscription and my husband and I plan to take some classes together a few times a week on the platform. Maybe have a movie night or a night that you make dinner together. Start thinking about ways You can spice things up. Ask how would you like this relationship to be a year from now?
So how is your relationship with your faith coming along? Have you been intentional or have you put it on the back burner? It can be easy to get off track, not attend regular worship- or not have time for prayer or devotional-I hope not but it can happen. The new year is a good time to get back on track. There are many sites and apps that allow you to do a read the Bible app in a year, breaking the readings down into Old Testament, New Testament and a Proverb/Psalm each day. I plan to do that I just got my plan and I started yesterday. I’ve read the Bible in passages but never covered to cover. I think that’s an excellent idea and I’m looking forward to embarking on that goal this year. Maybe sign up for a new Sunday school class taught in your congregation or you do more a more in depth study of your faith. Earlier in the fall I took a class online on Modern Day Saints. It was very interesting. There are all kinds of sites out there from different churches and different denominations that have a wealth of information free of charge. I challenged myself to turn off the TV more often and read the Bible or look for faith based literature for reading.
There you go, a list of some of the most popular topics that people want to make improvements in at the beginning of the year. I’m hoping for all of us one year from now to look back and say that not only it was it a a great day, but that it was a great year. Even if we don’t every goal, but we can see that we’ve made progress, well that would be a good thing. Happy New Year Friends..
