New Years resolutions have always seemed like a far-fetched, impossible goal I made for myself. And I think it’s pretty evident that I’m not alone in this train of thinking considering the amount of people who have already “failed” at their resolutions.
Don’t get me wrong. I like the idea of bettering ourselves and aiming to make this year better than the last. I’m not disillusioned into thinking I don’t need improvement. Who doesn’t. It’s just that I (and apparently a lot of other people) have a tendency to place ridiculous and unachievable standards on myself. Then, when I fall short, I beat myself up.
That’s not a healthy way of thinking. I know this. And that’s why I have banned resolutions for myself and instead chosen to choose #onelittleword to theme the year after. And I invite you to join me on this tradition!
In the past I have spent a ton of time thinking and praying over my #olw but this year it just came to me like a little gift from God. But before I get into that…
Last year, I chose the word DREAM. Our family was in the midst of a huge transition, with no sense of real direction. We felt called by God to find peace in that time of transition and to really dream big and seek his direction for our family. It was a year of trial and error. We had a lot of doors open, only to later get shut in our face. It was a season of re-discovering ourselves, our passions and our dreams for our future and our family. We let the sky be the limit as we considered the possible directions God might call us in.
Looking back, I can see now that the one little word I “chose” was actually placed in my head for a divine purpose. I didn’t even have the slightest idea what God had in store for us.
So back to this year’s word…
With a new sense of clarity and purpose, our family has decided to embrace a new crazy adventure as we actively pursue our dreams. We have sold our home, got rid of a lot of our belongings, downsized, and moved twice in three months. As of the 1st of this year, we relocated our family out of state (we are taking that whole “new year, new you” thing really seriously, haha)! With all the change, we are still discovering what our new every day is going to look like. But we are figuring it out as a family.
But more than just this crazy adventure we are on…I am aiming to be more adventurous in many ways. I want to throw caution to the wind and spread my wings…
This year I aim to introduce myself more, share my story and let people in.
I want to take a chance on myself and follow through on some of those ideas I have brewing up in that brain of mine.
I want to stop letting the fear of failure get in the way of trying something new.
I want to set an example to my kids and prove to myself that I have it in me.
I want to take all that dreaming I did last year and turn it into a new adventure.
So buckle up, friends! It looks like we are in for a ride!
Do you set New Year’s resolutions? Or are you more of a #olw person, like I am? What word would you use to theme your year after in 2016?
