New Year New Me?
I love the start of a new year. I makes me think of new beginnings, new chances, new starts. I don’t like to make resolutions, I like to make goals. In my mind, if you fail to keep a resolution, you are done. However, if you make a goal, you have multiple chances to achieve that goal, even if sometimes you might do a bit of backsliding.
I know that each day is a new day, a new chance, a new beginning. To me a new year is the ultimate in new. Sadly, though, I must admit that at the end of each year—who am I kidding, around March or so—the goals have not been achieved and most are not likely to be reached. So each January I review the goals that I still want to do and start on them. Again.
One part of the problem is that life can sometimes get in the way. This is not always a bad thing. For example, last year I went on a vacation in September that I had not expected to do in January. However, disruptions to the norm can sometimes disrupt the day and any attempts to work towards ones goals might need to be put on hold until later. Also, in the past I had often found that making plans to work on my goals sounds great on a Monday morning, but after coming home from my job, preparing and eating dinner, and then looking at what I needed or wanted to do, I was just too tired. “There’s always tomorrow” is not the best saying for a procrastinator like myself.
So, again I have made my goals. I have a journal to write down these goals, along with daily steps that I can do to help achieve them and a small chart to note how well (or not so well) I do each day. Now, all I need is the strength and willpower to do the daily steps. For this, I can turn to the Bible:
- “Whatever you do, work at it wholeheartedly as though you were doing it for the Lord and not merely for people.” Colossians 3:23
- “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
- “The diligent will take control, but the lazy will be put to forced labor” Proverbs 12-24 [although in my case, the problem is that I see myself as being lazy and not doing the labor]
- “Entrust your work to the LORD, and your planning will succeed.” Proverbs 16:3
Hm, for that last one, I think I will put it on the cover of my journal so that I can see it and read it each time I start to write down what I want to do for the day. Changing my thought pattern from “What do I want to do” to “How does God want me to do this” is a total change of perspective. Perhaps that will help me with reach those goals I have so often not achieved. I’ll let you know this time next year.
TLB