Here's to The New Year

It's officially the New Year. Already people are making resolutions and plans to meet their goals for 2023. Eating healthier, joining a gym, working harder at a job or school are just a few of the typical things we think of when we talk about 'New Year's Resolutions.'

But along with the fresh beginning associated with a New Year, there is also a sense of recollection and looking back on days past.

Part of how we determine what we will accomplish for this year is by looking at the year prior and seeing what we didn't do. The goals we left unfulfilled, the promises to ourselves that we broke.

And it can be hard, pulling up that list from 2022 and seeing how many things we couldn't check off.

Days going to workout at the gym dwindling into zero; plans of cooking turning into eating out; finding a new job and instead staying in your 'comfort zone', even though it makes you miserable.

Or perhaps you did achieve your goals for the previous year, but other things didn't go your way.

Maybe you had an unexpected career change that has left you still scrambling for a sense of security.

Perhaps it's the end of a relationship and you never saw it coming.

It could be people who you thought were your friends turning their backs on you.

Whoever you are and whatever your specific problems were in 2022, just know you're not alone. I think it's safe to say, it's impossible for anybody to have a completely perfect, sunshine-filled year.

And that's normal. That's why we all look forward to the start of a New Year and the endless possibilities it holds.

But can I suggest something?

Instead of placing all your hope and expectations into a New Year, why not view every new day as a chance for new beginnings and new goals. Living your life with the mindset of every day potentially being better than the previous one allows you to relax more. There's less pressure to be perfect and more room for mistakes if you know you can try again and do better the next day.

A lot of people burn out with their resolutions in January, and that's not a surprise. If you try to fulfill a goal everyday (which is great), but don't allow yourself the room to make a mistake-- like not going to the gym one day or eating something unhealthy once-- it can make you spiral. You can get trapped into thinking you've already broken your resolution, so you might as well give up.

Don't give up.

Let what happens in the day stay in the day.

And know that every morning should be a chance for something new and special to begin.

Love y'all!

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Lamentations 3:22-23 "The faithful love of the Lord never ends. His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning."