The end of each calendar year is so much more than a time to look forward to starting anew. It’s a time to reflect, make tough decisions, and eliminate the clutter. While making resolutions is great and choosing theme words for the new year is inspiring, those simple things sometimes set us up for failure. They limit us as to what we can truly accomplish.
REFLECT
I really like the idea of having a theme word for the year. I just choose one at the end of the year instead. I look back at all the struggles, growth, and successes I’ve had and then assign a theme word. Too many variables will occur during the year, and we can’t possibly plan for all of them. All we can do is react. In essence, the theme word for the year sort of chooses itself based on how we respond and bounce back from the things we couldn’t plan for. That is inspiring.
CHOOSE
We accumulate so many things during the year: clothes, paper, mindsets, habits, and yes, even toxic people. While you’re waiting on the new year to arrive is the perfect time to decide what you want, and how you want to accomplish it. It’s sort of like taking out your running shoes and jogging pants the night before, so you don’t have to make that decision when the alarm goes off at 6am. You already made the decision. That’s the hard part. The follow-through is smooth after that.
Make a list of several things that you will choose to do for the upcoming year. Then, prioritize them. Next, write down three to five ways you can accomplish fulfilling those choices. Keep that list handy each time you make big decisions in the upcoming year. It will help you decide whether the new “decision” you have to make will get you closer to your goals or hinder you from them. That is liberating.
ELIMINATE
Everyone has a dozen or so things that come to mind at the worst times throughout their day: when you get into bed, as soon as you get to work, when you are on vacation, etc. Few things are worse than the time and energy these annoyances occupy in your mind.
I remember a while back, every time I got into the car I’d remember I needed to renew my license. It was too late once I was in the car. I had a place to be and a specific time to be there. I also couldn’t do it online while I was driving. Yet, when I did have the time I tended to forget. That’s when I made an elimination list. I wrote down all the things I could think of that clouded my mind at the worst times, and I purposed to take care of all them. I didn’t want that clutter occupying any more space in my mind. I set aside days and times to take care of them, and I felt so much better afterward. That freed space also allowed me time to do so much more.
The new year doesn’t always have to be an endless cycle of failed resolutions. Do something practical this year. Determine to truly start fresh.