First and foremost, Happy New Year to everyone! We made it through all the hustle and bustle of the office parties, holiday get-togethers, big meals, and that legendary New Year’s Eve celebration. I hope 2016 was everything you wanted it to be. I know it was for me. I published my second book, Before Sunrise, and I am very proud of the growth that has occurred in me, both as a writer, and a person.
Now as things slow down and return to normal (did I really just use the word normal?), many of us are detoxing from too much sugar and/or alcohol thanks to the holidays. I know, I’ve said at the beginning of every New Year, and I’m sure you have as well, “It’s time for a fresh start.” No more sugar, a little less alcohol, and maybe for me, a couple more salads for lunch or dinner.
For as long as I can remember, the New Year has been a time to hit the reset button. In the form of a resolution maybe, you want to lose weight, perhaps begin a new chapter in your life as a newly single person, to give up smoking, to enjoy life to the fullest, to spend less and save more, or to spend more time with family and friends.
What’s my reset button? Along with eating better, my other resolution has been the same resolution for the last five years; to be the best possible person I can be, to be kind, considerate and aware of the needs of others around me. Now I don’t make this resolution year after year because I suck at it, or because I haven’t been doing it already. I make the resolution more as a pledge to myself that I can always do better.
So what are you saying good-bye to? Wild women, whiskey, or maybe negative people in your life? Whatever it is, it takes more than just saying it. It also involves knowing how you’re going to accomplish it. You have to move that resolution to the front of your brain to bring it to life. Otherwise, it will just be buried in there with everything else by February 1.
Whether it’s a sign, ‘Post-It’ note, or a buddy system, I have to be able to visually see what it is I’m trying to do. For some people, they either have to go cold turkey or take baby steps in working towards their goal. Know what works for you and set a plan. Whatever your resolution is, make sure it’s realistic. There is a greater chance that you will keep your resolution throughout the year if it’s something you can really achieve. Unhealthy behaviors develop over time. Replacing them with healthy ones requires time as well. If you slip, it’s okay to start over, taking it from the top, placing it back in the front part of the ole brain.
So in making your New Year’s resolution this year, I think Melody Beattie, bestselling author of at least twenty (at last count) wonderful Self-Help books said it best: “The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.”
I wish you all the luck with whatever it is you’ve set your mind to do for this New Year; and remember, you’re the driver and actually do have control of your own wheel.
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