What’s in a year?
They come. They go…with increasing speed. Days turn into weeks and before you know it, fifty-two weeks have turned into a year. It is easy to fall into the busy pace of days and lose the perspective that life is a gift to be enjoyed and lived to the full.
Most of us jump into January, the start of a new year, looking forward to the next 365 days. We make goals and resolutions, mustering up will power and wisdom to create change and chase dreams.
Start your year out right.
New Year’s resolutions have become a traditional way of starting out the year–and with good reason. Optimistic, we want to start the new year out right. When it comes to setting goals, perspective is important. Too often, my tendency is to inspect myself, looking for flaws, those gapping-open imperfections that could use a little fixing. To tell you the truth, this can get to be a bit of a downer.
How about you?
How many of your goals for this year are targeted at patching, changing, strengthening a weakness or flaw? Do your goals rise out of the fallow ground of failure or problems that dog at your heels? Certainly there is a place for this. Sometimes, we do need to address things that need to change. Growth, improvement, and change are necessary. But…
It can be easy to fall into a Resolution Rut.
What’s that you ask? A rut is a firmly entrenched pattern that keeps us from moving forward. It’s hard to live life full, with every day your best day when you’re in a rut.
I once heard that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result. How many years did I have loose 15 pounds on my New Year’s goals, yet kept trying to lose weight the same way with little result? The same 15 pounds, and then some stayed on my list for years. That’s a Resolution Rut!
If you find yourself always making goals from a negative perspective, it may be time to break out a new way of making goals. You don’t have to abandon the old problem-solving ways, just add something that develops potential. Enjoy motivation that flows from your joys and strengths. All of a sudden, motivation shifts from something you should do (but don’t really want to…) to something you want to do. Enthusiasm and excitement will quickly overshadow the sense of duty or obligation that should creates.
Is a Resolution Rut keeping you from making every day your best day?
Join me in my next post as we take a look at some common Resolution Ruts. For more on New Year’s Resolutions and Goals, check out some past posts:
How to Change Your Life with One Simple Thing
Printable List: Simple Things to Change Your Life
A Little Fun with New Year’s Resolutions
So glad you're here. I help busy women—gals like you— build healthy habits for living well with biblical wisdom and practical steps to deepen your faith, increase your hope, and thrive in your purpose.
