"The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written." ~Melody Beattie We took the big leap into 2022 a little over two months ago. Now it’s time to check in on how everyone’s New Year’s Resolutions are going. If it were me, I would answer the question in hopeful anticipation, excited by the mere idea of changing my life in the new year with little to no plans for the actual follow-through. At about this time each new year, anyone could ask me how my resolution was going to which I would likely reply: “Um, I honestly forgot about it.” Wikipedia describes a New Year’s Resolution as a tradition “in which a person resolves to continue good practices, change an undesired trait or behavior, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve their life at the start of a new year.” It also happens to be a pretty common conversational point at the end of the year: “What’s your New Year’s Resolution?” The older I get, the less I take stock in the whole “New Year’s Resolution” thing. It’s not like we have the chance to accomplish goals, change our behavior, or improve our lives only on an annual basis. Rather than push a massive reset button once a year, I’d rather push a smaller reset button every single day and treat each new sunrise as a clean slate. Still, I like the concept of coming up with ideas for improving and growing as a person, and the start of a new year does seem like a good time to do that. Rather than come up with a traditional resolution, I decided to establish a theme based on a single word, to have 2022 marked by one idea. Then each day, I can remind myself to push that small reset button and mark that day with this theme. What did I decide to mark my year by? Grace. I don’t know about you, but I have a habit of being hard on myself. School, work, relationships with others—I have to perform well in them all. God forbid I fall short, or a cacophony of destructive self-talk will ensue. We live in a world that pushes for an unrealistic standard of perfection. We’re expected to have it all and be the best in what we pursue. In 2022, I hope to set down this worldly standard and pick up God’s standard of grace. 2022: a year of grace. It has a nice ring to it. I’m two months in and still have a long way to go (thankfully I have ten more months to practice). Whenever I take something too seriously or get down on myself, my mother gently reminds me of my self-proclaimed theme, “Remember, your theme this year is grace. Give yourself some!” What do you need more of in your life right now? What do you want 2022 to be marked by? Courage? Patience? Empathy? Listening? I encourage you to reflect on what your soul needs and fill in the blank above. Then, take the steps to give yourself a little bit more of that word or idea each day (and fill me in, I’d love to hear what you mark your year by). Friends, let’s make 2022 a great one. Questions for Reflection
Photocred: Unsplash
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