Happy New Year and Happy New Decade!
First of all, I hope that you are all healthy. I say this because it feels like the plague has ripped through our house this holiday season. We all seem to be on the mend now, but it has been a rough couple of weeks that I wouldn't wish on anyone.
Second of all, I want to do a little reflection and looking forward to the new year. Now I'm not normally a person who spends a lot of time reflecting on the past year or making resolutions for the new year. In my mind, any new year is just another set of days, weeks and months. It being a new year is more symbolic and only significant if you choose to make it significant. We talk about how the passing year treated us and how the new year is going to be so much better, as if years were people and could actually treat us differently. The change in year is what you make of it, and it's really all about your attitude and how you choose to perceive things. If you decide you are going to have a positive attitude and really strive to do so, yes, the new year may seem better to you.
Now with that being said, I do believe in making goals any time of year and setting out to achieve them. Sure, the new year can be a great time to set new goals, but so can April and October and any other time of the year. Last year, I set a goal to work on improving my health, and it all started with making those doctors appointments. Looking back on the past year, I can definitely say that I feel better than when it started. Yes, I still feel like I have improvements to continue making, but I can say that I've come far this year and I'm glad to have done it. Working on improving my health is not over just because the year is over, but I feel like I've started many good habits that I will continue as I continue to work on becoming healthier.
Recently, I was presented with a different way to look at goals and myself. I was asked to finish the statement "I am a person who ___." This really looks at our self talk, how we see ourselves and who we want to be. This was also incredibly hard for me. The first statements that came to mind were "I am a person who procrastinates" and "I am a person who makes excuses." Let's be honest. No one wants to be that person. Over the last week, I have been looking at my values, examining different areas of my life and asking myself who I want to be. So far I have come up with:
- I am a person who puts family first.
- I am a person who spends quality time with my daughter every day.
- I am a person who works hard.
- I am a person who is kind to myself.
This is still a work in progress. And these aren't goals. I see them more as guiding principals. I have been trying to remind myself of them every day to help stay true to myself and true to who I want to be. But they also help me create goals based on the kind of person I am and want to be. Go ahead and take a few minutes to try it out for yourself--finish the statement "I am a person who___." Having a good new year is more about focusing on your attitude, self talk and being true to your self than you may think.
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