8/12/2019 A New Year Gives Us All the Opportunity to Make Changes in Our Lives

1/2

A new year gives us all the opportunity to make changes in our lives. However, so often January

1 comes, and we are no better off than we were last year (with little to no resolve to make thingsbetter).

very year ! make "ew #ear$s resolutions, and ! am dedicated to making them come true in the

1% months allotted. &ometimes ! make it' sometimes ! don$t. However, ! believe that it$s alwaysworth trying.

#ou can make "ew #ear$s resolutions that not only stick, but are attainable. Here are seven ways

to turn this year into your best year yet.

Jennifer E. Jones is the Inspiration Editor and resident rock star at making and keeping New

Year's resolutions.

! love the old comic strip loom ounty. !n one scene, the character *pus goes to the top of a

hill on "ew #ear$s +ay to boldly proclaim all of his resolutions. He flips out a long list that

stretches down the length of the hill. He says simply, !t$s been a weak year.-

eflecting on the mistakes and mishaps of last year is a good place to start when making "ew

#ear$s resolutions. /here could you have done better0 /hat do you want to see change0 "oneed to be down on yourself. Just take a look at your weak points and see what you can do aboutthem this year.

"Write the vision and make it plain..." Haakkuk !!

! don$t know about you, but for me, nothing gets done unless it$s written down. here$s

something to the act of putting pen to paper (or finger to keypad). !t takes it from being 2ust an

idea to being real. !t$s not out in the universe until it$s down on paper.

here are a lot of ways to do this. #ou can use a planner or a calendar. #ou can type it out on

your laptop or write it down on a piece of paper. Just make sure it$s written and in a place where

you can see it and refer to it often. rust me. #ou$ll need it.

3oor, poor January. /e pin all our hopes on those first 41 days. /e cram a laundry list of goalsinto one month and try to make them all happen at breakneck speed. !nevitably, by 5ebruary we

are burnt out, and by the summer, our resolutions are long forgotten.

6et$s give January a break, shall we0 !f your goals are worth attaining, they will take time 7

much more than a mere month can offer. 3lus the effort and energy it will take to accomplish

those resolutions is too much to do all at once. &pace them out. !$m often making resolutions that! can$t begin to work on until April or early June. &o, give your "ew #ear$s resolutions some

breathing room. he month of January thanks you in advance.

!$m proud of you that you want to write a novel this year or build a shed in the backyard. 8udos.

However, those are very big goals, and it$s easy to look at the mountain, decide it$s too big toclimb, and crawl back into bed.

reak big goals down into smaller increments. 5or e9ample, if you$re writing a novel, author8aren 8ingsbury once told me that if you wrote si9 pages every day, you$d have your book

finished in a year. &ee what ! mean0 hat is a feasible daily task that will accomplish a larger

goal in time.

8/12/2019 A New Year Gives Us All the Opportunity to Make Changes in Our Lives

2/2

!n %:11, after having run my first half marathon the year before, ! vowed to run another half

marathon and then a full marathon by the end of the year. !$m happy to report that !

accomplished both goals by the end of *ctober. However, ! didn$t do it alone. ! had greatsupport. ! had a running partner, friends who motivated me to get my training miles in and

parents who drove me to the starting line.

hances are, if your dreams are big like losing weight or running a marathon, you$ll need a littlehelp from your friends. each out and ask for the support you need. !t can be a bonding

e9perience you$ll never forget.

A lot of great tasks in life don$t get finished, because we waste a lot of time doing things that are

unimportant or unrelated to our goals. hink about all the time you spend on social networking

/eb sites or those two hours in front of the television every night. /ouldn$t that time be better

spent working towards your resolutions0

/e so readily say, *h, ! 2ust don$t have time.- he truth is that you can maketime. !dentify the

time;wasters in your day and replace them with pro2ects and tasks that will bring you closer toyour goal.

As the year draws to a close, take some time to reflect on the resolutions you made in January.How did you do0 +id you work hard0 +id you make the deadlines or do you need another year0