“New Year, New Me!”

Whatever you feel you are not receiving is a direct reflection of what you are not giving. Whatever you are angered by is what you aren’t willing to see in yourself.

“New year, new me” is a phrase that has been used for many years in preparation for January 1. In preparation for a new year, the world is always busy making new resolutions in relation to fitness, finances, spirituality, relationships, travel, and so much more. Sadly, just as often as I see people posting and talking about their New Year’s resolutions and plans, I see people mocking and belittling the act of setting resolutions.

I encourage you to make grand plans for the new year.

I implore you to write down all the things you believe and share them if you desire to.

I dare you to stop worrying about naysayers that don’t believe in the power of reinvention.

I hope you can look back on laughs with loved ones, and look ahead to new adventures and memories that await you.

I hope you leave the pain, the heartbreaks, and the losses behind, but carry the lessons with you.

I hope you feel compassion for yourself for any mistakes you might have made, for you were doing the best you could at the time.

I hope you realize that bad mistakes don’t really exist, just lessons learned and growth to be leaned into, should you dare.

I hope you find it in you to give yourself the love that you may have looked for in other people. You are worthy of it all.

I hope you take the chance to get to know yourself on a deeper level, because there are always deeper levels to explore.

I hope you love others wholeheartedly and without fear, knowing that every bit of love given is worth it even if it brings eventual pain.

I hope you know that whatever pain you may endure will pass and you will be a stronger human as a result.
I hope you allow yourself to feel the wide range of natural emotions that come your way rather than run from them.

I hope you take care of your mind, body, and soul, in whichever ways that feel good to you.

I hope you challenge yourself and lean into discomfort rather than avoid it.

Not sure where to start with setting your goals for 2022?

1. Examine your current life.
I have spent the month of December examining my life. I have been cleaning my physical, mental, and spiritual spaces. While I am cleaning out my closets, reviewing my journals from the year, reviewing my goals that I set for 2021, and checking off prayers answered, I have been looking at areas of my life that are not going the way that I would like. I then align those areas with what my future life looks like.

2. Write the vision. Make it plain.
There is such power in writing things down. You are literally creating something tangible from what was once only a thought. A year is a long time, and sometimes we get caught up in the day to day of our lives and we forget the bigger picture. We forget those resolutions we made at the beginning of the year. Write those goals down. You can write them down in the form of a vision board, in your journal, on post it notes on your wall, on index cards, or in the Notes app in your phone — make those thoughts into a tangible thing that you can go back and reflect on throughout the year.

3. Give yourself some grace.
One major fault that is often found with New Years resolutions is the lack of longevity in the commitment. I have a secret for you. We are not perfect. What tends to happen is that we make a resolution and the first time we miss a workout or splurge instead of paying a credit card off, we become discouraged and decide that we may as well give it up because we’ve failed ourselves. I implore you to give yourself some grace. Go into the year knowing that you are not perfect and having an off day, week, or even month does not mean that you cannot reach your goal.

Cheers to a new year and a new you.

I hope you seek meaningful connections, in loved ones and strangers alike.

I hope you have the courage to be vulnerable.

I hope you take pride in who you are, faults and all.

I hope you pay no mind to what other people think of you and the decisions you make, because you know that the only opinion that matters is your own.

I hope you believe that your voice matters.

I hope you understand that tomorrow is never promised, and that you make the most of today and every day.
And lastly, should you survive another year, I hope it is the best damn year of your life, because you knew you had the power to make it so, and you did.